Reviews for Jambi Lyrics

you people do realize if you look this up you can easily find what it's about intead of making an interpretation in your head. It's about how he'd (Maynard) trade all his fame for his mother back. Simple as that.

This is one of my favorite songs no doubt about it. But you people have terrible interpretations of it! It's the story of an Indonesian sultan who has everything he could want. But the one woman who avoids him. She is married and despite his many efforts to woo her he does not succeed untill he sends an army to kill her family. Then she comes to be with him. It's mainly a story with the moral that even when you have everything you"ll still want more.

It always amazes me how many times Maynard seems to reference the Bible in his songs. I often wonder is he a Christian? Crazy right! unless he takes after his mother who was a devout Christian till her death. On this mind track Jesus and or his mother could be his center and fulcrum. He says “the devil and his had me down, in love with the dark side I’d found” could this be literal? Jesus said “pluck out your eye if it causes you to sin” Maynard says “dim my eyes if they should compromise our fulcrum.“ Further more in cases of demon possession the demon(s) often refer to themselves as “legion” …..The fact that he says “silent legion save you poison…. Stay out of my way” could fit in with the more literal translation ………………………I am aware that Maynard came out and said he was a Christian…later to state that it was “April fools day”……………But in typical Maynard style he didn’t, deny it was the truth either.
Just a theory

It's not about him being in love with his shadow if so he would say "my dark side" not just the dark side. And it isn't about them wishing they weren't famous anymore, lol. The song is ment to be taken literaly, the man is a king upon a mountain but falls in love with a girl but would give anything he has away just to have her. Nate is right at the fact the actual reason the song was made was because of the death of Maynard's mother, but the origins of the song come from an old story from Jambi which is an Indonesian province in Sumatra. >:P Check out the wiki = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jambi_(Tool_song)

I hope that enlightens someone, hah.

When I hear this song, the meaning seems to be more about how manyard and other members of Tool who do not like all the fame becoming great musicians have brought them. They would wish it all away to get back to who they used to be... They tempted fame with their brilliant songs.. To me, that is the best meaning behind it...
But who knows?
I mean... its Tool :P

i can't imagine a person who may have feelings much better than him after listening to songs from 10,000 days. and especially after listening to vicarious, i can't imagine a person with a better heart. but is he only restricted to writing and singing songs of such wonderful, meaningful lyrics or is he the same guy he portraits in his songs???

None taken! I loved what the previous person brought to my attention. I went home and told my brother and he said "that is SO weird cause I used to say that!" lol so everyone, use your imagination and make keenan's words your own inspiration!

the song jambi is about being in love with his shadow, aka his dark side, as he searches for some reason when it was him that holds the secret all along. so in essence it wasn't anyone who picked him up and turned him round, but it was himself, because he was able to become one with his dark side, if he where to compromise any part of himself then dim his eyes, because being able to feast like a sultan means nothing if you don't know what its like to have nothing to eat. its all relevant to yin and yang. so what Maynard is describing in this song is no matter how in touch with this material world he maybe he would wish it all away if he abandons his soul, because this world means nothing without the next, and we must not compromise anything because if what you need divides me i might as well be gone. the answer lies within yourself, become one with yourself, do not compromise anything and shine on forever shine on until the two become one, divide and i wither away, breathe in union, so as one survive another day and season. the end of the song is the most important because the beginning is more like a reflection of how he realizes this all means nothing if hes not one with himself, but at the end he really accepts his wholeness, silence leeches, save your poison, silence leeches, stay out my way. nothing can sway him from his new direction, the temptations and the influences of the world today have no effect upon him, even though the reason and meaning is unclear, it is still more clear to him since he allows no other influence upon his thought, fuck religion, fuck media, fuck cnn, fuck fox, fuck obama, fuck money, fuck god, fuck this mother fucking war, and fuck this economy, because it is you that you are searching for. nothing else should matter, so find yourself and become one with it in this world, and the noise and and pollution will still be here, but your vision will be able to cut through the shit blinding us of life. other songs that follow this same theme by tool are "H", "forty six & 2", "jimmy", "push it", "third eye", "part of me", "cold and ugly", "sober", "undertow", "4 degrees", "flood", "disgustipated", "merkaba", "the patient", "schism", "parabol", "parabola", "lateralus", "reflection", "intension", "right in two", and "demon cleaner".

The division of the song just before the guitar solo starts is really important to the lyrical composition. I really like where it goes from there, from the "shine on" parts.
If, like other songs on 10,000 Days, it is also about Maynard's mother, then I believe he is asking her soul to guide him from heaven (or wherever she may be to that religious hater).
There is also a song on 10,000 Days called "Right in Two" which references Humans as cutting it all right in two and all that stuff. So the line "Shine on until the two become one" is pretty interesting, in my opinion, as whoever the subject of the song "Jambi" is, should be inspiring us to stop our evil, hating and stupid Human ways.

By the way I believe the real words are "Damn my eyes" not "Jab my eyes". "Jab" is not a very nice and poetic word.

actually, maynard james keenan ( lead singer) used the title 10,000 days to symbolize the 10,000 days or roughly 27 and a half years of suffering his mother went through with him while she had cancer i think it was. and the song jambi was written a few weeks after his mother actually passed. little fun fact from an enormous TOOL fan.. i will play drums with danny carey one day. lol

No the music is most definitely not clearly about Jesus. However, it makes for a beautiful allegory when added to portions of Maynard's life and compared to the life of Jesus as well as other points of the Bible. Also, there is far more info available on Jesus than the Vatican allows, they have restricted it beyond recognition. I also challenge you to do some deep, and thorough research on the Bible to find whether you claim that the Bible was constructed to rule people through fear and intimidation has any real truth to back it. And finally, in telling people it is wrong to force your opinion in others, at least in the way you have done it, is in fact forcing your opinion on others...

Most all of Tool's music brings me to my own interpretaion of my life. I may be way off base here but I think that's how Tool designs their music. Jambi brings me to places I ponder from the past and the future. I believe Jambi is their best cut to date and I believe 10000 Days is the record of the the next 10,000 days.

I have heard many complaints about this CD from "OGT's".
I
wish them
all
away

Such a beautiful song and message, along with most other songs from 10,000 days. I never appreciated the brilliance of this album until recently. Maynard appears to have been tortured in his childhood, having a false god and interpretation of Jesus forced upon him. Myself, being born into the same situation, can sympathize with him. Even through all the confusion and bullshit though, I was able to feel God. I would feel happiness if any man-made church crumbled to the ground. I don't need to feel God through a fucking building. Man's doctrine and agendas will inevitably corrupt any church or religion. I can't blame anyone for saying "fuck God." With the god they were raised to worship, I'd say it's justified.

A lot of the songs on 10,000 days seem to be about Maynard's influences, or mentors. Maybe I haven't analyzed them enough.

I guess the obvious is he chooses love or friendship over materialism.

This person who he'd wish it all away for saved him, or taught him, or made him a better person. I think one of the important things is that he says "So I'd wish it all away" because this person changed him.

Is it a need to repay them? To prove to himself he isn't just using the person to help himself without repaying them?

Later in the song you learn that this person is his center, his peace of mind.

There is a lot of reference of two pieces becoming one, or divided/ing. Finding yourself, or perhaps becoming yourself... I believe.

I believe the song is about a mentoring, but hey I could be way off.

Your all cool, i like this album. i hate to distrupt the flow, to say this is a rather magical song becoming one with the universe. (spirits told me i was becoming one after seeing <god>), dabling in darkness exectra, i have to agree with old mate , make your own meaning. i hade a mad trip while hevaly un sober. listening to tool's aenima cd before 10000 days came out, with quite alot to do with vicarious and this song, it involved me leaving my body to become a vampire bat, and seeing silent legions of telepathic humans in space ships rasing a planet of orangatang monkey people to extinction. tool=drugs :)