We have been overrun by our animal desire
Addicts of the immediate keep us obedient and unaware
Feeding this mutation, this Pavlovian despair
We’ve become disillusioned
So we run towards anything glimmering
Time to put the silicon obsession down
Take a look around, find a way in the silence
Lie supine away with your back to the ground
Dis- and re-connect to the resonance now
You were never an island
Unique voice among the many in this choir
Tuning into each other, lift all higher
(Dopamine, on dopamine…)
Willingly been re-wired by clever agents within
Looping our reflections, our obsessions draw us in
Fix and fixation, no sentience beyond
We’ve become disillusioned
So we dive like crows towards anything glittering
Time to put the silicon obsession down
Take a look around, find a way in the silence
Lie supine away with your back to the ground
Dis- and re-connect to the resonance now
You were never an island
Unique voice among the many in this choir
Tuning into each other, lift all higher
Songwriters: Maynard James Keenan / Billy Howerdel / Dave Sardy
Black then white are all I see
In my infancy.
Red and yellow then came to be,
Reaching out to me,
Lets me see.
As below, so above and beyond, I imagine.
Drawn beyond the lines of reason.
Push the envelope. Watch it bend.
Over-thinking, over-analyzing separates the body from the mind.
Withering my intuition, missing opportunities and I must
Feed my will to feel my moment drawing way outside the lines.
Black then white are all I see
In my infancy.
Red and yellow then came to be,
Reaching out to me.
Lets me see
There 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 bend.
Over-thinking, over-analyzing separates the body from the mind.
Withering my intuition, leaving opportunities behind.
Feed my will to feel this moment urging me to cross the line.
Reaching out to embrace the random.
Reaching out to embrace whatever may come.
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 swing on the spiral of our divinity and still be a human.
With 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 whatever will bewilder me.
Whatever 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.
Songwriters: Adam Jones / Daniel Carey / Justin Gunner Chancellor / Maynard James Keenan
So familiar and overwhelmingly warm
This one, this form I hold now.
Embracing you, this reality here,
This one, this form I hold now, so
Wide-eyed and hopeful.
Wide-eyed and hopefully wild.
We barely remember who or what came before this precious moment
We are choosing to be here right now
Hold on, stay inside…
This body, holding me,
Reminding me that I am not alone.
This body, makes me feel eternal,
All this pain is an illusion.
This holy reality, this holy experience
Choosing to be here in…
This body, this body holding me
Be my reminder here that I am not alone in…
This body, this body holding me, feeling eternal
All this pain is an illusion
Alive!
In this holy reality, in this holy experience
Choosing to be here in…
This body, this body holding me
Be my reminder here that I am not alone in…
This body, this body holding me, feeling eternal
All this pain is an illusion
Twirling round with this familiar parable
Spinning, weaving round each new experience
Recognize this as a holy gift and celebrate this chance to be alive and breathing
A 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
Songwriters: Adam Jones / Daniel Carey / Justin Gunner Chancellor / Maynard James Keenan
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
– John 1:1-5
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
– Matthew 5:3-9
A Perfect Circle – The Doomed
Behold a new Christ,
Behold the same old horde.
Gather at the altering,
New beginning, new Word.
And the Word was death,
And the Word was without light.
The new beatitude:
“Good luck, you’re on your own.”
Blessed are the fornicates,
May we bend down to be their whores.
Blessed are the rich,
May we labor, deliver them more.
Blessed are the envious.
Bless the slothful, the wrathful, the vain.
Blessed are the gluttonous,
May they feast us to famine and war.
What of the pious, the pure of heart, the peaceful?
What of the meek, the mourning, and the merciful?
All doomed.
All doomed.
Behold a new Christ,
Behold the same old horde.
Gather at the altering,
New beginning, new Word.
And the Word was death,
And the Word was without light.
The new beatitude:
“Good luck…”
What of the pious, the pure of heart, the peaceful?
What of the meek, the mourning, and the merciful?
What of the righteous?
What of the charitable?
What of the truthful, the dutiful, the decent?
Doomed are the poor.
Doomed are the peaceful.
Doomed are the meek.
Doomed are the merciful.
For the Word is now death.
And the Word is now without light.
The new beatitude:
“Fuck the doomed, you’re on your own!”
Songwriters: Maynard James Keenan / William Howerdel
Your empty walls…
Your empty walls…
Pretentious attention
Dismissive apprehension
Don’t waste your time, on coffins today
When we decline, from the confines of our mind
Don’t waste your time, on coffins today
Don’t you see their bodies burning?
Desolate and full of yearning
Dying of anticipation
Choking from intoxication
Don’t you see their bodies burning?
Desolate and full of yearning
Dying of anticipation
Choking from intoxication
I want you
To be
Left behind those empty walls
Taunt you
To see
From behind those empty walls
Those empty walls
When we decline, from the confines of our mind
Don’t waste your time, on coffins today
Don’t you see their bodies burning?
Desolate and full of yearning
Dying of anticipation
Choking from intoxication
Don’t you see their bodies burning?
Desolate and full of yearning
Dying of anticipation
Choking from intoxication
I want you
To be
Left behind those empty walls
Taunt you
To see
From behind those empty walls
Want you to be
Left behind those empty walls
I taunt you
To see
From behind those empty walls
From behind those empty walls
From behind those empty walls
The walls
From behind those empty walls
I loved you
Yesterday, before
You killed my family.
Don’t you see their bodies burning?
Desolate and full of yearning
Dying of anticipation
Choking from intoxication
Don’t you see their bodies burning?
Desolate and full of yearning
Dying of anticipation
Choking from intoxication
I want you
To be
Left behind those empty walls
Taunt you
To see
From behind those empty walls
Want you to be, left behind those empty walls
Taunt you
To see
From behind those empty walls
From behind those empty walls
From behind those fucking walls
From behind those goddamn walls
Those walls…
Those walls…
I spoke to God today, and she said that she’s ashamed.
What have I become, what have I done?
I spoke to the Devil today, and he swears he’s not to blame.
And I understood, cause I feel the same.
Arms wide open, I stand alone.
I’m no hero, and I’m not made of stone.
Right or wrong, I can hardly tell.
I’m on the wrong side of heaven, and the righteous side of hell.
The wrong side of heaven, and the righteous side, righteous side of hell.
I heard from God today, and she sounded just like me.
What have I done, and who have I become.
I saw the Devil today, and he looked a lot like me.
I looked away, I turned away!
Arms wide open, I stand alone.
I’m no hero, and I’m not made of stone.
Right or wrong, I can hardly tell.
I’m on the wrong side of heaven, and the righteous side of hell.
The wrong side of heaven, and the righteous side, the righteous side of hell.
I’m not defending, downward descending,
Falling further and further away!
Getting closer every day!
I’m getting closer every day, to the end.
To the end, the end, the end,
I’m getting closer every day!
Arms wide open, I stand alone.
I’m no hero, and I’m not made of stone.
Right or wrong, I can hardly tell.
I’m on the wrong side of heaven, and the righteous side of hell.
The wrong side of heaven, and the righteous side of hell.
The wrong side of heaven, and the righteous side, the righteous side of hell.
Songwriters: Ivan Moody / Jeremy Spencer / Kevin Churko / Thomas Jason Grinstead / Zoltan Bathory
I’m gazing upward, a world I can’t embrace
There’s only thorns and splinters, venom in my veins
It’s okay to cry out, when it’s driving you insane
But somehow someday, I’ll have to face the pain
It’s all gone cold…
But no one wants the blame
It’s all so wrong…
But who am I, who am I to say?
I’m begging for forgiveness, everything I’ve done
If God is listening, He knows I’m not the only one
It’s okay to lash out from the rules that I’m enslaved
But somehow someday, I’ll have to turn the page
It’s all gone cold…
And no one wants to change
It’s all so wrong…
But no one wants the blame
It’s all gone cold…
There’s nothing left to gain
It’s all so wrong…
But who am I, who am I to say?
My heart’s an endless winter filled with rage
I’m looking forward to forgetting yesterday
It’s all gone cold…
And no one wants to change
It’s all so wrong…
But no one wants the blame
It’s all gone cold…
There’s nothing left to gain
It’s all so wrong…
But who am I, who am I to say?
To say
It’s all gone cold…
But who am I to say?
It’s all gone cold…
But who am I, who am I to say?
Cold…
Songwriters: Ivan Lewis Greening / Jeremy Spencer Heyde / Kevin Gregory Churko / Thomas Jason Grinstead / Zoltan Bathory
Never again will I be dishonored
And never again will I be reminded
Of living within the world of the jaded
They kill inspiration
It’s my obligation
To never again, allow this to happen
Where do I begin?
The choices are endless
Denying the sin
My art, my redemption
I carry the torch of my fathers before me
The thing I treasure most in life cannot be taken away
There will never be a reason why I will surrender to your advice
To change myself, I’d rather die
Though they will not understand
I will make the greatest sacrifice
You can’t predict where the outcome lies
You’ll never take me alive
I’m alive
I’m alive
I’m alive
Change again, cannot be considered
I rage again, dispelling my anger
Where do I begin?
The choices are endless
My art, my redemption, my only salvation
I carry the gift that I have been blessed with
My soul is adrift in oceans of madness
Repairing the rift that you have created
I am not alone, brothers, give me your arms now
The thing I treasure most in life cannot be taken away
There will never be a reason why I will surrender to your advice
To change myself, I’d rather die
Though they will not understand
I will make the greatest sacrifice
You can’t predict where the outcome lies
You’ll never take me alive
I’m no slave
Are you feeling brave?
Or have you gone out of your mind?
No more games
It won’t feel the same
If I hold my anger inside
There’s no meaning
My soul is bleeding
I’ve had enough of your kind
One suggestion, use your discretion
Before you label me blind
The thing I treasure most in life cannot be taken away
There will never be a reason why I will surrender to your advice
To change myself, I’d rather die
Though they will not understand
I will make the greatest sacrifice
You can’t predict where the outcome lies
You’ll never take me alive
I’m alive
I’m alive
I’m alive
I’m alive
I’m alive
I’m alive
I’m alive
I’m alive
Songwriters: Dan Donegan / David Draiman / Michael Wengren / Mike Wengren
Liberate your mind
You motherfucker, you’re so narrow-minded
So narrow-minded
So liberate your mind
Now motherfucker, will you liberate your mind
Liberate your mind
You motherfucker, you’re so narrow-minded
So narrow-minded
So liberate your mind
Now motherfucker, will you liberate your mind
This time
Bold motherfucker
Don’t you limit your mind
Can’t you see that the message
Have fallen behind
All the hate in your heart
Will be leaving you blind
So bold motherfucker
Don’t you limit your mind
Now bold motherfucker
Don’t you limit your mind
Can’t you see that the message
Have fallen behind
All the hate in your heart
Will be leaving you blind
So bold motherfucker
Don’t you limit your mind
This time
Waiting, for your modern messiah
To take away all the hatred
That darkens the light in your eye
Still awaiting, I
Liberate your mind
You motherfucker, you’re so narrow-minded
So narrow-minded
So liberate your mind
Now motherfucker, will you liberate your mind
Liberate your mind
You motherfucker, you’re so narrow-minded
So narrow-minded
So liberate your mind
Now motherfucker, will you liberate your mind
This time
Bold motherfucker
Don’t you limit your mind
Can’t you see that the message
Have fallen behind
All the hate in your heart
Will be leaving you blind
So bold motherfucker
Don’t you limit your mind
Now bold motherfucker
Don’t you limit your mind
Can’t you see that the message
Have fallen behind
All the hate in your heart
Will be leaving you blind
So bold motherfucker
Don’t you limit your mind
This time
Waiting, for your modern messiah
To take away all the hatred
That darkens the light in your eye
Still awaiting, I
“Out of Zion shall come forth a law
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem
Nation shall not raise sword against nation
And they shall not learn war anymore
For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken”
Waiting, for your modern messiah
To take away all the hatred
That darkens the light in your eye
How long will we be
Waiting, for your modern messiah
To take away all the hatred
That darkens the light in your eye
Still awaiting, I
Still awaiting, I
Songwriters: David Draiman / Dan Donegan / Steve Kmak / Mike Wengren
“The biggest struggle beyond the very obvious physical struggle (which was the cancer and her passing away), was a secondary narrative that was happening at the same time. There was this struggle between religiosity and secularism, and what I mean by that is, my mom, as she approached death and felt the fear come over her of leaving the rest of us behind, clung more to religion and got more involved in this particular church that we started going to. I was actually going in the other direction; I was becoming much less religious.
I grew up being a Christian, but I was actually at the age when I began questioning all of those things and finding a lot of inconsistencies with things that I grew up being taught. I was cleaning the slate off, and I wanted to start with a blank page and re-write what I thought as an adult now going into my college years. At the same time, my mom was filling in the slate with more and more beliefs.
The part of the whole process that made it so complicated was that we were not only splitting physically, but also splitting spiritually and emotionally because we didn’t see things the same way anymore. Beliefs, especially religious ones, are strong bonding factors between human beings. It’s very difficult when someone as innately close as my mom and I were going in such different directions on that plane of belief. That is where I was starting from when writing the song. I wanted to express that tearing apart on all levels, physically and spiritually. That’s why the song is called ‘God Went North.’
It was a battle to be honest with myself and honest with my mom. I knew that her beliefs were different than mine, but I didn’t know if she was just clinging to them out of fear. At the same time, I wanted to be supportive, so there were moments where I just kind of caved in and acted like I believed something because she was so down in the dumps. It was a hard thing to navigate, because I didn’t want to become a fake person to the one person that I had always been the most real with, and who knew me better than anybody.”
– Jonny Hawkins
Nothing More – God Went North
A hospital bed
A room filled with flowers
Every monitor beep keeps the time
As I count down the hours
The petals they weep
They’re uprooted like me
Cut from the cord of their mother
Who created everything
If You won’t save her
Please just take her away
She pulls me close
Says that she loves me
That she wishes to still be around
On the day that I marry
Tightly she holds
But the plan still unfolds
Cutting the cord from the mother
Who gave me everything
If You won’t save her
Please just take her
Nothing breaks her away
From the promise of a better day
This is your moment of glory
Hallelujah
It may feel like God went north
And left you to be
But all you need to know
Is you have everything you need
It’s just a blink of an eye
Until the next time we meet
I’ll hold you ’til the end
I’ll hold you ’til you’re free
If You won’t save her
Please just take her
Nothing breaks her away
Because she’ll keep holding on
I’ll hold you ’til the end
Songwriters: HOFFMAN WILL B / HAWKINS JONATHAN TAYLOR / VOLLELUNGA MARK ANTHONY / OLIVER DANIEL
