What do you think The Outsider means?

A Perfect Circle: The Outsider Meaning

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Album cover for The Outsider album cover

Song Released: 2004


The Outsider Lyrics

Help me if you can.
It's just that this is not the way I'm wired.
So could you please help me understand why you've given in to all these
reckless dark desires?

You're lying to yourself again, suicidal imbecile.
Think about it.
You’re...

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  1. anonymous
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     Feb 27th 2008 !⃝

    The line "one bullet at a time"
    this may seem like a long shot, but could it be linked to actually killing people, before committing suicide, like the Virginia Tech shootings and other similar happenings? this song kind of ties this way for me. And Maynard could be tieing this with a "this might not have happened if the people around you weren't so ignorant to what is wrong with you" type theme? just wondering.

  2. anonymous
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     Sep 20th 2007 !⃝

    It sounds to me like the song is about his concerns for a coked up actress friend that's depressed, suicidal and caught up in the whole superficial LA "it girl" lifestyle. "This is not the way I'm wired" likely refers to how his own cocaine use doesn't get the best of him. "One bullet at a time" refers to a vial used to store/snort coke. "Fault line" could be a semi cryptic reference to a "line" of coke. "Numb belligerence" could refer to numbing the gums of her mouth w/ cocaine and how she speaks/acts while under the influence of cocaine. Many references to addiction "lying to yourself again", "lying to my face again", "Disconnect and self destruct"

  3. anonymous
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     May 17th 2007 !⃝

    Ok I'm tired of everyone thinking that they know what Tool/APC songs are about. Maynard is always making the lyrics for the listeners to interpret for themselves and put in their own perspective. There are no true meanings to these songs. like Tool "stinkfist" for example. people were like "its about fist fucking" and other people were like no. So I was thinking, maybe Maynard wants everyone to think that and he wants the wise people to put in their own opinions. I think all apc/tool songs are all opinionated. So please don't be all super bitchy when it comes to interpreting their songs. oh and "think twice before opening your mouth"

  4. anonymous
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     May 9th 2007 !⃝

    I can't believe that incorrect lyrics to the climax of this song have so permeated the internet. Maynard sings "coalesce, coalesce!" not "come to this!" or "I'm over this" etc etc. Coalesce means to unite one's incongruencies, which Maynard is screaming (from the point of view of the outsider) at his friend as if to say - just get better! Put your pieces back together! How hard can it be?!

  5. anonymous
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     Mar 7th 2007 !⃝

    I think this song is a conversation between an addict and a friend... The friend trying to help the addict who lies to his friend telling him he's sober, and in the end the friend is angry and gives the addict an ultimatum: Stop doing the drug or get away from my loved ones.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  6. Timmy
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     Feb 3rd 2006 !⃝

    I think that any song written by Maynard is up to the listeners interpretations so I don't think you should be so hard on Toolio. but I would agree with your interpretation.

  7. anonymous
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     Feb 1st 2006 !⃝

    Ok, nice try buddy, the song the outsider is through the eyes of the agresser. MJK does songs in diffrent perpectives. The song is about a person telling you to suck it, move on, get over it, but in reality that person has no idea what the individual is going through mentally and or physicaly. MJK is singing through the eyes of a person that has a lack of compassion for the indivaul that he is prosicuting out of instinct and anger. "they were right about you" "suicidal imbesal" are some of the supports of what this song is about. Think before you open your god dam mouth. know the facts don't speak out of complete arggance. Its all on the APC DVD people

  8. Toolio
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     Jan 31st 2006 !⃝

    Ok, roughly I would like to say that this song is about people who basically aren't themselves and follow the "cool kids" and the way they do stuff and kill themselves... or also dealing with the pressure of trying to fit in...eventually leading to suicide. and obviously Maynard lyrics that he doesn't want to witness thing such as this: "if you choose to pull the trigger.....do it somewhere far away from here"

    ...yeh..super quick hah

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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