Alternative metal

"Jerry Cantrell - lead guitar, lead/backing vocals (1987-2002, 2005-present)"

"Sean Kinney - drums (1987-2002, 2005-present)"

"Mike Inez - bass (1993-2002, 2005-present)"

"William DuVall - lead/backing vocals, rhythm guitar (2005-present)"

"Layne Staley - lead vocals (1987-2002)"

"Mike Starr - bass (1987-1993)"

"Down, down, down you're rollin'/Watch the blood float in the muddy sewer/Take another hit/And bury your brother"

"Another alley trip/Bullet seek the place to bend you over/Then you got hit/And you should of known better/Faster we run/And we die young"

"I'm the man in the box/Buried in my shit/Won't you come and save me?/Save me"

"Feed my eyes (can you sow them shut?)/Jesus Christ (deny your maker)/He who tries (will be wasted)/Fear in my eyes (now you told me)"

"I'm the dog who gets beat/Shove my nose in shit"

"Mind, of destructive taste/I choose...to stroll amongst the waste/That was your heart/Lost in the dark/Call off the chase"

"Walls of thought, strong and high/As my castle crumbles with time/I think of you/Oh, yes I do/Such a crime"

"I live tomorrow/You I'll not follow/As you wallow/In a sea of sorrow"

"These stand for me/Name your god and bleed the freak/I'd like to see/How you all would bleed for me"

"Yeah, it goes away/All of this and more of nothing in my life/No colored clay/Individuality not safe"

"As of now I bet you've got me wrong/So unsure you run from something strong"

"I believe them bones are me/Some say we're born into the grave/I feel so alone, gonna end up a/Big ol' pile a them bones"

"Dust rise right on over my time/Empty fossil of the new scene/I feel so alone, gonna end up a/Big hole pile a them bones"

"I broke you in the canyon/I drowned you in the lake/You a snake that I would trample/Only thing I'd not embrace"

"Oh, you couldn't dam that river/And maybe I don't give a damn anyway/So you couldn't dam that river/And it washed me so far away"

"I pushed and then you stumbled/I kicked you in the face/You stare at me so hollow/Got to keep that killin' pace"

"Bury me softly in this womb/I give this part of me for you/Sand rains down and here I sit/Holding rare flowers/In a tomb... in Bloom"

"Down in a hole and I don't know if I can be saved/I sing my heart out decorated like a grave/You don't understand who they thought I was supposed to be/Look at me now I'm a man who won't let himself be"

"Down in a hole, losing my soul/Down in a hole, losing control/I'd like to fly,/But my wings have been so denied"

"Ain't found a way to kill me yet/Eyes burn with stinging sweat/Seems every path leads me to nowhere/Wife and kids, household pet/Army green was no safe bet/The bullets scream to me from somewhere"

"Here they come to snuff the rooster/Ah yeah, yeah/Yeah, here come the rooster, yeah/You know he ain't gonna die/No, no, no, you know he ain't gonna die"

"Walkin' tall machine gun man/They spit on me in my home land/Gloria sent me pictures of my boy/Got my pills 'gainst mosquito death/My buddy's breathin' his dyin' breath/Oh god please won't you help me make it through"

"Stare at me with empty eyes and/Point your words at me/Mirror on the wall will show you/What you're scared to see"

"Sitting on an angry chair/Angry walls that steal the air/Stomach hurts and I don't care/What do I see across the way, hey/See myself molded in clay, oh/Stares at me, yeah I'm afraid, hey/Changing the shape of his face, oh yeah"

"I don't mind, yeah/I don't mind, I-I-I/I don't mind, yeah/I don't mind, I-I-I/Lost my mind, yeah/But I don't mind, I-I-I/Can't find it anywhere/I don't mind"

"Into the flood again/Same old trip it was back then/So I made a big mistake/Try to see it once my way"

"Drifting body, its sole exertion/Flying, not yet quite the notion"

"Am I wrong?/Have I run too far to get home/Have I gone?/Left you here alone/If I would, could you?"

"We chase misprinted lies/We face the path of time/And yet I fight/And yet I fight/This battle all alone/No one to cry to/No place to call home"

"Why you act crazy/Not an act maybe/So close a lady/Shifty eyes shady"

"Why you act frightened/I am enlightened/Your weakness builds me/So someday you'll see"

"It's alright/There comes a time/Got no patience to search/For peace of mind/Layin' low/Want to take it slow/No more hiding or/Disguising truths I've sold"

"Everyday it's something/Hits me all so cold/Find me sittin' by myself/No excuses, then I know"

"It's okay/Had a bad day/Hands are bruised from/Breaking rocks all day/Drained and blue/I bleed for you/You think it's funny, well/You're drowning in it too"

"Yeah, it's fine/We'll walk down the line/Leave our rain, a cold/Trade for warm sunshine/You my friend/I will defend/And if we change, well I love you anyway"

"Hey, I ain't never coming home/Hey, I'll just wander my own road/Hey-hey, I can't meet you here tomorrow - no, no/Say goodbye don't follow/Misery so hollow"

"Well I forgot my woman, lost my friends/Things I've done and where I've been/Sleep in sweat - the mirror's cold/Seen my face? It's growin' old/Scared to death, no reason why/Do whatever to get me by/Think about the things I've said/Read the page its cold and dead"

"Come the morning light/It's a see-through show/What you may have heard and/What you think you know"

"Be what you wanna be/See what you came to see/Been what you wanna be/I don't like what I see"

"Like the coldest winter will/Heaven beside you... Hell within/And you think you have it still, heaven inside you"

"Hey, let them do it again, yeah/Hey, you said you were my friend/Hey, turn me upside down, Oh/Hey, feelin' so down"

"You know its been on my mind/Could you stand right there/Look me straight in the eye and say/That it's over now"

"So I found myself in the sun, oh yeah/A hell of a place to end a run, oh yeah/California, I'm fine/Somebody check my brain/California's all right/Somebody check my brain"

"I walk these streets, I creep and I fall, oh yeah/When she sang I answered the call, oh yeah"

"Time to change has come and gone/Watched your fears become your god/It's your decision"

"You feed the fire that burned us all/When you lie/To feel the pain that spurs you on/Black inside"

"Hear footsteps creak the floor/The shadows give away/Someone outside the door/Won't let 'em in"

"These things I hate in you/Also reflect it seems/Distortion laced with spite/Takes you out of me"

"A looking in view too long on the outside/Desperate plans make sense in a low life/Lie/A looking in view too long on the outside/Desperate plans make sense in a low life/Lie/It's why you never tell me/Whatever's on your mind"

"Just another lesson learned/Wear a scar, abhore repeating/Take a simple fateful turn/Opened up to stop the bleeding"

"Nowhere to buy in/Most of us hiding/Others are shining"

"Give away a love/And then remove another, too/Painted words adorn the walls/Echoing untrue/I feel cold"

"I excuse myself/I'm used to my little cell/I amuse myself/In my very own private hell"

"I don't wanna feel no more/It's easier to keep falling/Imitations are pale/Emptiness of tomorrows/Haunted by your ghost"

"Lay down, black gives way to blue/Lay down, I'll remember you"

"Hollow as a mountain/All tunneled and drilled below/Hollow as a mountain/Crowned with a cold, blue sky"

"Silence! So loud! Silence!/I can't tell my up from down"

"What makes you want to carve your initials in me?"

"Find me distant/Outwardly rough/Obscene"

"Cold/Dry/Stone"

"Every time I listen/Voices in my head/Everybody listen/Does yours say what mine says"

"Calling out their names/Faces, uniforms I've worn/And all that is gone/Always climbing/To fall down again"

"...this ain't over/My regrets are many, true/Still so much worse lies ahead for you"

"Gonna wear you like a second skin/I'll haunt you like a phantom limb"

"The devil put dinosaurs here/Jesus don't like a queer/The devil put dinosaurs here/No problem with faith just fear"

"Tell me, does it matter/If I'm still here, or I'm gone?/Shifting to the after/An impostor, so disowned"

"Are you surprised black water flows/From wells run dry?/I'm not the one you know"

"The trap is time and no one gets off of this ride alive"

"So far under/Far I've never fell/Now forever dwell/So far under"

"So far under/Too much pain to tell/And now I'm ripped asunder/"So far under"

"My inner voice/Seems to want me dead/Only choice/Manage down the trail I’ve lead"

"Never far away away I always see you/When it all goes dark you light my way through"

"Friends Don't Let Friends Get Friends Haircuts" - This was written on Mike Inez's bass during the band's set on Unplugged. It was in reference to the members of Metallica, who were sitting in the audience. Metallica had recently gotten haircuts to coincide with the release of their album Load and many saw this as the band "selling out."

"I feel for you, better fucking go away. I will behave, better fucking go away."

"I'm doing the best I ever did, I'm doing the best that I can, I'm doing the best I ever did."

"Draggin’ on so lonely, aren’t you tired baby, breathing life into you lungs, are you immune to me?"

"I’m not the one who’s so far away, When I feel the snake bite enter my veins. Never did I wanna be here again And I don’t remember why I came. **Voodoo"

"It’s a bad religion, from a broken nation. It’s a contradiction, and I can’t take it anymore."

"Hard to find how I feel, especially when your smothering me. Hard to find how I feel, please someone help me!"

"I'm alive for you. I'm awake because of you. I'm alive, told you I'm awake."

"Wait another minute, can't you see what this pain has fucking done to me. I'm alive - & still kicking, what you see I can't see and maybe you'll think before you speak."

"Oh no, I don't wanna be your friend. Feels so bad, bad magick laying into me."

"Trippin into a word that never seems too far away, too much time, too many wasted days."

"Fell in a river of illusion - and apathy. Drowning in a self-induced confusion - I'd rather be."

"Gone for ever, banished the memories. Displays of pleasure are masked by your misery.'"

"I've told you this once before, can't control me If you try to take me down you're gonna break."

"Where do we go when we just don't know, and how do we relight the flame when it's cold? Why do we dream when our thoughts mean nothing and when will we learn to control?"

"And I only would do for you what you do for me. Don't look back just to lean on me, it's taken the life out of me."

"Now I’m running backward, watching my life wave me goodbye. Running blind."

"Speak the truth or make your peace some other way.-"

"I want you to turn to the fourteen-year-old girl next to you and mosh her training bra off!"

"This next song goes out to all the kids with braces, for keeping it metal!"

"This song is about the time Howard fell in the shower, "When Darkness Falls""

"This song is what happens when God Forbid rides a skateboard, "When Darkness Falls""

"Hello! I have been brought back through surgery and technological advancements to come and kill all emo children! You will die through a barrage of licks! You will die, and then I will take your emo bones, grind them up into a minty candy—kinda like Mentos, but it will be called Emos, and it will not be the Freshmaker, it will be the Pussymaker! "Oh, but I have emotions! I have emotions!" Fuck your emotions! Drink beer and fuck women!"

"I just wanted you guys to know that I will not be happy until I find some 18 year old girl who will let me rest my balls on her face like a pair of spooky glasses...that are wet...and were dropped on the barbershop floor...and smell"

"She's found something to die for Something to fight for Someone to show her the way She's found someone to cry for Someone to lie for Heart full of blood of the dinosaurs"

"You make it easy to love you and hate you can't explain it, I feel insicure. You say it's simple, you die just to live again you say get ready for the last waltz"

"Another you and me another revolutionary heavenly romance, waiting for the last waltz And so it seems we won't find the solution>br>confusion leads the dance>br>waiting for the last waltz"

"You're up there You're always with me Smiling down on me"

"These foolish games always end up in confusion I'll take you back just to leave you once again"

"No more shame She has felt too much pain in her life In her mind she's repeating the words All the love you put out will return to you She's fading away Away from this world Drifting like a feather She's not like the other girls"

"No reason to lie, no need to pretend I'm grateful to die to live once again I'm fearless to fly and reach for the end And reach for the end"

"I'll take the shot, for you I'll be the shield for you Needless to say, I'll stand in your way"

"I'll take the shot, for you I'll give my life, for you I'll make it stop I'll take the shot for you"

""I've been watching / I've been waiting / In the shadows all my time / I've been searching / I've been living / For tomorrows all my life." (In the Shadows from the album Dead Letters, 2003)"

"Cut my life into pieces This is my last resort Suffocation, no breathing Don't give a fuck if I cut my arm bleeding."

"You're a slave to the system Working jobs that you hate For that shit you don't need."

"[Down With The Sickness] Come on get up and get down with the sickness, Get up get down with the sickness, Get up get down with the sickness, Open up your hate and let it flow into me, Get up, come on and get down with the sickness, You mother get up come on get down with the sickness, You fucker get come on get down with the sickness, Madness is the gift that has been given to me"

"[Prayer] Living just isn't hard enough, Burn me alive, inside, Living my life's not hard enough, Take everything away"

"[Land of Confusion] There's too many men, too many people Making too many problems, And there's not much love to go around, Can't you see this is a land of Confusion? This is the world we live in, And these are the hands were given, Use them and let's start trying To make it a place worth living in"

"[Indestructible] I'll have you know that I've become Indestructible, Determination that is incorruptible, From the other side a terror to behold, Annihilation will be unavoidable, Every broken enemy will know That their opponent had to be invincible, Take a last look around while you're alive I'm an indestructible master of war"

"[Inside The Fire] Devon lies beyond this portal, Take the word of one immortal Give your soul to me For eternity, Release your life To begin another time with her, End your grief with me, There's another way, Release your life, Take your place inside the fire with her"

"[chorus to I Hate Everything About You] Only when I stop to think about it, I hate everything about you, Why do I love you? I hate everything about you, Why do I love you?"

"[chorus to Just Like You] You thought you were there to guide me, You were only in my way, You're wrong if you think I'll be just like you, You thought you were there to guide to me, You were only in my way, You're wrong if you think I'll be just like you"

"[chorus to Pain] Pain, without love, Pain, I can't get enough, Pain, I like it rough Because I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all Pain, without love, Pain, I can't get enough, Pain, I like it rough Because I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all"

"[chorus to Animal I Have Become] Somebody get me through this nightmare I can't control myself So what if you can see The darkest side of me No one will ever change this animal I have become Help me believe It's not the real me Somebody help me tame this animal"

"[chorus to Over And Over] Over and over, over and over I fall for you Over and over, over and over I try not to Over and over, over and over You make me fall for you Over and over, over and over You don't even try to"

"Sweating, and breathing And staring, and thinking Sinking deeper And it's almost like I'm swimming"

"I'm trying to remember when, but it makes me dizzy"

"Seems like I've been here before Seems so familiar Seems like I'm slipping Into a dream within a dream"

"It's the way you whisper Drag me under Takes me home"

"People tell me what to say What to think and what to play"

"I know you well, you are part of me I know you better than I know myself"

"You are just a part of me"

"Trembling at the thought of feeling"

"Wide awake and keeping distance from my soul"

"I am scared like you"

"If consequences dictate My course of action, I should I should play God and just Shoot you myself"

"Choices always were a problem for you"

"What you need is someone strong to guide you…like me"

"If you want to get your soul to heaven, trust in me"

"Just do everything I tell you to do"

"Deaf and blind and dumb and born to follow What you need is someone strong to guide you"

"My gods will Become me When he speaks He speaks through me He has needs Like I do We both want To rape you"

"I had a friend once, He took some acid Now he thinks he's a fire engine."

"I don't want to be hostile I don't want to be dismal But I don't want to rot in an Apathetic existence, either"

"You know it hurt me But I'm breathing so I guess I'm still alive Even if signs seem to tell me otherwise"

"Do unto others what has been done to you"

"There's a shadow just behind me Shrouding every step I take Making every promise empty Pointing every finger at me"

"Jesus, won't you fucking whistle Something but the past and done?"

"I am just a worthless liar I am just an imbecile I will only complicate you Trust in me and fall as well I will find a centre in you I will chew it up and leave I will work to elevate you Just enough to bring you down"

"Why can't we not be sober? I just want to start this over Why can't we sleep forever? I just want to start this over"

"I want what I want"

"My compassion is broken now"

"So smell my soul is burning"

"If I let you, you would make me destroy myself. In order to survive you, I must first survive myself. And I can sink no further. And I cannot forgive you. There's no choice but to confront you, to engage you, to erase you. I've gone to great lengths to expand my threshold of pain. I will use my mistakes against you; there's no other choice. Shameless, now. Nameless, now. I'm nothing, now. I'm no one, now. But my soul must be iron 'cause my fear is naked. I'm naked and fearless. And my fear is naked!"

"Dead inside!"

"You're dancing in quicksand"

"Twice as clear as heaven Twice as loud as reason"

"How could I let this bring me back to my knees?"

"I'm helpless and I'm awake"

"Free yourself from yourself"

"All I knew All I believed Crumbling images No longer comfort me"

"Thought I was high Thought I was free Thought I was there Divine destiny"

"And the angel said unto me, "These are the cries of the carrots!""

"Let the rabbits wear glasses!"

"This is necessary This is necessary Life feeds on life feeds on life feeds on life feeds on…"

""If God is our father," you thought, "then Satan must be our cousin." Why didn't anybody else understand these important things?"

"Constant over stimulation numbs me But I would not want you any other way"

"I said, "I don't want it. I just need it. "To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.""

"I'll keep digging Until I feel something."

"Not all martyrs see divinity"

"I've been wallowing in my own confused and insecure delusions"

"I've been wallowing in my own chaotic, insecure delusions"

"I wanna feel the change consume me"

"Hoping I can clear the way By stepping through my shadow Coming out the other side Step into the shadow"

"I sold out long before you ever even heard my name"

"All you read and wear and see or hear on TV is a product begging for your fat-ass dirty dollar"

"Shut up and buy my new record send more money fuck you, buddy"

"What was it like to see The face of your own stability Suddenly look away, Leaving you with the dead and hopeless?"

"Dreams are fading Carry my ancient soul Carry me into the light"

"Bei zweihundert grad für fünfzehn minuten backen und keine eier"

"Saw the gap again today"

"Take care not to make me enter If I do, we both may disappear"

"What is this but my reflection? Who am I to judge or strike you down?"

"Yeah, I'm slipping back into the gap again I'm alive when you are touching me Alive when you are shoving me down But I'd trade it all For just a little Peace of mind"

"If when I say I might fade like a sigh if I stay You minimise my movement, anyway I must persuade you another way"

"There's no love in fear"

"I'm staring down the hole again"

"Some say the end is near Some say we'll see armageddon soon I certainly hope we will"

"One great big festering neon distraction I've a suggestion to keep you all occupied: Learn to swim"

"Learn to swim."

"'Cause I'm praying for rain. I'm praying for tidal waves. I wanna see the ground give way. I wanna watch it all go down..."

"See, I think drugs have done some good things for us—I really do. And if you don't believe drugs have done good things for us, do me a favour: go home tonight, take all your albums, all your tapes, and all your CDs and burn 'em. 'Cause, you know what? The musicians who made all that great music that's enhanced your lives throughout the years—real fuckin' high on drugs."

"Today, a young man on acid realised that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration—that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There's no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Here's Tom with the weather."

"It's not a war on drugs, it's a war on personal freedom is what it is, okay? Keep that in mind at all times, thank you."

"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"

"Black as holes within a memory"

"I stick my hand into the shadow"

"But the eyes seem so familiar"

"Prying open my third eye"

"Think for yourself. Question authority."

"Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorising fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are going in this ocean of chaos, it has been the authorities—the political, the religious, the educational authorities—who've attempted to comfort us by giving us order, rules, regulations, informing, forming in our minds their view of reality. To think for yourself, you must question authority and learn how to put yourself in a state of vulnerable, open-mindedness; chaotic, confused, vulnerability to inform yourself."

"So, we need you to find a comfortable space that's not only comfortable, but vulnerable. I want you to shut your eyes and go there, and we'll meet you on the other side."

"What are you but my reflection? Who am I to judge or strike you down?"

"But you're pushing And I'm shoving you And you're pushing me And I'm shoving you"

"And I'm slipping back into the gap again I feel alive when you touch me I feel alive when you hold me…down Slipping back into Slipping back into you"

"Painless hours of wasted motion"

"It's some kind of psychedelic experience"

"Our body is light, we are immortal Our body is light, we are immortal Our body is love, we are eternal Our body is love, we are eternal"

"Omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, without judgment"

"Locked in a place where no one goes"

"If you are calling from a secret spy phone, please press 5."

"There's a shyness found in reason Apprehensive influence swallow away"

"Wear the grudge like a crown of negativity Calculate what we will or will not tolerate Desperate to control all and everything Unable to forgive your scarlet lettermen"

"Clutch it like a cornerstone Otherwise it all comes down"

"Hang on or be humbled again"

"Defining, confining, sinking deeper Controlling, defining, and we're sinking deeper"

"Choose to let this go"

"But I'm still right here Giving blood, keeping faith And I'm still right here"

"And if there were no rewards to reap No loving embrace to see me through This tedious path I've chosen here I certainly would've walked away by now And I still may"

"I know the pieces fit 'cause I watched them fall away"

"Disintegrating as it goes, testing our communication The light that fueled our fire then has burned a hole between us so We cannot seem to reach an end, crippling our communicationI know the pieces fit 'cause I watched them tumble down No fault, none to blame—it doesn't mean I don't desire To point the finger, blame the other, watch the temple topple over To bring the pieces back together, rediscover communicationThe poetry that comes from the squaring off between And the circling is worth it, finding beauty in the dissonanceThere was a time that the pieces fit, but I watched them fall away"

"Cold silence has a tendency to atrophy any sense of compassion"

"So familiar and overwhelmingly warm This one, this form I hold nowEmbracing you, this reality here"

"We barely remember what came before this precious moment Choosing to be here right now"

"This body makes me feel eternal All this pain is an illusion"

"We barely remember Who or what came before This precious moment We are choosing to be here Right now"

"Stay inside of this holy reality This holy experience Choosing to be here in this body"

"Celebrate this chance to be Alive and breathing"

"This body holding me reminds me of my own mortality Embrace this moment, remember: We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion"

"My blood is bruised and borrowed You thieving bastards, you have Turned my blood cold and bitter Beat my compassion black and blue"

"Black Then White are All I see In my infancy Red and yellow then came to be Reaching out to me Lets me seeThere is So Much More and Beckons me To look through to these Infinite possibilities As below, so above and beyond, I imagine Drawn outside the lines of reason Push the envelope Watch it bendOver-thinking, over-analysing separates the body from the mind Withering my intuition, leaving all these opportunities behind"

"I embrace my Desire to I embrace my Desire to I embrace my Desire to Feel the rhythm, to Feel connected Enough to step aside and Weep like a widow, to Feel inspired, to Fathom the power, to Witness the beauty, to Bathe in the fountain, to Swing on the spiral, to Swing on the spiral, to To swing on the spiral of Our divinity and Still be a humanWith my feet upon the ground I Lose myself between the sounds and Open wide to suck it in, I Feel it move across my skin, I'm Reaching up and reaching out, I'm Reaching for the random or what- Ever will bewilder me, what- Ever will bewilder me, and Following our will and wind we May just go where no one's been, we'll Ride the spiral to the end and May just go where no one's been Spiral out, keep going…"

"I have come curiously close to the end—down Beneath my self-indulgent pitiful hole"

"I may find peace within the emptiness"

"And in my darkest moment, fetal and weeping The moon tells me a secret—my confidant"

"I must crucify the ego before it's far too late"

"And we will come to find that we are all one mind"

"I'm a former employee of Area 51. I-I was let go on a medical discharge about a week ago and, and..."

"What we're thinking of as—as aliens, uh—they're—th-they're extradimensional beings that an earlier precursor of the, um, the space programme made contact with. Uh, they-they are not what they claim to be."

"The government knows about them. And, th-there's a lot of safe areas in this world that they could begin moving the population to now. They are not! They want those major population centres wiped out so that the—the few that are left will be more easily controllable."

"Eye on the t.v. 'Cause tragedy thrills me"

"It's no fun 'til someone dies"

"I need to watch things die From a good, safe distance Vicariously, I live while the whole world dies"

"Blood, like rain, come down Drum on grave and ground"

"The universe is hostile So impersonal Devour to survive, so it is So it's always beenWe all feed On tragedy It's like blood to a vampireVicariously, I Live while the whole world dies Much better you than I"

"Here from a wild dream come true"

"But I, I would wish it all away If I thought I'd lose you just one day"

"The devil and his had me down In love with the dark side I'd found"

"Prayed like a martyr dusk to dawn Begged like a hooker all night long Tempted the devil with my song And got what I wanted all along"

"Shine on forever shine on, benevolent sun shine down upon the broken <br< shine on til the two become one"

"Divided, I'm withering away"

"Breathe in union"

"A passionate spirit Uncompromised Boundless and open"

"What am I to say to all these ghouls tonight?"

"Listen to the tales as we all rationalise Our way into the arms of the savior"

"Who could deny You were the one who illuminated your little piece of the divine?"

"Ten thousand days in the fire is long enough you're going home"

"You're the only one who could hold your head up high shake your fist at the gate saying, "I have come home now" Fetch me the Spirit, the Son and Father Tell them their pillar of faith has ascended It's time now My time now Give me my Give me my wings"

"Set as I am in my ways and my arrogance Burden of proof tossed upon the believers You were my witness, my eyes, my evidence Judith Marie, unconditional one"

"You must have been high"

"You must have been so high"

"Weeping shades of indigo"

"Liar, lawyer, mirror; for you, what's the difference? Kangaroo be stoned; he's guilty as the government"

"Ten to two a.m., X, Yogi DMT, and a box of Krispy Kremes"

"E.T. revealed to me his singular purpose. He said, "You are the Chosen One, the One who will deliver the message. A message of hope for those who choose to hear it and a warning for those who do not.""

"This is so real"

"It was so real Like I woke up in Wonderland All sort of terrifying"

"You believe me, don't you? Please believe what I just said See the Dead ain't touring And this wasn't all in my head"

"I can't remember what they said to me"

"Work hard Stay in school Listen to your mother Your father is right, son Jesus loves you"

"Pure as we begin"

"Angels on the sideline Puzzled and amused Why did Father give these humans free will? Now they're all confused"

"Father blessed them all with reason And this is what they choose"

"Monkey killing monkey killing monkey over pieces of the ground Silly monkeys, give them thumbs, they make a club and beat their brother down How they survive so misguided is a mystery"

"Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability to lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here"

"The Deceiver says, he says: "You belong to me. You don't wanna breathe the light of the others. Fear the light. Fear the breath. Fear the others for eternity." But I hear them now. Inhale the clarity. I hear the venom, the venom in what you say. Inoculated. Bless this immunity."

"Pneuma. Reach out and beyond. Wake up, remember. We are born of One Breath, One Word. We are all One Spark, eyes full of wonder."

"Tears in my eyes chasing Ponce de León's phantoms. So filled with hope I can taste mythical fountains. False hope, perhaps, but the truth never got in my way before now. Feel the sting. Feeling time bearing down."

"Free fall through our midnight, this epilogue of our own fable. Heedless in our slumber. Floating nescient we free fall through this boundlessness, this madness of our own making. Falling isn't flying. Floating isn't infinite..."

"Judge, Condemn, and banish any and everyone. Without evidence. Only the whispers from within."

"Psychopathy. Misleading me over and over and over."

"[Keepin it calm. Keep calm. Keepin it calm. Keep calm. Keep calm. FUCK. Here we go again]"

"Control, your delusion. Insane and striking at random. Victim of your certainty, and therefore your doubt's not an option. Blameless, The 7empest will be just that. So try as you may, feeble, your attempt to atone. Your words to erase all the damage cannot."

"A 7empest must be just that."

"And your death will profit off me"

"Give him your love, give him your love to save him"

"You can kill the revolutionary But you can't kill the revolution"

"Opening strong with their first hit, 1993's "Sober," the crowd - predominantly made up of younger fans, rabid with anticipation - was rushed into a hot frenzy. Lead singer Maynard James Keenan, as is customary for the enigmatic frontman, loomed in the background with his back facing the audience for most of the show. And as the first few songs let their last few notes fade away, Keenan disrobed, removing various parts of his ensemble, leaving him with nothing more then black underwear and a stripe of black paint on his face."

"Tool has the goods and puts on a blinding display of heavy metal energy mixed with cerebral art focus."

"Keenan…wore an all-black leather outfit, had his face painted black and stood on a spinning platform some distance from the front stage; he never seemed to look at the crowd."

"We always try to think of something that's never been done before, you know, as far as album packaging, and I've been a fan of stereoscopic photography my whole life and belong to the Southern California Stereoscopic Club."

"And we thought if we could get this to work with our budget, you know, and put this out, it'd be really unique and reflecting, you know, a lot of the artwork that I appreciate from the '70s."

"In an interview with Rolling Stone last July, Jones reiterated how the lawsuit was affecting the band. "It's costing millions and millions and millions of dollars to defend us. And the fans are all going, 'We want a new Tool album. What the fuck?'" Jones said. "But the point is, we're fighting the good fight. We're going to trial and we want to crush them. But every time we've gotten close to going to trial, it gets postponed and we've wasted money and time and it has just drained our creative energy. We bought an insurance policy for peace of mind, but instead we would have been better off if we never had it and just dealt with the original lawsuit.""

"Tool is a fascinating anomaly."

"The video presentation…offered a stunning visual complement to the band's furious sonic assault."

"In the popular musical climate of today, which seems to favor the blandness of processed rap metal or the redundancy of uninspired readymade pop outfits, it is refreshing that a band such as Tool exists to add some much-needed freshness to the contemporary musical landscape."

"Wrath and pain, desire and self-loathing, ferocity and meditation all find a complicated balance in Tool."

"Avoiding self-glorification, the band played in near-darkness under video screens on Monday. Maynard James Keenan, Tool's lead singer, stood on a platform behind Adam Jones on guitar and Justin Chancellor on bass, with his face in shadows, while Danny Carey on drums toiled meticulously by his side."

"Its songs hammer and seethe, melding the lowdown guitars of grunge, the odd meters of progressive rock and the whiplash stops and starts of thrash. Mr. Keenan's sustained, almost androgynous voice hovers within the music, desolate but impervious to the tumult around him."

"Tool's songs encompassed sullen calm, rapid-fire onslaughts, spacious chords and nimble-fingered counterpoint. Standing room sometimes became a mosh pit. But midway through its two-hour set, Tool chose stasis with a patiently tolling guitar vamp like a mantra. Its fastest music also had a ritual quality, pounding and repeating like drummers in a trance ceremony. Songs that rev up and end abruptly on Tool's albums only accelerated further, riffing harder and harder as if, through furious motion, they could somehow break through Tool's perpetual tension to reach a long-denied release."

"The music of Tool is the dark slime of a warm, black night. Tool is an escape, a subtle revolution of sound and perception. The musical landscape this band crafts…is the fulfilment of life, surreally black and purely haunting."

""This song goes out to," vocalist and songwriter Maynard James Keenan began slowly. And then he paused. And he paused still. And he finally finished, "Joey and Dee Dee." The band jumped into an extremely heavy cover of the Ramones' "Commando," baffling some fans and driving others into an approving fit of screams."

"What can I say about 10,000 Days, really? It sounds exactly and precisely like a Tool album. They might as well have not have released it at all, because anyone who's ever heard Tool could simply imagine what a new Tool album would sound like, and this is exactly what they'd imagine."

"First up, "Vicarious": a Dateline Special Report on violence in the news media featuring guest commentator Maynard James Keenan. Excellent! I've been hoping to hear Maynard weigh in on the hottest issue of 1990."

"Particularly impressed was I with "Lipan Conjuring," which was so thoughtful an addition to the album that I feel as if it were included just for me. You see, I went to the record store with only fifteen dollars in my pocket, and I had a devil of a time deciding between 10,000 Days and Native Moods: A Pathway to Peace. On one hand, I love rockin' out to some ten-minute chugging shuffles, but there's another part of my soul that craves the inner harmony that can only be brought on from some high-quality chanting. It was with a heavy heart that I left the store carrying only one of these two things— or so I thought! Imagine my immense pleasure when my hard rock album was interrupted— no, that's too harsh a word— when my hard rock album was magnificently bolstered by exactly the sort of stupid fucking crap I might hear on some grocery store counter impulse buy CD of New Age chanting bullshit! Bravo! I can have my cake and eat it too, and while I eat my cake I can listen to some total crap!"

"Tool are one of the few bands who have made themselves famous by disregarding all expectations of them."

"A strangely chatty Maynard James Keenan broke his self-imposed exile and spoke casually to the crowd, inciting them to a cheer of "Yes!" and sometimes sharing his thoughts, most of which were unashamedly eccentric to say the least."

"With their feet firmly planted on their spot on the stage and their faces obscured by their long hair, the players simply let their instruments communicate, and made no attempt to try it any other way. Adam Jones in particular was a foreboding figure – his sheer stillness contrasted drastically by the strained and pained sounds he forced from his guitar."

"[T]he band were as impeccably precise on their instruments as they are on record, with every dynamic, subtlety and thread of power displayed flawlessly."

"As esoteric and arcane as their music tends to be, there's no doubt that this unique group of musicians weave their magic to everlasting effect."

"The album art was a unique design created by artist Alex Grey. The art is different layers of patterns with the different layers of the human body. In Alex Grey's book "Transfigurations" he says the "saw blade" made of eyes "represents the primordial spirit of emptiness and awareness. The next layer was a vajra emitting energy, the subtle essence of soul around which the physical body coagulates. The next several layers detail the physical systems of viscera, skeletal, muscular, nervous, and cardiovascular systems.""

"If you can hold the stars in place, You can hold my heart the same. Whenever I fall away, Whenever I start to break. So here I am, lifting up my heart To the one who holds the stars."

"If we're gonna fly, we fly like eagles, Arms out wide. If we're gonna fear, we fear no evil; We will rise. By your power, we will go, By your spirit, we are bold. If we're gonna stand, we stand as giants, If we're gonna walk, we walk as lions. We walk as lions."

"Now I see you, I'm frozen in time, All your colors burst into life. I don't dare close my eyes, Cause a love like this happens once in a lifetime."

"It's a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it."

"I'm on the front line, Don't worry I'll be fine. The story is just beginning. I say goodbye to my weakness, So long to the regret, And now I see the world through diamond eyes."

"We'll never make it outside 'Less we unlock the past and release The future that we've left to die. For too long we've taken placebos.But the unknown is awakening.Don't give up now, There's already so much at stake. If Atlas falls, I'll rise up and carry us all the way."

"Every day a new deception, Pick your scene and take direction. And on and on I search to connect, But I don't wear a mask and I have no regrets.I am focused on what I am after, The key to the next open chapter.'Cause I found a way To steal the sun from the sky. Long live that day That I decided to fly from the inside."

"The more the light shines through me, I pretend to close my eyes. The more the dark consumes me, I pretend I'm burning, burning bright."

"Send away for a priceless gift, One not subtle, one not on the list. Send away for a perfect world, One not simply so absurd. In these times of doing what you're told, Keep these feelings, no one knows.Whatever happened to the young man's heart? Swallowed by pain, as he slowly fell apart."

"All my heroes have now become ghosts, Sold their sorrow to the ones who paid the most. All my heroes are dead and gone, But down inside of me, they still live on."

"How did I get here, and what went wrong? Couldn't handle forgiveness, now I'm far beyond gone. And I can hardly remember, the look of my own eyes. How can I love this, a life so dishonest, it made me compromise?Someone save me, if you will And take away all these pills. And please just save me if you can From the blasphemy in my wasteland."

"Hello. Let me introduce you to The characters in the show. One says yes, one says no. Decide Which voice in your head you can keep alive.Even in madness I know you still believe Paint me on canvas so I become What you could never be.I dare you to tell me to walk through fire Wear my soul and call me a liar."

"Devour, devour, Suffocate your own empire. Devour, devour, It's your final hour. Devour, devour, Stolen like a foreign soul. Devour, devour, What a way to go."

"I created the sound of madness, Wrote the book on pain. Somehow I'm still here To explain That the darkest hour never comes in the night. You can sleep with a gun, But when you gonna wake up and fight For yourself?"

"Tell my mother, tell my father I've done the best I can To make them realize, this is my life. I hope they understand.I'm not angry, I'm just saying, Sometimes "Goodbye" is a second chance."

"Just like a crow chasing the butterfly, Dandelions lost in the summer sky. When you and I were gettin' high as outer space, I never thought you'd slip away. I guess I was just a little too late."

"If you only knew, I'm hangin' by a thread, the web I spin for you. If you only knew, I'd sacrifice my beating heart before I'd lose you."

"Bloodshot against the clear blue sky, Tick tock, I think the well is running dry. My, my, I can't lie, I need a shot again, that sweet adrenaline."

"All you’ll ever be Is a faded memory of a bully. Make another joke While they hang another rope. So lonely, Push him to the dirt ‘Til the words don’t hurt. Can you hear me? (Can you hear me?) No one's gonna cry On the very day you die. You’re a bully."

"So have you ever been caught in a sea of despair? And your moment of truth Is the day that you say “I’m not scared.”Put your hands in the air if you hear me out there. I’ve been looking for you day and night. Shine a light in the dark, let me see where you are, ‘Cause I’m not gonna leave you behind."

"You got the world on its knees, You’re taking all that you please. You want more (You want more), But you’ll get nothing from me. You’re like the burden we bear, You’re all the hate that we share. You want more (You want more), But you’ll get nothing from me But enemies. Enemies."

"The first step is the one you believe in; The second one might be profound.I'd follow you down through the eye of the storm, Don't worry I'll keep you warm. I'd follow you down while we're passin' through space, I don't care if we fall from grace. I'll follow you down."

"Maybe you talk too much and you were asking for it, asking for it, asking You can blame bad luck but you were asking for it, asking for it, asking When all is said and done, you need to tie your tongue 'Cause when you spit on everyone You are, you are, you know you're asking for it, asking for it, asking."

"I'm gonna make it rain, so ring the bell, I know it all too well Switchblade on the edge of your wrist Can I get a witness? (Witness!) 'Cause agony brings no reward For one more hit and one last score Don't be a casualty."

"Oh, my eyes are seein’ red Double vision from the blood we’ve shed The only way I’m leavin’ is dead That’s the state of my, state of my, state of my head. They don’t know, where we’ve been We got that concrete street skin The only way I’m leavin’ is dead. \That’s the state of my, state of my, state of my head."

"No one gets out alive, Every day is do or die. The one thing you leave behind Is how did you love? How did you love? It's not what you believe, Those prayers will make you bleed. But while you're on your knees, How did you love? How did you love?"

"Now you pack your bags, the party's such a drag, And everyone can tell that you're poisoning the well. But there are no mistakes, except what you create, You need to know your place."

"Nothin' 'bout me is ordinary, My friends all say I'm goin' crazy. I don't hear a word that they say, 'Cause the voices in my head are legendary. But I'll never tell 'em where the bodies are buried. Keeps 'em comin' back every day."

"'Cause my monsters are real, and they're trained how to kill. And there's no comin' back and they just laugh at how I feel. And these monsters can fly, and they'll never say die. And there's no goin' back, if I get trapped I'll never heal. Yeah, my monsters are real."

"Guess you might say I'm a little intense, I'm on the bright side of bein' hell bent. So, take it from me, you're not the only one Who can't see straight (Can't see straight)."

"Out here on planet zero, We live like no tomorrow. I think we've reached the ceiling. They'rе canceling your feelings. On to better days or so thеy say, But I don't think so. They're murdering our heroes Out here on planet zero."

"The dead don't die, the heart still beats Head held high, I haunt these streets Life's killed me a hundred thousand times You can try, you can try, but the dead don't die."

"You've always been slightly awkward, kind of weird, Upside down and not all here. What's wrong with me and you is crystal clear.Sometimes I'm in a room where I don't belong, And the house is on fire and there's no alarm. And the walls are melting too. How 'bout you? I've never been the favorite, thought I'd seen it all 'Til I got my invitation to the lunatic ball And my friends are comin' too. How 'bout you? Don't worry, it's all just a symptom of being human."

"It's amazing what the hard times can reveal, Like who shows up, who walks away, and who's for real. So take me on, I'll take the wheel and we can both outrun the past. We will always live forever if we don't look back.You saved my life, not once but twice. You keep me free from falling, You saved my life, make it all alright. When I don't feel like talking, You make sure I always see the daylight."

"All of seventeen, eyes a purple green; Treated like a queen, she was on borrowed self-esteem."

"Hands all over the coastal waters. The crew men thank her, then lay down their oily blanket. Hands all over the inland forest, In a striking motion, trees fall down like dying soldiers. Yeah, like dying soldiers."

"If you've got some time to kill, Slow resistance wins the war. Well, I know, yeah, but that's no way to go, You can't resist the louder pull."

"You don't get nothing for free, Kev and me were two of three. Three brothers to the end. Then one went full on Kevin's mom now things have changed."

"Oh, you wired me awake And hit me with a hand of broken nails. Yeah, you tied my lead and pulled my chain To watch my blood begin to boil.But I'm gonna break, I'm gonna break my I'm gonna break my rusty cage and run."

"Show me the power, child, I'd like to say That I'm down on my knees today. Yeah, it gives me the butterflies, gives me away, 'Til I'm up on my feet again. I'm feelin' Oh, I'm feelin' outshined, outshined, outshined, outshined."

"And you stare at me In your Jesus Christ pose: Arms held out, Like you've been carrying a load. And you swear to me You don't want to be my slave, But you're staring at me Like ILike I need to be Saved."

"Listen, hear, he is inside, One who lives while others lie. I close my eyes and walk a thousand years, A thousand years that aren't mine. Hey."

"So give up to greed, you don't have to feed me, yeah Give up to fate, you don't have to need me So let it go, won't you let it go, won't you let it go Won't you let it, drown me in you, yeah?"

"Take if you want a slice If you want a piece, If it feels right. Break if you like the sound, If it gets you up, If it takes you down. Share if it makes you sleep, If it sets you free, If it helps you breathe."

"Whatsoever I feared has come to life And whatsoever I've fought off became my life Just when every day seemed to greet me with a smile Sunspots have faded, now I'm doin' time, now I'm doin' time.'Cause I fell on black days I fell on black days."

"In my eyes, indisposed, In disguises no one knows Hides the face, lies the snake, In the sun in my disgrace. Boiling heat, summer stench, 'Neath the black, the sky looks dead Call my name through the cream And I'll hear you scream again.Black hole sun, won't you come And wash away the rain? Black hole sun, won't you come? Won't you come? Won't you come?"

"Feel the rhythm with your hands (Steal the rhythm while you can) Spoonman Speak the rhythm on your own (Speak the rhythm all alone) SpoonmanSpoonman, come together with your hands, Save me, I'm together with your plan. Save me, yeah."

"I woke the same as any other day, Except a voice was in my head. It said, "Seize the day, pull the trigger. Drop the blade and watch the rolling heads."The day I tried to live I stole a thousand beggars' change And gave it to the rich, yeah. The day I tried to win, I dangled from the power lines And let the martyrs stretch, yeah."

"I caught the moon today, Pick it up and throw it away, alright. I got the perfect steal, A cleaner love with a dirty feel, alright. Fallout and take the bait, Eat the fruit and kiss the snake goodnight.Common ruse, dirty face, Pretty noose is pretty hate."

"Nothing seems to kill me, No matter how hard I try. Nothing's closing my eyes. Nothing can beat me down for your pain or delight. No."

"Follow me into the desert, as thirsty as you are, Crack a smile and cut your mouth and drown in alcohol. 'Cause down below the truth is lying beneath the riverbed So quench yourself and drink the water that flows below her head.Oh no, there she goes Out in the sunshine Sun is mine, sun is mine.I shot my love today, would you cry for me? I lost my head again, would you lie for me?"

"You can't go home, no, I swear you never can. You can walk a million miles and get nowhere. I got nowhere to go ever since I came back Just filling in the lines from the holes to the cracks Yeah!No one knows me No one saves me No one loves or hates me.I've been away for too long."

"I'm addicted to feeling. Stealing love isn't stealing. Can't you see that I understand your mind?I'm a walking believer, I'm a ghost and a healer. I'm the shape of the hole inside your heart!"

"Though I can't put my hands on you, I can feel you now In the bones and the blood flowing, needles on the ground. In the ether I sail to you, floating on the fumes, Run aground on the shore for you, simple wreckage.Taree, walk out and raise the road To my tilted shadow. I only know I've made it home When I drown in your ghost light."