What do you think Third Eye means?

Tool: Third Eye Meaning

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Album cover for Third Eye album cover

Third Eye Lyrics

(Intro by comedian Bill Hicks)

Dreaming of that face again.
It's bright and blue and shimmering.
Grinning wide and comforting me with it's three warm and wild eyes.
On my back and tumbling
down that hole and back again
rising up and...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 14th 2008 !⃝

    The guy who mentions Bill Hicks and Don Juan is on the ball as far as interpretation goes. But with Tool, you need to take the song how you want.

    Sure you can say Third Eye this, third eye that, father this father that. It's about what it means to you. That is what Tool is trying to do. They are your tool and your vessel to finding what is meaningful in your life. You don't need to do drugs you just need to see, with, maybe, your third eye.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    kmirani
    click a star to vote
    Oct 14th 2006 !⃝

    In hindu belief, the third eye is represented with a red dot, "bendhi". It refers to your consciousness. Open up that third eye, consciousness, and don't feed into maya, illusion, for it is just a distraction. You have to think for yourself and not be persuaded. The first time that I heard this song I thought that it was about releasing your anger and not backing away from it, because anger is such a clear and beautiful emotion. In hindu texts lord Brahma created Shiva from his third eye when he was angry thus creating the god of ignorance, destruction, anger;Shiva.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Sep 19th 2006 !⃝

    Um, hi... The entire Ænima cd is dedicated to bill hicks. And most of the songs are in some way related to bill hicks. Bill hicks was a very spiritual person who also was deeply involved with psychedelic drugs much like Maynard james keenan. Eulogy.. Not about jesus. About bill hicks. Harry manback... Ya that's a character in bill hicks stand up. Aenima the song itself.. "see you down in arizona bay" and also the holographic image of las angeles sinking because of an earthquake... Ya also part of bill hicks material. He has a cd called arizona bay. It's about how he hates california for its "mall-consciousness". And finally, third eye. Bill hicks constantly referenced this ancient belief. "watching tv is like taking black spray paint to your third eye" -bill hicks. It's also about don juan in carlos casteneda's book "the original teachings of don juan". He was a shaman who ate a lot of peyote in the desert with carlos. Carlos basically modeled his life after the shaman philosopher. Maynard's reference to the holy crow above me, that's from the book. The second blue sun is also in the book. And most importantly "like phosforescent desert buttons" ...Peyote also glimmers in moonlight. Its all referenced to bill hicks. But yes you can make your opinions about the experience he's describing, much like he did when he was writing it. Its the ultimate salute to the acid loving spiritual comedian-philosopher bill hicks.

    So just like most Tool songs, if it sounds intensely deep lyrically... You can almost count on the meaning to be rediculously simple and right in front of your face. Its Tool. For god's sake.

    Over thinking over analyzing separates the body from the mind. Its just about bill hicks.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 29th 2017 !⃝

    I always thought he was attempting to open his third eye to see his mum in the spirit realm. I liked the idea he was at first scared with what he found when she spoke with him. But he later tried again and found peace.

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Sep 5th 2014 !⃝

    Chakra tones

    Third eye: 144, 288, 576 Hz. And those are all perfect D notes.

    Bass in this song is tunned in drop D.

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 26th 2014 !⃝

    well...when we are speaking about being spiritual and the accessment to this «third eye» xamanistic experience ...c'mon through this we'll not find God or we're not even closer to find the TRUTH..no one could...why? no one knows everything, it's impossible. Do you know, everything?
    And believe me, it's not a dogma, it's real! but if you want to be closer to find something or even the TRUTH, not being high could help, then you can have a «realistic
    transcendental experience» of the reality and not just your own imagination and mooniness...

    Everyone talks about the truth, let me understand: So you are so high and you skip into your own world, and different worlds and every other carroll-castañeda's book and suddenly you discover which truth?
    It's something like: 1k books about life and nature and universe, and uncovered constellations are put in front of you, or even some of the most important uncovered mysteries or the solution to some of the conspiracy's theories unsolved...and so on... No it doesn't,and who ever had taken LSD etc knows it! You'll know to be able to find «the truth» especially with the third eye way of thinking experience...( and remember the third eye concept is from Egipt and used by the hinduism which is a religion, as a concept, a practise, the 6th chakra) and which means basically we achieve our subconscious where are our deepest fears and great memories and our imagination and so on... so let's get serious and realistic (and not stupid) because people talk about the concepts without even knowing them (next time I suggest people to really get into the concepts they defend, and read it loud for themselves, or even try to think about them, if they really make sense...before apply them, otherwise it makes sound really very very stupid. And after,if you still think you're the coolest, whick sounds even more stupid and ridiculous, I'd probably tolerate your stupidity and have some pity cos' you make a fool of yourself). Well but people thinking this way, they're very very dogmatic (just like the others who say they do wars and other things because God told them...well no... but ok there's part of a cultural thing behind ...yeah you know we belong this society and not another one, and so if don't like it do it better, but if you want to change it change it for good, there's the pretty solution and not a dogma.

    Anyone have ideas, and positions and doesn't make you a slave because of defending them, otherwise everyone is a slave of his own ideas, including ourselves. A slave is someone who barely can't tolerate or accept different perspectives, because he's being stuck with his own idea. the ones which differ from his own «the Idea thing» i.e a fanatic ( and you know what? a dogmatic person you said it's the one who claim God, and Jesus, well and other dogma is absolutely against «the Idea» of God and religion. So there's implicit a dogma too.

    About Tool

    Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tool_(band)

    "Early on, the band fabricated the story that they formed because of the pseudophilosophy "lachrymology".[7] Although "lachrymology" was also cited as an inspiration for the band's name, Keenan later explained their intentions differently: "Tool is exactly what it sounds like: It's a big dick. It's a wrench. ... we are ... your tool; use us as a catalyst in your process of finding out whatever it is you need to find out, or whatever it is you're trying to achieve."[8]"

    or even http://pt.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Lachrymology

    "Lachrymology

    A religion that supposedly embraces pain, and specifically its release through crying, as a means to move to a higher state of being.

    This religion is supposedly practiced by all the members of the heavy metal group Tool, but since it is nearly impossible to find any writings about Lachrymology that aren't related to Tool, it is obvious that Lachrymology was a hoax made up by Tool.

    Since several of Tool's songs attack the cult Scientology, it is likely that Lachrymology was made up as a satire of Scientology, especially since Tool has claimed that Scientology has drawn many followers away from Lachrymology.
    Anyone who claims to practice Lachrymology is simply a Tool fan that hasn't put two and two together."

    You know what too? the idea/ concept of the God/ faith and religion itself´( Christian, Muslim, Judaism, Hindu, Buddhism, etc...) is not even closer related to the churches (catholic, evangelic, orthodox, protestant...etc...) and if you'll be talking about politics and governments well it's always about the corruption of the institutions/churches/ministries etc and not about the concept/the Idea of God. Ideas stand forever, not institutions. And the idea of God: God is the Greatest and so He's so much bigger than any church. And because He's the Greatest, the Purest, the Wisest, above a human's impossibility /limitness, we humans try to be God? We are not even 1,9999999% closer, cos we know nothing, we're always learning about the things. So when you try to defend the position of being dogmatic and sheep and bla bla bla well if you're tryin' to find something through your trip or someth', or «the truth»or God,were you thinking about having a spiritual thing, trying to reach the same God's pureness? Yeah because aren't we trying to better ourselves for good, and not for bad. Don't we like the beautiful spot and not the ugly one, don't we prefer the eclectic to the vulgar? Don't we respect better those who are clean, or never try the crack hard ones. So give me some purity good/fair, humanitary purposes, some good model for a community's sake besides Jesus. there's a lot, I know. But not the best and the Greatest, the concept of Jesus and the ethics and the merciful and the tolerant, the pacific etc... . You know people don't need to pronounce Jesus in each sentence you made, but just believe and care and do real good for others.

  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 26th 2014 !⃝

    Well...when we are speaking about being spiritual and the assessment to this «third eye» experience ...c'mon through this we'll not find God or we're not even closer to find the TRUTH..no one could...why? no one knows everything, it's impossible. Do you know, everything?
    And believe me, it's not a dogma, it's real! but if you want to be closer to find something or even the TRUTH, not being high could help, then you can have a «realistic
    transcendental experience» of the reality and not just your own imagination and moodiness...

    Everyone talks about the truth, let me understand: So you are so high and you skip into your own world, and different worlds and every other Carroll's book and suddenly you discover which truth?
    It's something like: 1k books about life and nature and universe, and uncovered constellations are put in front of you, or even some of the most important uncovered mysteries or the solution to some of the conspiracy's theories unsolved...and so on... No it doesn't,and who ever had taken LSD etc knows it! You'll know to be able to find «the truth» especially with the third eye way of thinking experience...( and remember the third eye concept is from Egypt and used by the hinduism which is a religion, as a concept, a practice, the 6th chakra) and which means basically we achieve our subconscious where are our deepest fears and great memories and our imagination and so on... so let's get serious and realistic (and not stupid) because people talk about the concepts without even knowing them (next time I suggest people to really get into the concepts they defend, and read it loud for themselves, or even try to think about them, if they really make sense...before apply them, otherwise it makes sound really very very stupid. And after,if you still think you're the coolest, which sounds even more stupid and ridiculous, I'd probably tolerate your stupidity and have some pity cos' you make a fool of yourself). Well but people thinking this way, they're very very dogmatic (just like the others who say they do wars and other things because God told them...well no... but ok there's part of a cultural thing behind ...yeah you know we belong this society and not another one, and so if don't like it do it better, but if you want to change it change it for good, there's the pretty solution and not a dogma.

    Anyone have ideas, and positions and doesn't make you a slave because of defending them, otherwise everyone is a slave of his own ideas, including ourselves. A slave is someone who barely can't tolerate or accept different perspectives, because he's being stuck with his own idea. the ones which differ from his own «the Idea thing» i.e a fanatic ( and you know what? a dogmatic person you said it's the one who claim God, and Jesus, well and other dogma is absolutely against «the Idea» of God and religion. So there's implicit a dogma too.

    About Tool

    Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tool_(band)

    "Early on, the band fabricated the story that they formed because of the pseudophilosophy "lachrymology".[7] Although "lachrymology" was also cited as an inspiration for the band's name, Keenan later explained their intentions differently: "Tool is exactly what it sounds like: It's a big dick. It's a wrench. ... we are ... your tool; use us as a catalyst in your process of finding out whatever it is you need to find out, or whatever it is you're trying to achieve."[8]"

    or even http://pt.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Lachrymology

    "Lachrymology

    A religion that supposedly embraces pain, and specifically its release through crying, as a means to move to a higher state of being.

    This religion is supposedly practiced by all the members of the heavy metal group Tool, but since it is nearly impossible to find any writings about Lachrymology that aren't related to Tool, it is obvious that Lachrymology was a hoax made up by Tool.

    Since several of Tool's songs attack the cult Scientology, it is likely that Lachrymology was made up as a satire of Scientology, especially since Tool has claimed that Scientology has drawn many followers away from Lachrymology.
    Anyone who claims to practice Lachrymology is simply a Tool fan that hasn't put two and two together."

    You know what too? the idea/ concept of the God/ faith and religion itself´( Christian, Muslim, Judaism, Hindu, Buddhism, etc...) is not even closer related to the churches (catholic, evangelic, orthodox, protestant...etc...) and if you'll be talking about politics and governments well it's always about the corruption of the institutions/churches/ministries etc and not about the concept/the Idea of God. Ideas stand forever, not institutions. And the idea of God: God is the Greatest and so He's so much bigger than any church. And because He's the Greatest, the Purest, the Wisest, above a human's impossibility /limitless, we humans try to be God? We are not even 1,9999999% closer, cos we know nothing, we're always learning about the things. So when you try to defend the position of being dogmatic and sheep and bla bla bla well if you're tryin' to find something through your trip or someth', or «the truth»or God,were you thinking about having a spiritual thing, trying to reach the same God's pureness? Yeah because aren't we trying to better ourselves for good, and not for bad. Don't we like the beautiful spot and not the ugly one, don't we prefer the eclectic to the vulgar? Don't we respect better those who are clean, or never try the crack hard ones. So give me some purity good/fair, humanity purposes, some good model for a community's sake besides Jesus. there's a lot, I know. But not the best and the Greatest, the concept of Jesus and the ethics and the merciful and the tolerant, the pacific etc... . You know people don't need to pronounce Jesus in each sentence you made, but just believe and care and do real good for others.

  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Sep 2nd 2012 !⃝

    my analysis to this song is that Maynard is explaining his experience in answering his question about the world , life , religions! he is referring to the third eye as the Free mason's symbol of the world's end ! and that when he was a child he only wanted to think for himself ! 'came out to watch you play, why are u running away' that we are born thinking for ourselves , like wild animals, . 'and u thought tht i had run away, chasing the tale of dogma' dogma means beliefs or religion which we don't think of changing unless we open our third eye . i.e Thinking for yourself under no rules or regulations

  9. TheWizard1387
    click a star to vote
    Feb 12th 2012 !⃝

    Well first off, this song is most definitely about drugs, hence the Bill Hicks into about good things drugs have done. Secondly, the drug (I'm hesitant to even call it that, something produced in everyones bodies aren't really drugs, are they?) in question is almost definitely dimethyl-tryptamine (DMT). DMT is produced in the pineal gland in the center of the brain at extremely stressful moments in a persons life: birth, death, near-death, alien abductions, during dream-states, and in mystical states. The pineal gland is also known as the "third eye." In reptiles it even has a visible lens. The beginning of the song is talking about the beings the narrator encountered on his previous journeys. The middle lyrics and instrumental describe and represent the journey through the tunnel and the lifting of the veil that occurs prior to meeting the beings. Anyone who's done high doses of DMT knows what I'm talking about. The end is my favorite! It is the encounter between the narrator and the beings.
    "So good to see you once again,
    I thought that you were hiding
    you thought that I had run away,
    Chasing the tail of dogma."
    Again, this is obvious to anyone who's taken high doses of DMT. But I'll explain. The first time you really have an intense experience on DMT it can either be good or bad. Either the beings accept you and teach you and show you beautiful, indescribable things, or they disapprove of you, which didn't experience, but I've heard stories and it sounds extremely scary. After that first experience you want to get back to that place to learn and to see, not like a crackhead fiends for the first-time high, more like reading a phenomenal book you just can't put down until you finish it. But after the first DMT experience the next few aren't ever nearly as intense. I feel that it's a sort of test the beings put you through to see if you really want the knowledge they have to offer, but that's just my opinion. If you keep trying though, eventually and usually unexpectedly you'll shatter the veil and reunite with the beings. And if you doubt any of this, the end
    "Prying open my third eye"
    Is proof that this is not a state reached through meditation, at least for the narrator. A state like this induced by meditation takes years if not decades to achieve. It's all very simple. The words sound deep but the meaning is right out in the open.

  10. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    May 26th 2011 !⃝

    He speaks of evolution of the human race,,, like in the entire aenima album.

  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 6th 2011 !⃝

    Come on guys research dmt, try dmt the spirit molecule by dr Rick strassman read about peoples experiences on this drug. The majority of tools songs are influenced by experiencing what these drugs do to your consciousness. E.g. "so glad to see you, we've missed you so much" is what many people say these "beings" you encounter when you have a profound psychedelic experience on dmt. Dmt revolution bitches evryones pineal gland produces it when you dream, it's responsible for near death experience and alien abduction. Hence the song Rosetta stoned, that song is someones experience on dmt. Every on dmt goes to the same place and has contest with these same "beings".
    Do some research my friends dmt could change the world into a better place.

  12. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 19th 2011 !⃝

    Third eye, like the rest of the AEnima album, is concerned with dissociatives. In fact, the inside cover talks about dissociative anesthetics. these include drugs such as: Ketamine, PCP and Dextromethorphan. this does NOT include LSD.

    Dissociatives send your mind into complete detachment from earthly reality. It also separates your soul from your body for a time to allow you to watch yourself from a point in space seperate from your conscious point or plane.

    Through this dissociation, one is able to enter another plane of existance. One may interpret this plane to be heaven. As dissociatives are the closest to death you will ever be, well...you know.

    Dissociatives are also known entheogens (you meet extradimensional beings, hint hint) who is refered to as the blue figure encountered by Maynard during his journey down the hole (death).

    A child's rhyme stuck in my head.
    It said that life is but a dream.
    I've spent so many years in question
    to find I've known this all along.

    If in fact, this world is but a dream, this means that the world you experience is simply a manifestation of your perceptions. This meaning, his constant question of: "is life but a dream?" His spiritual journey, which was fuled through dissociatives, has led him to understand that THIS life is but a dream. We are not allowed to ascend, yet. We are in pergatory.

    "So good to see you.
    I've missed you so much.
    So glad it's over.
    I've missed you so much.
    Came out to watch you play.
    Why are you running away?
    Came out to watch you play.
    Why are you running?"

    one of the side affects of dissociation is, a loss of personality. Indeed, it is ones loss of self which he is trying to cope with.

    Shrouding all the ground around me.
    Is this holy crow above me.
    Black as holes within a memory
    and blue as our new second sun.
    I stick my hand into his shadow
    to pull the pieces from the sand.
    Which I attempt to reassemble
    to see just who I might have been.
    I do not recognize the vessel,
    but the eyes seem so familiar.
    Like phosphorescent desert buttons
    singing one familiar song...

    This is him finding hisself in an alternate reality. The theo is basically showing him around. When he comes down, he is forced to try to rediscover hisself through being back inside his body "vessel" His eyes are his vision, which he exoperiences vividly during his journey. In fact, vision through dissociatives is "better" than your vision on earth due to no longer be restricted to the physics of your EM radiation perception analisys. (no one in these other planes wear glasses)

    Prying open my third eye...

    He is attempting to experience the pure thought of dissociation while conscious.

    So good to see you once again.
    I thought that you were hiding.
    And you thought that I had run away.
    Chasing the tail of dogma.

    here, he is talking about how dissociatives make you experience death though you of course, are still technically alive in the medical sense of the word. He is chasing hisself through his own mind.

    (I opened my eye and there we were.)

    Another journey. Or perhaps, his imagination was returning to his conscious self.

    So good to see you once again.
    I thought that you were hiding from me.
    And you thought that I had run away.
    Chasing a trail of smoke and reason.

    smoke may refer to PCP. reason means: is this really a hallucination, or am I experiencing this. Is life but a dream?

    Prying open my third eye...

    Trying to discover his self.

  13. Danny Wayne Mason
    click a star to vote
    Jan 26th 2011 !⃝

    There is a tool that doctors used in the past to reflect light in the patient's eyes so the doctor can examine the patient. Bill Hicks is wearing one. If that patient is on drugs and his vision is distorted, he may interpret that tool as something else. And, when he is out in the world, he may think he has one, too! If he is out among people acting strange, he will be scaring them and he may think that his third eye is what's scaring them.

  14. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 15th 2010 !⃝

    I know I'm probably late to comment but, this song has always taken me bac to 9th Grade to a good acid trip.

  15. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 24th 2010 !⃝

    In the intro of the song you hear Timothy Leary talking about thinking for your self, and if you don't question religeon, politics, and other groups you will never learn to think for yourself. Then it jumps into the Third eye by tool.
    In hindu belief, the third eye is represented with a red dot, "bendhi". It refers to your consciousness. Open up that third eye, consciousness, and don't feed into maya, illusion, for it is just a distraction. You have to think for yourself and not be persuaded. The first time that I heard this song I thought that it was about releasing your anger and not backing away from it, because anger is such a clear and beautiful emotion. In hindu texts lord Brahma created Shiva from his third eye when he was angry thus creating the god of ignorance, destruction, anger;Shiva.

  16. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 17th 2010 !⃝

    In hindu belief, the third eye is represented with a red dot, "bendhi". It refers to your consciousness. Open up that third eye, consciousness, and don't feed into maya, illusion, for it is just a distraction. You have to think for yourself and not be persuaded. The first time that I heard this song I thought that it was about releasing your anger and not backing away from it, because anger is such a clear and beautiful emotion. In hindu texts lord Brahma created Shiva from his third eye when he was angry thus creating the god of ignorance, destruction, anger;Shiva.

  17. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 13th 2010 !⃝

    Smoke DMT....Then listen again. Alex Grey does most of TOOL's artwork...pretty straightforward.

  18. KennyO
    click a star to vote
    Aug 23rd 2009 !⃝

    When Keenan states he is "prying open his Third eye" he is saying that he has reached his state of spiritual freedom. Thats what the third eye symbolizes, one's freedom from the chains of the world's tyranny. In the song he is referring to what is in his world and the bond that he broke out of.


    But Toll is a gift to the world. None of the members want you to interpret this or any other song literally, but make your own meaning and put their music in your soul. Thats what makes Tool awesome. They aren't in it for the money, but they obviously live comfortably, and they aren't making music for corporate America. They wouldn't have the influence they do if they were. May they all live long and prosper

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