Tool: Sober Meaning
Song Released: 1993
Sober Lyrics
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for me parts of this song seem to be about love and how it can seem intoxicating, like alcohol
'why can't we not be sober' you don't want to be in love sometimes but it happens
'just want to start this over' if you have a second chance you can work past the pitfalls
'i am just a worthless liar, I am just an imbecile,...' you don't think you are good enough but are willing and wanting to give it a try
just a little thought I had one night while listing to it
and those who say this is only about one thing, sure there was a specific meaning to Maynard but TooL's songs are suppose to be inspiring for the listener and are about whatever you want them to be about -
i think it's about something that happened to him a long time ago and its haunting him. i think that whatever did happen it was because of something he was addicted to not like drugs or something but like a feeling towards somthing or someone. To me the song is just a huge metophor sorta. and when he says "jesus won't you fucking wistle" he just wanting somone or somthing to tell him that what happened was ok or it will be ok and he's looking for that response from anywhere. and the "trust me" is him trying actually convince himself that the feeling or whatever it was from the past won't cause more problems in ythe future if he is to feel them again. He's just trying to find the response he wants from anything.
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hey 2006-10-06 20:49:20... One word... Imbecile!
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This song is so NOT ABOUT FUCKING DRINKING OR DRUGS! It is an anti-religious song speaking against those who are afraid of sin. I am insulted as a huge Maynard fan to see some of you think it is about drinking life away... Since when has Maynard EVER BEEN THAT FUCKING LITERAL. Please, you guys don't understand Maynard and should not be branded Tool fans. Remove the idiot sticks from your ass and march your marry way. (Hint: I don't literally mean having a branch in your ass crack) HA!
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Toolio, I have an enormous amount of respect for your insight into these songs, without even knowing the whole story.
Sober is about a man Maynard knows who believes he can't become artistic or musical without being high. -
I can't believe you morons don't realize that this song, if not fully, is greatly in regards to jesus/religion/christianity - it's so fucking clear it's ridiculous how you pretentious clowns come up with these other interpretations.
"there's a shadow just behind me,
shrouding every step I take,
making every promise empty,
pointing every finger at me."
religion is full of empty promises, pointing fingers, and following your every movement (sins).
"waiting like a stalking butler who upon the finger rests.
Murder now the path called must we
just because the son has come."
just because god's son has come, jesus, we have to follow these ridiculous guidelines, morals, testaments, (path) in order to be righteous and go to heaven when we die.
"jesus, won't you fucking whistle
something but the past and done?"
i'm not sure how to you'd translate this literally, but considering he's basically cursing a demand at jesus, it's again pretty anti-religious.
"why can't we not be sober?
I just want to start this over.
Why can't we drink forever.
I just want to start things over."
if you don't understand literally what "why can't we not be sober?" means, you're an idiot. Obviously it means, why can't we be drunk? Just like "why can't we drink forever." however you can relate this not only literally, but also relate it to other sinful/improper like things that we're not supposed to do, in order to be holy, righteous, and a law obiding christian.
"I am just a worthless liar.
I am just an imbecile.
I will only complicate you.
Trust in me and fall as well.
I will find a center in you.
I will chew it up and leave,
i will work to elevate you just enough to bring you down."
obviously speaking in the third person as jesus/a priest/anyone holy. Complete denial of faith and complete mocking of everything to do with christianity.
"trust me. Mother mary
won't you whisper something
but what's past and done.
Trust me. I want what I want."
again not sure about literal translations here other than the repetitive "trust me" parts, again mocking the almost hypnotic chants of a typical christian faith, "trust me, trust me, trust me, trust me" (but why?)
this is one of Tool's most obvious songs, even without readin the lyrics or really trying to anaylze the song, the message should be obvious. -
I think this is one of Tool's most depressing songs. It talks about this person who has all this self hatred and feels like everything they do only ends up shit and they ruin the lives of those they are close to.
This person just wants to start things over, to drink it all away, to sleep forever and forget all about his past and experiences. They are lost and all they want is a sign about what they should do because they don't even know anymore. This is expressed in the lines: "jesus won't you fucking whistle" and "mother mary won't you whisper."
this song shows how at least once in their life people can go through hard times where you feel worthless and nothing matters and that everything we touch immedialty turns to crap. To me it also represents how the easy thing
to do is just to sink farther into depression and cut yourself of from the world (basically sleep for forever) but the hard thing is to come to terms with yourself accept what what you have done and move on. And that is what makes us stronger as human beings -
This song is about drug addiction, being embarrassed about former actions, but not being able to stop or change, wanting to "drink" them away. People always bring up the past, but there is nothing to do about it or the guilt except get wasted again
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The first interpretation of this song I agree with...Although partly. I do think that it could be mainly about Maynard focusing on his past...But I also think that it is about other people in general.
The lyrics say to me "I messed up, and I know that, but I don't want to hear about my mistakes anymore...Let me just drink my problems away..."
i'm sure that it's happened to everyone... We've all done something that we regret and try to put the past behind us...But it sucks when other people bring it up and question you about it to fill their curiousity.
Although I don't know about this lyric: "murder now the path of must we, just before the son has come" ...It left me thinking... -
This song is about him trying to escape his past..
"theres a shadow just behinde me,shrouding every step I take"
he is trying to get away from his bad past, but no matter what it is always right there.
"making every promise empty, pointing every finger at me"
even though he has changed his past always come back to haunt him.
"waiting like a stalking butler"
it is always there no matter what ready to take him down. The past him is the guilty him.
"whom upon the finger rests"
"jesus won't you fucking whistle, something but whats past and done."
hes asking for anything other than to have his past brought up again and again.
"why can't we not be sober,
just want to start this over,
why can't we drink forever
I just want to start this over."
he wants to be drunk all the time so he doesn't have to think about it! Its obvious he wants a second chance.
In the second verse he seems to accept his past.
"I am just a worthless liar,
I am just an imbecile,
I will only complicate you,
trust in me and fall as well"
if anyone choose to believe in him it will ruin their lives as it has done to him.
"I will find a center in you,
I will chew it up and leave,
I will work to elevate you,
just enough to bring you down"
he will ruin anyone he is involed with.
"Mother Mary won't you whisper,
something but whats past and done"
same as the "jesus whistle." Anything but the past.
"trust me, I want what I want"
and what he really wants is to be this person.
The song does a great job at expressing self-hatred witch turns to acceptance. One of Tool's greatest songs.
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