What do you think The Patient means?

Tool: The Patient Meaning

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Album cover for The Patient album cover

The Patient Lyrics

A groan of tedium escapes me
Startling the fearful.
Is this a test?
It has to be
Otherwise I can't go on

Draining patience
Drain vitality
This paranoid, paralyzed vampire act's a little old

But I'm still right here
Giving blood,...

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  1. anonymous
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     Feb 23rd 2010 !⃝

    im thinking there's something to do with his mothers sickness, and what she went through. perhaps mjk asking, through his mothers perspective, how this could happen to someone who was such a devote church goer. maybe?

  2. anonymous
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     Feb 1st 2010 !⃝

    this song is about spiritual acenssion if this life was seemingly a random occurance and there is nothing more after this temporary materialistic exsistance he would have walked a way. the tedious path is through meditation. life is so wonderful n confusing that he may just still go,

  3. anonymous
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     Jul 24th 2009 !⃝

    Uhh this songs seems to be about being patient.. That's about it!

  4. anonymous
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     Jun 30th 2009 !⃝

    From my point of view this song is about keeping it together threw hard times waiting for things to get better that's what I think anyway

  5. anonymous
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     Jun 23rd 2009 !⃝

    I like to think the meaning of this song is about the experience we have living in the physical reality we create. We choose to be here, and if there wasn't a reason, a contribution to something, we wouldn't continue existing in this materialistic reality. All matter is only an illusion, but we find ourselves here being tested by this existance. We need to be patient, we need to transmit and receive love before we can become more aware and move on to a higher consciousness. Thats the meaning I get out of it, even though other interpretations are pretty insightful and probably make more sense than mine. But thats how I like to think of it.

  6. anonymous
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     Apr 2nd 2009 !⃝

    Well to me it relates to depression and the struggle of wanting to just curl up and die and using the strength of your close loved ones to see you through.Ultimately we all choose our own path in life and that the struggle is never really over.

  7. thedanantenna
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     Feb 3rd 2009 !⃝

    to me, this song seems to represent how maynard feels about still being in a band after so long. he has to keep reminding himself that it's worth it to wait out the bad parts where nobody seems to understand what he's trying to say. he's trying to heal those he has met along the tedious path of being a frontman in a successful band like tool. he knows there are listeners who will just let his words go in one ear and out the other, which i can imagine would be quite tedious to deal with day in and day out, but there are others that go a step further and try to gain something from what he has to say, and that is the reward that he gets by sticking it out.

  8. anonymous
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     Dec 13th 2008 !⃝

    This song has 2 meanings one being the one about god and one I have thought of. I think it is talking right from wrong and correcting the wrong that's in the world. It says "gonna wait it out" representing the people who see evil but don't do anything about it. It says "the tedious path I've chosen" and "no warming embrace to see me through" these talk about the one who tries to correct evil. It may be hard and there may be no "warming embrace" and everyone may be against him/her but they still have to do whats right.

  9. anonymous
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     Dec 11th 2008 !⃝

    I think this song is about Maynard himself. I think he is reminding himself to be patient and maintain faith that his tedious work is having some impact on humanity. If it didn't he certainly would've walked away by now..

  10. youdontmeanmuch
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     Oct 28th 2008 !⃝

    I think it’s about a person who devotes his life to strict religious and ritualistic life style, while tedious and very hard for him, giving so much. He seems to be going through some hard times, but he hopes it will all to pay off in the end. Possibly heaven or having problems or blessings sent to him in some way. With these hard times, He is now uncertain of his religion, but with having so much invested in it why give up now?

    I believe the strongest point / conclusion or possibly even the moral of the song is in the last three paragraphs. I believe this is has a VERY slight dab of mocking a religious coward. That being, a person who is so afraid to admit to themselves (even though everything else tells them) that there is no god, and that their alone. They are not strong enough to handle that, and it’s just easier to force themselves into believing there is a god, and just go with the flow.

  11. anonymous
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     Sep 1st 2008 !⃝

    This song could also be influenced my Maynard's mom who was on a hospital bed for "10,000" days. Hence the record name for their last album. Anyway, Maynard's mom was a devout Christian and kept faith in god until the day she died, never cursing God. She stayed faithful to her god the whole time. I think this song was influenced by that event, but not limited to.

  12. anonymous
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     Aug 11th 2008 !⃝

    Hitting a rock bottom stretch in life, frustration and tedium.

    The character of the song is having doubts of life...and if things should be that certain way when he says "is this a test"...that shows pure confustion of not knowing what is going on. Not knowing what is going on.

    When he says is this a test its like this hard part in life is bringing him down..and he's hoping there is some kind of bigger picture behind this part in his life...thinking maybe if he succeeds this part he will earn some kind of self satisfaction or some self reward.

    When he says he can't go on if its not a test.
    I find him meaning that if there really is no bigger picture behind life..that if we are just here to think, feel, and see, there is no point of living.

  13. _AENIMA_
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     Jul 26th 2008 !⃝

    I appreciate site's like these that allow people to share their lyrical opinion's without saying who's is "right" or "wrong" so allow me to offer my interpretation :)

    Basically as a whole, the song is about MJK being in band, touring, meeting fans, doing interviews and the strain it's putting on him and the "patience" he needs to go on. If you're now all sitting there thinking "Hmm I see now!", then let's go through the lyrics and analyse a bit:

    "A groan of tedium escapes me, startling the fearful.
    Is this a test?
    It has to be. otherwise I can't go on."

    He is saying is this his test? He has chosen this rockstar life and he is tedious with all the little meandering things involved with it. If it's not a test to come out better at the end, he can't do this job anymore.

    "But I'm still right here, giving blood and keeping faith. And I'm still right here.
    I'm gonna wait it out"

    As much as he finds it tedious and straining to do be in a band he's still here in it writing and expressing about his feelings (blood), himself, and believing in the band.
    He's going to wait out his impatience and see if it will go anywhere.

    "If there were no rewards to reap,
    no loving embrace to see me through this tedious path I've chosen here,
    I certainly would've walked away by now."

    Now this is the part where I cry every time I listen to this son. (I can't help it!)
    As I've mentioned before, although MJK finds this work mentally exhausting and and tedious, he knows that there are rewards that will come from singing in Tool. The loving embrace can be from the other members in the band as they all hug at the end of their concerts, or even perhaps his son. A loving embrace to get him through his tedious path that he's chosen. The vocalist in a successful rock band.
    If he didn't have all those things he would have left the band ages ago.

    "If there were no desire to heal
    The damaged and broken met along this tedious path I've chosen here,
    I certainly would've walked away by now."

    Maynard has mentioned many times before that he doesn't put song lyrics in the cd booklets because the lyrics are open to each individuals interpretaion. If one fan gets their own meaning from one of their songs and somehow overcomes a bad period in their life, that's what they want. MJK has a desire to heal any damaged and broken people that listen to Tool's music as he cares about them.

    "I still may. And I still may.
    Be patient.

    I must keep reminding myself of this..."

    This is to remind himself that he still may leave. He must be patient and ride it all out, and keep reminding himself that he's here for a reason. As a vocalist to help people and reap rewards from doing so, but he still may leave.

    and the final lyric:
    "I'm gonna wait it out."

    This is very close to my fav Tool song. And once you have this interpretation in mind you see the song in a whole new light and it means so much more to you. The fact that he would be this honest about leaving the band and have shown the lyrics to the other guys puts that much more emotion to it.

    Well again, this is my interp. Hope you guys find it fitting :)

  14. Pabulum
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     Jul 6th 2008 !⃝

    I think he is talking about someone who is an alcoholic/addict or anyone addicted to something and who is trying to live free from the addiction. They may wonder if there are any "rewards to reap" from this new life or a "loving embrace" to help them to continue down the "tedious path" that they have chosen to try. They know that there are and that is why they are going to "wait it out". It's like they have hit a snag in their sobriety and are wondering if it is "a test" and if it's not they will just go back to the old life. But they are "gonna wait it out" cause they know it will get better.

  15. anonymous
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     Jul 1st 2008 !⃝

    I think that this song is about a real patient,I'm still right here, givin' blood, keepin' faith is about blood tests, remember Maynard´s mom, Judith, she was sick and he talks a lot about her in his songs.

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