Undertow Lyrics - Tool

The emphasis of 'euphoria' with the strength of the music in this song is absolutely off the richter scale - this along with the 'undertow' 4 line part at the end = the depression of an 'undertow' gives me a great indication of massive mood swings of say a Bipolar I with maybe some mixed Schizophrenia (baptised by a voice) - strong emphasis on word used 'baptised' - (schizophrneics looking into religious terms) - this is an absolutely phenominal song and always gives me goosebumps the way it talks about its highs and lows within a song with the accompanying riffs - A+++ for genious

Thats my take :)

Hasn't anyone ever considered that he might be blending multiple meanings on purpose with loose language? This doesn't have to be about specifically religion OR drugs; it can be BOTH.

For some reason I feel the need to clarify that in order to interpret the lyrical meaning of any song you need to understand the person who wrote it, to some degree. The false idea that any of Tool's songs are a direct reference to drugs or addiction is a shallow drug culture myth. In order to write a decent song about addiction it helps to have some experience with it, Maynard as far as I can gather is not an addict. No drug addict would say that LSD is something you try once and spend the rest of you life trying to get there without the drug (rough quote from Maynard). If you want to listen to music about heroin check out some 90's grunge. Getting to my point, there are a lot of religious referances in Tool's music particularly because they tend to mock religion, hence the reference to Friedrich Nietzsche in the album title "Opiate" , Nietzsche referred to religion as the opiate of the masses. Now Maynard is a big fan of mocking religion, politics, pop culture and many other mainstream institutions and ideologies so stop with the drug reference BS and do a little research on the man who wrote it. Get a taste for his mockary and sarcasm towards mainstream music and other mainstream crap by watching some interviews. I'm sure he laughs when unenlightened people assume his music is all about drugs. do some homework you lazy small minded sheeple.

I see this song as a take on a never-ending and escalating bad relationship (2 times in, 3 times in, etc). Starts small: 'speaks from deep' then escalates to 'screams from deep' and "baptizing", being pulled down under water.

"Shut up, you're saturating me" i.e. Person is getting fed up of it, wondering "how can I let this happen?" - starts to think about leaving situation.

"Surrounds, drowns, wipes me away" - person loses self and strength to leave and then decides to settle. - "But I am so comfortable... too comfortable"

"There doesn't seem no other way out of the undertow." - This line speaks for itself.

"Euphoria" - I find this last line tounge-in-cheek satire on the never ending cycle of dysfunction.

Summary: Sometimes the only thing crazier than the psycho bitch you still date is yourself. I know this friends because I have lived it.

I get tired of seeing so many people convinced so many of their songs are about religion, just because it makes a religious reference. Tool references religion a LOT, especially in songs about drugs, that doesn't mean the song has ANYTHING to do with religion. In other words, just because the song has the word 'Heaven' in it, doesn't mean it's about god.

Anyways, this song is more then likely written about Heroin, as it was very popular in the early 90's. The general feeling it describes in this song makes it apparent it's describing the up and down of heroin specifically, as many people have described it as if it were 'dragging' their life out of their control. Though to many people the incomparable high it offers is worth the come down, or maybe they just don't think that far ahead. People have been pushed to suicide when coming down off it if they aren't able to get more, and it is one of the most difficult drugs to completely stop. Horrifyingly addicting.

Though the exact MEANING of this song can only be determined by you, as with all of Tool's songs.

Heroin is what this song is about. Heroin is described as being a euphoric high feel. The undertow it the feeling of coming down off of heroin. The feeling of the undertow is a swallowing, drowning feeling of pain emotion

Such a wonderful song with great lyrics. With such great lyrics the meaning could be anything and from such an introspective mind the meaning could be multiple and vastly deep. My own paltry take is ego. Something that is all encompassing, one can't get rid of, and seeks joy.(the reason to use drugs and can't quit, to want/need love of all kinds) It starts off with the 2nd time as if the 1st was implied and could not be helped or known about. And every break is freedom, the self, me. But the ego is a part of oneself and always screaming to be herd and to control, even in the most sneaky of ways. It convinces you that it does not exist. You can't help it even when youre aware it. Ego can be a great thing for survival and a horrible influence that brings about conflict. Just try to live without the confidence of ego. Not in this world.

Well Im just goin to give my opinion , it could be love , I mean he starts feeling alive and feelin so crazy about the girl he loves but soon he looses himself in this love and from man he turns into a pathetic dog lookin for any scraps his lover gives him , and it drives him nuts , he wants to get out but that lil voice making him think about her is always there.. Idk im just going out ona limb.. I havnt slept in 3 days xD

I think maynard is talking about an addiction to drugs. The urge to do them is always in the back of his mind, screaming at him and tempting him. And after the euphoria has ended, his reality of the glumness of the real world sets back in, hence the "undertow". Absolutely genius.

i always thought he said even the rich like silt on a river bed . thanks for clearing that up ;D best band in the world........... might sound retarded coming from a guy who doesnt know the lyrics to their songs but fuck you cant help but feel the emotion in all their songs.

As is seems with most tool songs, this ones of spiritual reference. hence words like baptized.. but it seems to me, the way i relate to the song anyway, that he starts by hearing a voice deep within him, speaking. it speaks reason to him, it makes too much sense to him and it consumes him, bringing him to his knees. could be what he believes to be the voice of God, beckoning him. later in the song, obviosly he's turned away from God, now the voice is screaming, calling him back. though this time its not so prevelant. its easier this time to rationalize the voice beckoning him and move on, hence the phrase "half as clear as reason, half as high as heaven" As it is with religion, theres always the first moment thats so powerful, makes perfect sense, makes you go to your knees. then as you get sucked back into worldly life the sensation fades, you still get the moments from time to time, "hear the voice from deep", but it becomes easier to dismiss it, rationalize it and move on with worldly life.

I'm pretty sure it's about drug addiction (I.e. From twice as loud as reason to half as loud but he's caught in the undertow - or addiction). However the beauty of tool allows us to interpret it however we want as many here have.

I love how heavy the riffs are. And the section of the song that is played at an odd rhthym is what blew my mind away. But i feel the song is about being dragged down into something evil (i.e. the undertow) and starts to feel great and amazing, but then becomes ugly and vile.

i beleive that it is a loss of previous sane reasonable thoughts to be connected and brought forward then reverse and become less stimulated with what is normally perceived due to certain causes of mental problems

It seems to me, as with many tool songs, that this is about being dragged back into religion. The deep, rich silt becomes cold and black when viewed from a new perspective.

The undertow is the feeling of being dragged backwards. Making some progress to escape ingrained ways but being dragged back into familiar thought patterns.

Very nice.