A Perfect Circle is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles… Read Full Bio ↴A Perfect Circle is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. A Perfect Circle has released four studio albums, the first three during the early 2000s: Mer de Noms, their debut album in 2000, and followed up by Thirteenth Step in 2003; then in 2004, Emotive—an album of radically re-worked cover songs. Shortly after Emotive's release, the band went on hiatus; Keenan returned to Tool and started up solo work under the band name Puscifer, while Howerdel released a solo album, Keep Telling Myself It's Alright, under the moniker Ashes Divide. Band activity was sporadic in the following years; the band reformed in 2010, and played live shows on and off between 2010 and 2013, but fell into inactivity after the release of their greatest hits album, Three Sixty, and a live album box set, A Perfect Circle Live: Featuring Stone and Echo in late 2013. The band reformed in 2017 to record a fourth album, Eat the Elephant, which was released on April 20, 2018.

Prone to downtime due to Keenan's other musical commitments, the band has featured a variety of musicians throughout alternating periods of activity and inactivity, and has changed line-ups on each album, leaving Keenan and Howerdel the only constant members. The original incarnation of the band included Paz Lenchantin on bass, Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar, and Josh Freese on drums. Primus drummer Tim Alexander had briefly stood in as a drummer prior to Freese in the band's initial live shows; however, this was prior to releasing any material. Band collaborator and producer Danny Lohner and Marilyn Manson bassist Jeordie White were also members for a short period in the early 2000s. The band's current lineup features the Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha, bassist Matt McJunkins, and drummer Jeff Friedl, the latter two also being contributors to the related Puscifer and Ashes Divide projects. Despite the varied cast and numerous lineup changes, the stylistic content of A Perfect Circle's songs has remained consistent with Howerdel as music composer, and Keenan writing lyrics and vocal melodies. The band's studio albums have been generally well received critically and commercially, with their first three studio albums selling 4 million copies collectively as of 2005.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Perfect_Circle

Studio albums
Mer de Noms (2000)
Thirteenth Step (2003)
Emotive (2004)
Eat the Elephant (2018)

Orestes
A Perfect Circle Lyrics

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Metaphor for a missing moment
Pull me into your perfect circle

One womb
One shape
One resolve

Liberate this will

To release us all

Gotta cut away, clear away
Snip away and sever this
Umbilical residue that's
Keeping me from killing you

And from pulling you down with me in here
I can almost hear you scream

One more medicated peaceful moment
One more medicated peaceful moment

And I don't wanna feel this overwhelming
Hostility
And I don't wanna feel this overwhelming
Hostility

Gotta cut away, clear away
Snip away and sever this
Umbilical residue
Gotta cut away, clear away
Snip away and sever this
Umbilical residue

Keeping me from killing you
Keeping me from killing you

Overall Meaning

The song "Orestes" by A Perfect Circle is a powerful and deep exploration of internal conflict and the struggle to break away from the emotional ties that bind us to others. The lyrics are full of metaphors that convey the feelings of being trapped, suffocated, and overwhelmed.

The metaphor of a missing moment symbolizes a sense of longing for something that has been lost or never existed. The singer is pulled into a "perfect circle", representing a state of control and conformity that is both comforting and suffocating. The repetition of the phrase "One womb, one shape, one resolve" suggests a lack of individuality and a desire to break free.

The idea of cutting away, snipping away, and severing the umbilical residue represent the need to break away from familial, societal, and emotional ties that keep us from being our true selves. The anger and frustration underlying the song's lyrics are palpable, as the singer wants to kill someone else but also feels trapped and unable to escape himself.

Overall, "Orestes" is a haunting and intense examination of the push-pull between the desire for independence and the fear of losing what we know and love.

Line by Line Meaning

Metaphor for a missing moment
A symbol representing a lost opportunity.

Pull me into your perfect circle
Invite me into your unified community.

One womb
We all came from the same place.

One shape
We all have similar physical forms.

One resolve
We all have a common determination.

Liberate this will
Free ourselves from personal constraints.

To release us all
So that everyone can benefit.

Gotta cut away, clear away
Necessity to remove.

Snip away and sever this
Using sharp and precise tools to eliminate.

Umbilical residue that's
Remnants of our shared origin.

Keeping me from killing you
The bond that prevents me from harming you.

And from pulling you down with me in here
Dragging you down with me.

I can almost hear you scream
I sense your fear and pain.

One more medicated peaceful moment
Another brief period of calm due to drugs.

And I don't wanna feel this overwhelming Hostility
I want to be free from intense anger.

Gotta cut away, clear away
Must eliminate completely.

Snip away and sever this
Using precision to remove.

Umbilical residue
Remains of our shared past.

Keeping me from killing you
Preventing me from harming you.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Billy Howerdel, Maynard James Keenan

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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