Lateralus (song)
Encyclopedia
"Lateralus" is a song by American rock
band Tool
. The song is the third single and title track of their third studio album Lateralus
.
says, "It was originally titled 9-8-7. For the time signatures. Then it turned out that 987 was the 17th number of the Fibonacci sequence. So that was cool." It is also apparent that the lyrics are arranged in ascending then descending order of the Fibonacci sequence, which is 1,1,2,3,5,8, based on their syllables. For instance, the first line is "Black. Then. White are. All I see. In my infancy. Red and Yellow then came to be. Reaching out to me. Lets me see." and further examples below.
commented on the lyric mentioning black, white, red and yellow: "I use the archetype stories of North American aboriginals and the themes or colours which appear over and over again in the oral stories handed down through generations. Black, white, red, and yellow play very heavily in aboriginal
stories of creation."
The song could also be about the order of colors seen while under the influence of LSD
. Alex Grey
(the spiritualistic artist who did the album artwork for Lateralus
) stated that when he closed his eyes on an LSD trip, he saw a black and white spiral, and when he tried it a few more times it became a red and yellow spiral.
The line "As below so above and beyond, I imagine" is a quote from one of the Seven Aphorisms of Summum
and is also a direct reference to Hermeticism
and the Emerald Tablet
.
An interesting side note, in alchemy "The Great Work" begins with the Nigredo (black), then moves to the Albedo (white), then the Citrinitas (yellow), then the Rubedo (Red).
's vocals during the verses form the first few Fibonacci number
s, ascending and descending:
Black, then, white are, all I see, in my in·fan·cy, red and yel·low then came to be, rea·ching out to me, lets me see. There is, so, much, more and beck·ons me, to look through to these, in·fi·nite pos·si·bil·i·ties. As be·low so a·bove and be·yond I im·ag·ine, drawn out·side the lines of rea·son. Push the en·ve·lope. Watch it bend.
The Fibonacci sequence shares a relationship with the Golden spiral
, which might be what the 'spiral' mentioned several times later in the lyrics is referring to. In fact, the syllables length itself spirals-in and spirals-out on the sequence: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 5, 3, 2, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 8, 5, 3.
Additionally, Keenan begins singing at 1:37 into the song. 1 minute 37 seconds, or 97 seconds, is approximately 1.618[incorrect math here / 97 seconds is 1.61666...or 1.617 of a minute]. This happens to be the Golden ratio
, which is also closely related to the Fibonacci sequence.
A combination of these references can be found in the line "to swing on the spiral of our divinity", as the golden ratio is also often referred to as the divine proportion.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Tool
Tool (band)
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
. The song is the third single and title track of their third studio album Lateralus
Lateralus
Lateralus is the third studio album by American rock band Tool. The album was released on May 15, 2001, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. On August 5, 2003, Lateralus was certified double platinum by the RIAA. On August 30, 2004 the album was certified Silver by the BPI for...
.
Overview and background
The song is known for its distinct time signatures and corresponding lyrical patterns. The time signatures of the chorus of the song change from 9/8 to 8/8 to 7/8; as drummer Danny CareyDanny Carey
Daniel Edwin "Danny" Carey is an American drummer best known for his work in American Grammy Award-winning rock band Tool...
says, "It was originally titled 9-8-7. For the time signatures. Then it turned out that 987 was the 17th number of the Fibonacci sequence. So that was cool." It is also apparent that the lyrics are arranged in ascending then descending order of the Fibonacci sequence, which is 1,1,2,3,5,8, based on their syllables. For instance, the first line is "Black. Then. White are. All I see. In my infancy. Red and Yellow then came to be. Reaching out to me. Lets me see." and further examples below.
Interpretation
In a 2001 interview, bandleader Maynard James KeenanMaynard James Keenan
Maynard James Keenan is an American rock singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, winemaker, and actor. Originally from Ohio, Keenan spent his high school and college years in Michigan. After serving in the Army in the early 1980s, he attended Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids...
commented on the lyric mentioning black, white, red and yellow: "I use the archetype stories of North American aboriginals and the themes or colours which appear over and over again in the oral stories handed down through generations. Black, white, red, and yellow play very heavily in aboriginal
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
stories of creation."
The song could also be about the order of colors seen while under the influence of LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
. Alex Grey
Alex Grey
Alex Grey is an American artist specializing in spiritual and psychedelic art that is sometimes associated with the New Age movement. Grey is a Vajrayana practitioner. His body of work spans a variety of forms including performance art, process art, installation art, sculpture, visionary art, and...
(the spiritualistic artist who did the album artwork for Lateralus
Lateralus
Lateralus is the third studio album by American rock band Tool. The album was released on May 15, 2001, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. On August 5, 2003, Lateralus was certified double platinum by the RIAA. On August 30, 2004 the album was certified Silver by the BPI for...
) stated that when he closed his eyes on an LSD trip, he saw a black and white spiral, and when he tried it a few more times it became a red and yellow spiral.
The line "As below so above and beyond, I imagine" is a quote from one of the Seven Aphorisms of Summum
Summum
Summum is a religion and philosophy that began in 1975 as a result of Claude "Corky" Nowell's claimed encounter with beings he described as "Summa Individuals"...
and is also a direct reference to Hermeticism
Hermeticism
Hermeticism or the Western Hermetic Tradition is a set of philosophical and religious beliefs based primarily upon the pseudepigraphical writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus...
and the Emerald Tablet
Emerald Tablet
The Emerald Tablet, also known as Smaragdine Table, Tabula Smaragdina, or The Secret of Hermes, is a text purporting to reveal the secret of the primordial substance and its transmutations...
.
An interesting side note, in alchemy "The Great Work" begins with the Nigredo (black), then moves to the Albedo (white), then the Citrinitas (yellow), then the Rubedo (Red).
Mathematical significance
Counting between pauses, the syllables in Maynard James KeenanMaynard James Keenan
Maynard James Keenan is an American rock singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, winemaker, and actor. Originally from Ohio, Keenan spent his high school and college years in Michigan. After serving in the Army in the early 1980s, he attended Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids...
's vocals during the verses form the first few Fibonacci number
Fibonacci number
In mathematics, the Fibonacci numbers are the numbers in the following integer sequence:0,\;1,\;1,\;2,\;3,\;5,\;8,\;13,\;21,\;34,\;55,\;89,\;144,\; \ldots\; ....
s, ascending and descending:
Black, then, white are, all I see, in my in·fan·cy, red and yel·low then came to be, rea·ching out to me, lets me see. There is, so, much, more and beck·ons me, to look through to these, in·fi·nite pos·si·bil·i·ties. As be·low so a·bove and be·yond I im·ag·ine, drawn out·side the lines of rea·son. Push the en·ve·lope. Watch it bend.
The Fibonacci sequence shares a relationship with the Golden spiral
Golden spiral
In geometry, a golden spiral is a logarithmic spiral whose growth factor is , the golden ratio. That is, a golden spiral gets wider by a factor of for every quarter turn it makes.-Formula:...
, which might be what the 'spiral' mentioned several times later in the lyrics is referring to. In fact, the syllables length itself spirals-in and spirals-out on the sequence: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 5, 3, 2, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 8, 5, 3.
Additionally, Keenan begins singing at 1:37 into the song. 1 minute 37 seconds, or 97 seconds, is approximately 1.618[incorrect math here / 97 seconds is 1.61666...or 1.617 of a minute]. This happens to be the Golden ratio
Golden ratio
In mathematics and the arts, two quantities are in the golden ratio if the ratio of the sum of the quantities to the larger quantity is equal to the ratio of the larger quantity to the smaller one. The golden ratio is an irrational mathematical constant, approximately 1.61803398874989...
, which is also closely related to the Fibonacci sequence.
A combination of these references can be found in the line "to swing on the spiral of our divinity", as the golden ratio is also often referred to as the divine proportion.