Finally, 10 years later, some clarification from the band!
If you listen to A Perfect Circle's "Judith" and more importantly, Tool's new "10,000 days (Wings for Marie Part 2)", most is explained.
His mothers name was Judith Marie Keenan.
in Judith, Maynard sings 'fuck your god, he's the one that left you broken down and paralyzed'.
In 10,000 days, he sings '10,000 days in the fire is long enough, you're going home', 'Judith Marie, unconditional one'.
Judith Marie suffered for 10,000 days, perhaps from a stroke that left her paralyzed?
She died on 18 June 2003. Maynard was born on 17 April 1964, so he was 39.2. 10,000 days is 27.4 years.
39.2 - 27.4 = 11.8. He was 11 years old when it happened.
Like Jimmy, the track 10,000 days also refers to "holding the light" and the light leading you home. In this track, the light is her gift of guidance and faith in him. Home is heaven.
Therefore I think Jimmy is about Maynard losing his mother as he knew her. He was young and depended on her. "The face of your own stability". He talks to/of himself (jimmy, eleven) in third person as he is no longer the innocent child he was prior to this event.
Half way through the song, "So glad that I have found you" is Jimmy realising that he himself is lost, not her. The person he knew is still with him in the form of the gift of guidance (the light or "loaded memory") she has instilled in him, and he goes on to use it to lead a successful life.
"I am wide awake and headed home". There's an ongoing theme in Tool about pain being necessary to advance, and life being that step (best example is Parabol). "Heading home" means living his life, moving forward towards the afterlife. "as soon as pain allows" means as soon as he has learned the lessons of life.
"So we can reunite, and both move on together". Maybe the song is about them reuniting back to the state of happy memories, when they become "one" in the afterlife. There's also an ongoing theme of collective consciousness through much of Tools work.
Anyway, my main point being that Tool's new work surely confirms "he" is mjk and "she" is jmk.
@xlynx9 Also would like to point out (might be by coincidence) than in the track 10,000 days, when he says "Give me my Wings" , it was at 5:39, given that he was 39 when his mother died, it was like, confirmation or something.
@xlynx9 Also would like to point out (might be by coincidence) than in the track 10,000 days, when he says "Give me my Wings" , it was at 5:39, given that he was 39 when his mother died, it was like, confirmation or something.
Almost a decade later, I stop by to find my post I forgot all about is upvoted, so I feel obliged to provide citations for my info (in part out of personal desire to avoid reading like a numeracy conspiracy theorist).
Almost a decade later, I stop by to find my post I forgot all about is upvoted, so I feel obliged to provide citations for my info (in part out of personal desire to avoid reading like a numeracy conspiracy theorist).
Scroll/search for 18 jun 03 at the following archive of Tool's official site to find notice of Judith's death along with her photo. Retrospectively, it appears the words in the image were straight from Maynard, as "Pillar of faith" later became a lyric. Scroll/search a little further on the same page and you'll find a "Happy Birthday Maynard" on 17 Apr 03!
@soakedinsoul I Think this is mostly right. However, I think many of the lyrics pertain to him reuniting with his inner child to heal through that trauma that was likely somewhat repressed or unresolved. As an adult he's asking his inner child to remind him what it was like to be a shining innocent youth, help him through the painful memories and rather than repress them, shine through, accept then as reality and heal as an adult while also trying to reincorporate his inner-child. The entire last segment of the song is about exactly that in my opinion.
@soakedinsoul I Think this is mostly right. However, I think many of the lyrics pertain to him reuniting with his inner child to heal through that trauma that was likely somewhat repressed or unresolved. As an adult he's asking his inner child to remind him what it was like to be a shining innocent youth, help him through the painful memories and rather than repress them, shine through, accept then as reality and heal as an adult while also trying to reincorporate his inner-child. The entire last segment of the song is about exactly that in my opinion.
Finally, 10 years later, some clarification from the band!
If you listen to A Perfect Circle's "Judith" and more importantly, Tool's new "10,000 days (Wings for Marie Part 2)", most is explained.
His mothers name was Judith Marie Keenan. in Judith, Maynard sings 'fuck your god, he's the one that left you broken down and paralyzed'. In 10,000 days, he sings '10,000 days in the fire is long enough, you're going home', 'Judith Marie, unconditional one'.
Judith Marie suffered for 10,000 days, perhaps from a stroke that left her paralyzed? She died on 18 June 2003. Maynard was born on 17 April 1964, so he was 39.2. 10,000 days is 27.4 years. 39.2 - 27.4 = 11.8. He was 11 years old when it happened.
Like Jimmy, the track 10,000 days also refers to "holding the light" and the light leading you home. In this track, the light is her gift of guidance and faith in him. Home is heaven.
Therefore I think Jimmy is about Maynard losing his mother as he knew her. He was young and depended on her. "The face of your own stability". He talks to/of himself (jimmy, eleven) in third person as he is no longer the innocent child he was prior to this event. Half way through the song, "So glad that I have found you" is Jimmy realising that he himself is lost, not her. The person he knew is still with him in the form of the gift of guidance (the light or "loaded memory") she has instilled in him, and he goes on to use it to lead a successful life. "I am wide awake and headed home". There's an ongoing theme in Tool about pain being necessary to advance, and life being that step (best example is Parabol). "Heading home" means living his life, moving forward towards the afterlife. "as soon as pain allows" means as soon as he has learned the lessons of life. "So we can reunite, and both move on together". Maybe the song is about them reuniting back to the state of happy memories, when they become "one" in the afterlife. There's also an ongoing theme of collective consciousness through much of Tools work.
Anyway, my main point being that Tool's new work surely confirms "he" is mjk and "she" is jmk.
@xlynx9 Also would like to point out (might be by coincidence) than in the track 10,000 days, when he says "Give me my Wings" , it was at 5:39, given that he was 39 when his mother died, it was like, confirmation or something.
@xlynx9 Also would like to point out (might be by coincidence) than in the track 10,000 days, when he says "Give me my Wings" , it was at 5:39, given that he was 39 when his mother died, it was like, confirmation or something.
Almost a decade later, I stop by to find my post I forgot all about is upvoted, so I feel obliged to provide citations for my info (in part out of personal desire to avoid reading like a numeracy conspiracy theorist).
Almost a decade later, I stop by to find my post I forgot all about is upvoted, so I feel obliged to provide citations for my info (in part out of personal desire to avoid reading like a numeracy conspiracy theorist).
Scroll/search for 18 jun 03 at the following archive of Tool's official site to find notice of Judith's death along with her photo. Retrospectively, it appears the words in the image were straight from Maynard, as "Pillar of faith" later became a lyric. Scroll/search a little further on the same page and you'll find a "Happy Birthday Maynard" on 17 Apr 03!
web.archive.org/web/20030801074636/http://www.toolband.com/index_frames.html
Hope we're all still here to enjoy Tool for another decade. 5th album or world ending; which is likelier? =)
oops, seems songmeanings doesn't like this link. You'll need to add a colon after the first http.
oops, seems songmeanings doesn't like this link. You'll need to add a colon after the first http.
@soakedinsoul I Think this is mostly right. However, I think many of the lyrics pertain to him reuniting with his inner child to heal through that trauma that was likely somewhat repressed or unresolved. As an adult he's asking his inner child to remind him what it was like to be a shining innocent youth, help him through the painful memories and rather than repress them, shine through, accept then as reality and heal as an adult while also trying to reincorporate his inner-child. The entire last segment of the song is about exactly that in my opinion.
@soakedinsoul I Think this is mostly right. However, I think many of the lyrics pertain to him reuniting with his inner child to heal through that trauma that was likely somewhat repressed or unresolved. As an adult he's asking his inner child to remind him what it was like to be a shining innocent youth, help him through the painful memories and rather than repress them, shine through, accept then as reality and heal as an adult while also trying to reincorporate his inner-child. The entire last segment of the song is about exactly that in my opinion.