I love TOOL, anyone who knows me even a little bit knows this. I was running errands before, and a song from Lateralus come on – “Parabola”, and I got to thinking.
This song is actually the second part of a two-song thing, and the first song is called “Parabol”. Lateralus is a killer album, and I listened to it on repeat quite often when I was taking a particularly interesting theoretical math class in college. I chose this song to be played at my best friend’s funeral. I had some doubts about that at the time, because he would have probably preferred a NIN song, or maybe Aerosmith, or something to just say “fuck you” to the world, not caring that it would be considered inappropriate for such a somber occasion. (I had a thought at the time of “Love in an Elevator” or “Head like a Hole” blasting in the funeral home, and though I chuckled, I decided against it.) I chose this song because the lyrics are powerful, and let’s be real here – funerals are for the living. To acknowledge their grief and give them hope that their loved one has moved on to something better. The dead are gone – and they probably (hopefully) don’t feel any sadness at the loss of their lives. At that point, they know and understand something that the rest of us can only wonder about.
A few notes on the song itself. First, the song is named after the graph of a mathematical function. Second, that graph is often used in the description of projectile motion. Thirdly, the first part of this duo is called “Parabol”, pronounced the same as “parable”, which is a word that is actually used in “Parabola”. A parable is a story used demonstrate a moral or religious concept, similar to an allegory. The word parabolic can be used to describe something mathematical, or something related to a parable.
The lyrics themselves talk about the idea that we choose to inhabit human bodies and that we are actually eternal beings, and all of the pain and suffering that we experience in life is an illusion, because there is so much more within existence. A section of the lyrics:
“Swirling round with this familiar parable
Spinning, weaving round each new experience
Recognize this is a holy give and celebrate this
Chance to be alive and breathing
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”
The choice of name for this set of songs astounds me, because it is absolutely perfect. Parabol – parable – something used to teach a lesson. And then parabola – a mathematical representation of motion. It could be that the meaning or intent behind these songs is to say that we move through life in order to learn.
A Peculiar Cerebral Tangle 