Reviews for H. Lyrics

It is about Maynard's son and his fears of raising him wrong. You were on the right track OldToolFan because he is recalling what his dad to him and he is scared of fucking up and hurting his son like he was.

to me the snake is the fear of being hurt by some one you love, after a bad break up you kinda build walls around yourself. and people start knocking them down, you want to love again but your in fear

To me, this song is about coping with postpartum depression

The opening lines
"What's coming through is alive
What's holding up is a mirror"
is about the birth of a child and snake and the "venomous voice" is the depression "coming over like a storm again".
As I have never had ppd myself I cannot speak for how it makes you feel but it seems to me that it is a very bipolar state of mind where love and hate, hope and hopelessness, mix in a very frightening way.

However, in the end, the parent is too connected to the child to slip away and do something stupid, even through it feels as if the new-born is killing him/her.

Maynard himself said that his son's middle name is H. I think one meaning for the song is about his son, evident in the line 'my blood before me begs me, open up my heart again.' But again, Tool songs often have multiple meanings, as does all good literature.

This song seems to me to revolve greatly around heroin. H is short for heroin. All of the lyrics fit perfectly with the effects of heroin too.

"But what's singing songs is a snake / Looking to turn my piss to wine... They're both totally void of hate, / But killing me just the same."

Heroin makes you not care. It's like being happy because there is nothing left that you can feel. You don't hate it, and it doesn't hate you. but you still "hate" it. Unless you've experienced it, that's the best explanation I can give you.



"The snake behind me hisses"
Heroin is often referred to as a snake bite.

"What my damage could have been./ My blood before me begs me / Open up my heart again."
I could have died, and still i want to try it again.

"And I feel this coming over like a storm again. / Considerately."
Heroin comes on like a storm, heavy and strong... but kindly... like a loving embrace


"Venomous voice, tempts me, / Drains me, bleeds me, / Leaves me cracked and empty. / Drags me down like some sweet gravity."
First half is what it's like to resist heroin addiction, the second is when you give into it.

"I am too connected to you / To slip away, fade away. / days away I still feel you / Touching me, changing me"
The lingering effects of heroin. A good dose leaves you in awe for a couple days. The first part, of course, is about not wanting to give it up.



"Considerately killing me."
You are completely aware that it is destroying your life... you just don't care.


"Without the skin here / Beneath the storm. / Under these tears now, / The walls came down."
Realizing that you need to stop.

"And as the snake is drowned / And as I look in his eyes, / My fear begins to fade / Recalling all of those times."
You remember all of those times that heroin has come so close to ruining your life. Al the people it has hurt. Every heroin user knows someone who died because of it.

"And as the walls come down
And as I look in your eyes
My fear begins to fade
Recalling all of the times
I have died
and will die.
It's all right.
(I don't mind)
I don't mind.
I don't mind.
I don't mind."
This part is really sad for me. It's detailing that failing, the falling feeling. You know it is ruining your life, but you can't get away. You can't break it. It's too hard... so you just give in again, take another hit, take another shot, whatever. "I will die... it's alright... I don't mind."

I am too connected to you
To slip away, fade away.
Days away I still feel you
Touching me, changing me,

Considerately killing me.
Considerately killing me and
Considerately killing me."

It's a very very sad song.

I think the song is about someone who was abused by a male family member, well call him H, that is now at the edge of his life and would like to make amends. Talkin about it brings up old memories and feelings "the storm". The snake is the abuser trying to be nice saying it wasn't as bad as he thought it was and it could have been worse. This isn't 1977 not all songs are about drugs.

i agree in that all tool tracks have meanings to different people its quite clever really because anyone could hear a tune and think "wow thats exactly how i feel" im not saying its a sales thing its just getting the most people to be able to think someone understands. personally i think its about relationships the snake hisses in referance to being hurt in the previous relationship but not as much as i could have been. begging to open up my heart again is self explanitory warning me not to jump headfirst into another relationship but remain guarded knwoing that the snake could bite again but still wanting to open up to someone else. Tools titles also can be anagrams or totally random words or lyrics from the song you cant really know without speaking to maynard

ive read that H. stands for either Hydrogen, the first element on the periodic table, or Heroin, which is commonly refered to as H. I understand the "building block of life idea" and the addiction principal that people can relate to the song by either idea. However I think it is a cleverly titled song that is written to provoke many emotions on a relatable chain of our ideals and possible interpretations of life altering events. Its one of the reasons I look to MJK as a song writer for inspiration. One song can inspire me throughout different situations in my life, all different, though all personal enough for me to seek guidance in my confusion. To sum it all up: excellent song, hope they never quit.

To me this song is about the mighty EGO, the battle of renunciation and the infinite cycles of suffering. The snake would be 'that part of me' which clings to this world, acting like a sort of gravity. The snake also represents the 'pessimistic views' tryin to protect the ego from not being damaged by action/living ion a certain way. To me, blood is suffering. According to many old phylosophies/practices, eastern mostly, the cessation of suffering is achieved through compassion `open up my heart`, otherwise the cycle of suffering will continue - coming like a storm again. Of course its quite hard to break this cycle which not only repeated in this live (i should have cried then) but it lasted for many previous lives and will continue in the future lives (I have died/I will die). I feel too connected to this beyond-ego part of me to let it go. I could realise this only when the `snake is drowned` and looking without fear, just observe the things as they are.

In my interpretation it is the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other. I don't think H. stands for half empty/half full either, like many have suggested in the past.

It stands for Heaven and Hell.

I like reading the reviews, the different directions peoples minds take them. All good, all human, all true to them. Peace and know that this music touches a vast array of people that are joined in that they are human and TOOL fans.
Love

everyone says every song is about heroin lol (not just tool songs) it's the easy way to look cool like you know all about the band and the lyricist. usually unless the song says "this is about heroin" or some slight deviation of that, then it's not about heroin. the question I have for all these people is, do you use heroin? because you relate everything to it. fuck you for pretending to know anything. :)

I think,in a way,it's coming to terms with your past,and trying to fix the past in the present.I once heard he said this had something to do with old cartoons,how people would have a devil and an angel on your shoulders,which would result in the character asking "What do I do?" to fix their problem.I think the lyric "I feel it coming over like a storm again now" means his past is haunting him and he doesn't know what to do,asking "What do I do?" like the characters in the cartoons.Also,I think it's fear for these same things in the future,such as his son ("My blood before me begs me") and trying to keep a good father while struggling with his past ("The snake behind me hisses") and thinking of how to conquer your demons while under the stress of them

This song is about Maynard not wanting to complete the cycle of abuse, ie he doesn't want to abuse his son as his father/stepfather/whoever abused him, but is terrified that he will. An amazing song, full of intermingled fear and hope.
"The snake behind me hisses (his past)
What my damage could have been.
My blood before me begs me (his son)
Open up my heart again."
It COULD be about heroin, but most if not all Tool songs have double meanings.

There is no doubt this song was written about or to his son, Devo H. i do believe the snake behind him is maynards father. the blood before him is his son. he is talking about how the snake making him the person he is today, and hoping that he wont spoil the blood before him, the blood wants him to let his gaurd down but he fears he is going to be the snake one day. thats just my take i dont know for sure because im not a genius like maynard.. the bottom line the song is called H. his sons middle name its about his son and/or the relationship between him and his son. its not about heroin