Reviews for Reflection Lyrics

Please, everyone look up the real meaning of the song and stop trying to be Tool scholars, It's just a waste of time. There is alot of songs`which are vague and aren't really about one subject or are quite mysterious and/or they haven't the released. This song is really Manyard brilliant take on the Greek myth Narcissus, who to sum in the story as quickly as possible,he saw his own reflection in the waters and fell in love with it, not realizing it was merely an image. Unable to leave the beauty of his reflection, Narcissus died. hence the end bit about crucifying ego, before pining away, Really one of tools easiest songs to work out. A truely brilliant take on a fantastic story

I agree with most of these great reviews and love everyones input(: Might not be our purpose to disipher every line of writing but it certainly expands our understanding. And if your curious enough to search through reviews, then you are no different. I believe this song may have been a point of nexus too his and a whole reflection in some ultimate reality. Kind of resembles an epiphany of compassion and selflessness, but also unity of humans. In life, we are left with two every-day choices: Care for yourself, or Care for others. I agree with a DMT experiance can reveal or reflect truths not accessable to the mind normally. This is also shown in related songs like Parabol/Parabola having an externalist relationship with spirit. Though DMT had so much influence, its not the most practical. "One mind" could mean the connectedness between human to human, or human to God. Either way makes sence to me. I encourage whoever is reading to work on showing compassion, thank you for reading(:

So my interpretation and what rings true for me- is from the dark place of existence that Maynard was in , the moon tells him a secret. It says like us all, the full bright light that illuminates it is an illusion it is not the moons light, just like our perception of separateness from each other, mother earth and the universe is an illusion.The Source has a duel meaning it is the sun and stars for the moon but for me it is the way, the truth and the light, (god, universe, higher self, enlightened)as was written by the Tibetan monks in the Bardo Thodol you must release the ego to reach enlightenment. It is said that when we die there is a Light and if we have shed the ego and accepted that the light is Source then you may reach enlightenment else return for re-incarnation. We must stop focusing on self and recognize that we are all of this light, we are all connected of one consciences. When we reach enlightenment we will be capable of all that is imagined and all conceivable.
As with most tool lyrics I believe there are multiple meanings when he says pine away, the obvious is to pine for something is to long or yearn deeply for something but i believe that it also refers to the pineal gland(often depicted as a pine-cone) which is commonly thought of as the third eye or the eye of Horus.
by accessing our third eye (pineal gland)we may reach enlightenment, return to Source(Be of all ONE MIND). I've been told that as we get older whether it be diet, poisons(fluoride, aspartame), or EGO, it calcifies and we have a harder time accessing the Third Eye and this may be part of the meaning. Crucify the ego before its to late, before the pineal gland is encased in calcium and you cant even PRY OPEN YOUR THIRD EYE!

in my view this song depicts MJK's encounter with himself consumed in narcissism (reflection). He realised that his actions and demeanor portrayed narcissistic traits eg. self indulgence, egotism
i do believe and i have experienced this with myself that as you go further into a narcissistic state of mind you can find comfort in the fact that you stop worrying about anybody apart from yourself ((no empathy/consideration)e.g with fans or people you may consider worthless for no apparent reason) you tend to lack common values with yourself and others, and soon your concerns become only of your pursuit for power and your exploitation of others without remorse, this is where the mask effect comes into play e.g only expressing socially appropriate responses when convenient or not at all. To get my drift just have a browse at older interviews of MJK. anyway Im glad to know he has conquered himself (ego-death) and can move on with a more open,caring less cynical mind. GOOD STUFF Fantastic song!

If your on my page u will too agree:

The moon is also known as the matrix and he speaking of the moon goddess n the hold the moon has on us..being in these systems and thinking this is who we are..feeding narcissism and ego because true spirituality n ego cannot go hand in hand.. this distracts us so in his DMT trip perhaps after the moon confessed that it was fake an illusion n projection (as our universe and we are love is the only thing real) he realized he didnt want that..it was tempting but he understands he must crucify the ego..he wants the light to lift him up which he means the sun..for we are children of the sun receiving information through its photons which the moon hacked feeding us this false distracting 'reality. before he pines (wastes) away in this false world of haze suppression of human reality..so then he advises everyone else to do the same n crucify ego before its too late..to leave this place so negative blind n cynical (the 'place' or matrix is the slow low dense vibration the moon n systems like religion, political media education etc..keeps most sheep in like a hypnotic trance going round in circles) and u will come to find that we are all one mind (consciousness living this through a body for the experience only choosing to be here cus we did) capable of all dats imagined and all conceivable (once u awaken to the truth of what n who we really are) Just let the light (sun) touch u. n let the words spill through n let them pass right through (as in dont speak, words n vocabulary are useless, once u are in consciousness and awake state u are all knowing and do not need language u just KNOW which brings out hope n reason for humans n this life being WAAYYY more then what it seems) before we pine away n repeat these lives over n over.. idk about u but im ready to return to consciousness. im tired of being an old soul n look forward to the rest of this experience n im grateful i finally got it right... they will no longer be my sustenance... break away from the systems everyone.. reprogram n rewire your processors.. start from scratch.. check out my youtube videos. vashoffthewall thanks

Every living soul has an individual reality...Whatever: "music" in this case not just lyrical content is always gonna be interpreted in a different light according to that specific individual...Enjoyed reading all of the different meanings...Keep those minds active

i believe that one of the reasons MJK is such a great writer is his use of multiple meanings.

"before we Pine away", for instance.

It can mean either wasting time waiting (for the answers) Or before we are put in a pine box and dead.

–noun
1.
any evergreen, coniferous tree of the genus Pinus, having long, needle-shaped leaves, certain species of which yield timber, turpentine, tar, pitch, etc. Compare pine family.

–verb (used without object)
1.
to yearn deeply; suffer with longing; long painfully (often followed by for ): to pine for one's home and family.

in my opinion, this song is about breaking through the false sense of self that is the ego before it's too late and the ego itself takes over and becomes "you" and your life becomes a lie that u have created for yourself. this is the path most people take because it is easier to reject aspects of yourself that you are not willing to admit or accept....=)

This goes out to to whoever posted the review called "dreamer." You hit the nail on the head. To the rest; I'm not going to say that any of the others are bad or anything like that, so hear is my theory. This song is the same as all of their others, and continues the theme of their discography.

There are nasty things in the world. There are nasty people. There are many ways to react to these things.
We all must find our own way. But, that way should help to bring the human race as a whole to a better place. And no matter how down or pissed off we may feel, we must take it upon ourselves to grow and learn and leave a positive mark on this world; as individuals, for the greater good.

This song is about Maynards experience of reflected and an enlightened understanding of a higher power. In his state of pitiful misery to nothingness, the moon reveals to him that There is a source of endless light that created this universe and is the source of hope for all beings, and that the light is One Mind, capable of all thats imagined and all conceivable. Many people think this song refers to the sun or humans, but its clearly described in "without her we are lifeless satellites drifting" At the end of the song, he realizes that living a life of narcism is not our roles as humans, we need to live selflessly embraced in Good to get nearer to God.

This song relates to the psychological interpretation that every human has ideal materialistic desires that has to fill the void. This specific song conquers the barrier of the psyche when we will finally give up everything to not gain anything at all, but instead acknowledge the benefits of how to appreciate. The Ego regularly has a behavioral appearance of jealousy and guilt built behind the subconsciousness. We must first learn to cope with loss and reassemble our psyche to fit our desires.

This song is about the time Maynard spent staring at goats...OR....it could be taken literal and you are hearing a man admit his bottom while standing on the edge looking further down the rabbit hole wishing to go no further. He got over himself to find himself. No mystic crap here...just a simple song.

greek legend, narcissus... i guess, it's all most possible to dig up stories from greek mythology to any THING! there was gods to everything, heroes for everyone...allmost boring. Earlier I mentioned middle age church painings. Now I can't think of anything else than Narcissus-flowers. Two most commmon flowers, white & yellow, Planted in Autumn
(I have come curiously close to the end, down
Beneath my self indulgent pitiful hole. Defeated I
Concede and move closer. I may find comfort here
I may find peace within the emptiness. How pitiful. (this seed planting reminds me about a practice what people are thought to do while walking pilgrimage destination (spanish road to santiago de compostela)might be over 1600 km long. So it takes time to walk this. And while walking, they feel desperate, tired and worried about earthly things. A common advice to people who needed more strenght to carry on was to "imagine yourself into tiny seed, growing little by little up" this practice could take place especially when it's hot... you put your knees bended, arms around knees, eyes shut, start growing... until you're srteching yourself towards the sky as long as you could imagine a plant/flower growing. )

It's calling me
... "so people have been walking these saint roads for days, without any other rewards than the reach of something they thought of god, or the walk might have purifyed their lives from sin, and they can go on life normally again.)

And in my darkest moment, fetal and weeping.
The moon tells me a secret. My confidant.
'As full and bright as I am, this light is not my own
A million light reflections pass over me'
It's source is bright and endless.
She resuscitates the hopeless
Without her we are lifeless satellites drifting.
(this satellite stuff, drops a bomb, I don't really know anything else than, there's a wall of floating metal above us, some look like stars to us, from earth ofcourse, and without her, might mean Maria?... Reflection, ah I know a book about a girl who finds a mirror, and everything in that mirror is upside down, reversed, she could go in, but she second guesses... ok no more about the book, heh.. hmm
And as I pull my head out
I am without one doubt
Don't want to be down here
Soothing my narcissism I
Must crucify the ego
Before it's far too late
I pray the light lifts me out

Before I pine away.
...

So crucify the ego
Before it's far too late
To leave behind this place so
Negative and blind and cynical

And you will come to find
That we are all one mind
Capable of all that's
Imagined and all conceivable

"Here's a spot for my newest thing. A mirror neuron. they might be very important in imitation and language acquisition.Such neurons have been directly observed in primates, and are believed to occur in humans and other species including birds. In humans, brain activity consistent with that of mirror neurons has been found in the premotor cortex and the inferior parietal cortex."

Just let the light touch you
And let the words spill through
Just let them pass right through,
Bringing out our hope and reason.

Before we pine away.

"I think about this song as a reminder, before we forget, it's like we can be even godlike. Toss everything else around you. I learned one thing about these lyrics of Maynards and it's always a Philosophy" " Perhaps, this reflection is all these things. easy to believe, it's the most clearest thing at first" But remember, it's reflection. you and you, or you and he/she. There isn't you if you don't have a social partner, wheter it's your looklike, it doesn't matter. I tried to explain this earlier, with the church paintings. The pictures where much more than just color and shape, you must follow who is looking who, it tells a secret! Most amazing thing what has happened when coming to this day and look at Baroque painters, they used to carry mirrors with them, they used everything they could think of as a helping hand, no freehand painting. And they knew about things, they could beat Dalai Lama! So the paintings had mirrors, somebodys face is a mirror, a skull is a mirror(telling you, that you're still alive).

I too was pretty sure the song was about the greek legend of Narcissus.

Narcissus was Greek mythological hero and was renowned for his beauty. The guy was an egotist and a narcissist, and one day, fell in love with his reflection which he saw in a puddle on the ground. He couldn't stop staring and ultimately perishes there coz he's unable to leave.

Go over the lyrics... It definitely speaks of it. "close to the end"- Death
"down, beneath my self indulgent pitiful hole"- The hole, with water (i.e. the puddle) which he's staring at. Self indulgent coz he's indulging in his reflection.
He can't leave because the reflection calls to him.

And in my darkest moment, fetal and weeping.
The moon tells me a secret. My confidant.
'As full and bright as I am, this light is not my own
A million light reflections pass over me'
It's source is bright and endless.
She resuscitates the hopeless
Without her we are lifeless satellites drifting"

He's in a terrible state, nearing death. Many days pass... A million times the sun & moon go over his head as he sits there alone. The moon is hopeless without the sun, just like his beautiful reflection is nothing without his presence.


"And as I pull my head out
I am without one doubt
Don't want to be down here
Soothing my narcissism I
Must crucify the ego
Before it's far too late
I pray the light lifts me out
Before I pine away."

He wants to be able to leave... But he must stay there since it was originally a punishment; he had to endure staring at his reflection. He wants to be able to stop soothing his narcissism and leave that place before he pines away.

"So crucify the ego
Before it's far too late
To leave behind this place so
Negative and blind and cynical

And you will come to find
That we are all one mind
Capable of all that's
Imagined and all conceivable

Just let the light touch you
And let the words spill through
Just let them pass right through,
Bringing out our hope and reason.

Before we pine away."

Now this is where I got confused and found solace in ObservingEarth-Jay's interpretation, which I believe is the second half of the lyrics. The story of Narcissus ends at him pining away... Here Maynard steps in with his drug induced observation. He tells us what ObservingEarth-jay already mentioned: Looking at the bigger picture of life.

We must crucify all our egos and realize we are one entity in this world. We're all co-dependent. We must understand we are one and not be lured in by the reflection of just us, but look at others as a part of us.... And we must do this, before we pine away.

Maynard has a thing about centering his lyrics about mythology and using it to lead us to his agenda. In this case, about us being one consciousness. In Orestes, he uses the tale of Orestes as a metaphor for his own story where he had to euthanize his mother. That's the genius of this guy.

I hope you're satisfied with my interpretation. Also, thanks to Observingearth; You helped me understand the rest of it.

Peace

Well, well, boys and girls... Reflection and ego death?! Doesn't it ring any bells? Middle Age Artworks at Church! Guess what Monks saw in altar paintings while they sat there for hours and the sun or the moon passed y the church windows and let the light thgough onto painting, You guys don't even know what you're talking about here!

Painters in old times had a reason and such a determination to their art that, while mixing their colours they considered how the painting will change (in other lightness/darkness)

And the monks I mentioned... Well they had these "nirvanas" every once in a while staring at paintings because there might have suddenly appear an angel or something changed a little bit. That's what this song was about!