Flood
Henry Rollins/Tool Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All I knew and all I believed
Crumbling images
No longer comfort me.
Scramble to reach higher ground,
Order and sanity,
Something to comfort me.
So I take what is mine, and hold what is mine
Soon the water will come
And claim what is mine
I must leave it behind
And climb to a new place now
This ground is not the rock I thought it to be
Thought I was high, and free
I thought I was there
Divine destiny
I was wrong
This changes everything
Running away,
Running away,
I'm running away,
Running away
I'm running away
Running away
I'm running away
Running away
I take what is mine
Hold what is mine
Suffocate what is mine
Bury what's mine
Soon the water will come
And claim what is mine
I must leave it behind
And climb to a new place
Water's rising up on me
The water is rising up on me
Thought the sun would come deliver me
But the truth has come to punish me instead
Grounds break down right under me
Cleanse and purge me
In the water
The song Flood by Henry Rollins/Tool speaks to the struggle of holding onto what we believe, even when we're faced with the destruction of our ideals. The lyrics suggest that the ground we stand on is not as solid as we thought, and that we must leave what we thought was absolute truth behind and scramble to find something else that gives us stability in the face of chaos. The chorus repeats the idea of "taking what is mine" and holding onto it before it is claimed by the rising water (a metaphor for the chaos and destruction that threatens to engulf us all).
As Rollins sings about running away, we can sense a desperation in his voice. He knows he can't hold onto what he once thought was true, but he's not sure what to replace it with. There is a sense of loss and mourning in the song, as Rollins faces the reality that his world is not as stable as he hoped. The water rising up on him is the embodiment of everything that is unknown and unpredictable, a force that cannot be tamed or controlled. And yet, he still holds onto what he can, suffocating what's his even as he knows it will eventually be claimed by the rising tide. Ultimately, the song suggests that the only way to find stability in an unstable world is to keep moving forward, even when everything we once believed in is washed away.
Line by Line Meaning
Here comes the water
The arrival of change, which will disrupt what is currently being dealt with.
All I knew and all I believed
What the artist thought and believed would remain constant has been altered.
Crumbling images
Previous perceptions and understandings are no longer held.
No longer comfort me.
Previous perceptions and understandings are no longer desirable.
Scramble to reach higher ground,
An effort to move beyond what was once known and strive for betterment.
Order and sanity,
A desire for a sense of tranquility and clarity within the new environment.
Something to comfort me.
A hope for reassurance during this period of change.
So I take what is mine, and hold what is mine
Possession and protection of what is already acquired.
Suffocate what is mine, and bury what's mine
The acceptable loss of what is deemed insignificant or unnecessary.
Soon the water will come
The inevitable effects of change are impending.
And claim what is mine
Change demands the dissolution of previous ideas and possessions.
I must leave it behind
Previous understandings and possessions are not essential to new surroundings.
And climb to a new place now
Literal and figurative efforts to advance forward towards new opportunities.
This ground is not the rock I thought it to be
Preconceived notions are now proven to be incorrect.
Thought I was high, and free
Preconceived notions have been disproven and now appear naive.
I thought I was there
A realization that a destination is not only unreachable but also nonexistent.
Divine destiny
A belief in fate and an ultimate direction that is now seen as unrealistic.
I was wrong
The artist now understands the inaccuracy of their previously held beliefs.
This changes everything
The altering of the artist's previous notions transform the outlook on everything.
Running away,
A desire to leave behind that which is no longer required.
Running away,
A desire to distance oneself from previous ideas and possessions.
I'm running away,
A realization that moving forward is essential.
Running away
A physical and mental effort to move towards new opportunities.
I take what is mine
The artist's effort to secure his possessions and ideas.
Hold what is mine
Protection and security of the artist's previously held ideas and possessions.
Suffocate what is mine
Acceptance of previous ideas and possessions becoming obsolete.
Bury what's mine
An intentional loss of previous ideas and possessions.
Water's rising up on me
The effects of change and new surroundings become overwhelming.
The water is rising up on me
The effects of change coming rapidly and forcefully.
Thought the sun would come deliver me
The expectation that what currently comforts the artist would save him from the inevitable effects of change.
But the truth has come to punish me instead
The realization that previous perceptions were inaccurate and the outcome of change will be difficult.
Grounds break down right under me
The literal and metaphorical displacement of previous surroundings.
Cleanse and purge me
The effort to rid oneself of previous identity, ideas, and possessions in anticipation of new surroundings.
In the water
A metaphor for the transformative power of change that, while daunting, also offers opportunities for growth.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Adam Jones, Paul M D'amour, Daniel Carey, Maynard James Keenan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Taranconalex
Here are the lyrics. Enjoy!
-------------------------------------------------------
Compassion is broken now
My will is eroded now
Desire is broken now
It makes me feel ugly
I'm on my knees and burning
My piss and moans are the fuel
That set my head on fire
So smell my soul is burning
I'm broken, looking up to see the enemy
I have swallowed the poison you feed me
But I survive on the poison you feed me, and it leaves me
Guilt-fed, hatred-fed, weakness-fed
It makes me feel ugly
I'm on my knees and burnin'
My piss and moans are the fuel
That set my head on fire
Dead in... side
Shit adds up, shit adds up, shit adds up
Shit adds up at the bottom
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
I'm shameless now, I'm nameless now, I'm nothing now, I'm no one now
And my soul must be iron
Cause my fear is naked
I'm naked and fearless
And my fear is naked
Dead inside, dead inside
Dead inside, dead inside
Nameless now, shameless now
Nothing now, no one now
Shit adds up, shit adds up
Shit adds up, shit adds... as you see me
Naked now, fearless now
Naked now, fearless now
Shit adds... shit adds...
Shit adds... shit adds up it leaves me
Dead inside, dead inside
Dead inside, dead inside
Hatred keeps me alive
Hungriness keeps me alive
Weakness keeps me alive
Guilt keeps me alive at the BOTTOM!!!!..........
@augustgreig9420
Every single one of their albums is ahead of its time, I've always said that. And every single one of their albums gets a backlash from a large portion of their fanbase, because every album evolves to be further ahead of its time. For example, as is said on, "Hooker with a Penis" TOOL fans from Opiate thought Undertow was a sellout record because it was more melodic and I guess commercial/radio friendly because of this, instead of more thrash and bang.
Then, when Ænima came out, many Undertow fans felt like it was too meandering, not dark enough, and was beginning to explore themes which weren't personal and edgy enough.
But when Lateralus came out, it was the most ahead of its time to date, and caused a huge... *ahem*... SCHISM amongst the fans. Many people whom I knew personally, some of which cited TOOL as their favorite band, complained that only "The Grudge" and "Ticks and Leeches" were any good and sounded like TOOL songs, with a few also liking "The Patient" just because the lyrics helped them feel said. This was the album where you could really see the effect of it being ahead of its time. As the internet became more ubiquitous, in the years following it's release, it began to pick up fans who had never even listened to TOOL before, especially younger fans. And those new fans, along with many of the older fans, after years of diving into the album, many still stuck on exploring it even years after 10,000 Days dropped, it would eventually come to be hailed as their best work. And to show how ahead of its time it was, it's still held to be their best work today, and one of the greatest rock/prog metal/alt metal/ metal/ hard rock (whatever label the kids are putting on them these day) albums of all time.
On to 10,000 Days, and all the OGT fans are pretty much out at this point. A friend of mine got this album the day it came out, and gave to me a WEEK later, stating he was done with them. My other friend who cited them as his all time favorite band also gave his copy away. The lack of screaming, simple, catchy riffs, pop song structure like on "Prison Sex" or "Stinkfist" for example, and the more complex rhythms were too much for them. Even many of the Lateralus crowd felt let down by this one. But again, as the years have past, it's only been in the past couple, at least to my knowledge, that I've began to see more and more people site it as their favorite TOOL album, and even saying they believe it is objectively their best album.
And now, with Fear Inoculum out, we see the same thing all over again. Their most polished and mature work to date, which has again evolved to have them trying so many new and unique things, and yet I hear criticism like, "the songs sound like b-sides from Lateralus/10,000 days (depending on the "fan")" or, "They sound like recycled riffs from Lateralus/10,000 days." I've even heard people criticize the drums and vocals. The drums are some of Danny's best work ever, and MJK sounds absolutely amazing on this album. Adam is playing his best guitar ever. The rhythms are the most intricate and complex to date. None of the riggs are anything close to riggs from their other albums. They actually explore outside of their normal D minor pentatonic scale, which 99% of their songs were in before this. And lyrically, it is the natural progression of where they've come from, especially with song like "Fear Inoculum", "Pneuma", "Descending" and even "Invincible."
And people seem shocked to see it judged so harshly and outright dismissed offhand by "fans" who say they're done listening after a week. Well, this is pretty much the norm at this point. This happens with every one of their albums. This isntheir most ahead orbits time album to date. It probably won't be as influential as Undertow or even Ænima, but it is years away from being fully appreciated. Just as people are just now catching up to how good 10,00p Days ways, it'll likely be another 10 years before Fear Inoculum begins to be some people's favorite album of theirs.
But for me, my favorite will always be Undertow.
@joshuasizemore4862
[Verse 1: Maynard James Keenan]
Compassion is broken now
My will is eroded now
Desire is broken now
It makes me feel ugly
[Chorus: Maynard James Keenan]
On my knees and burning
My piss and moans are fuelling
I set my head on fire
Smell my soul is burning
[Verse 2: Maynard James Keenan]
I'm broken, looking up to see the enemy
And I have swallowed the poison you feed me
But I survive on the poison you feed me, leaving me
Guilt-fed, hatred-fed, weakness-fed
It makes me feel ugly
[Chorus: Maynard James Keenan]
On my knees and burnin'
My piss and moans are fuelling
I set my head on fire
Dead inside
[Refrain: Maynard James Keenan]
Shit adds up, shit adds up, shit adds up
Shit adds up at the bottom
[Spoken interlude: Henry Rollins & Maynard]
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
Nothing now
No one now
But my soul must be iron
'Cause my fear is naked
I'm naked and fearless
And my fear is naked
[Outro]
Dead inside, dead inside
Dead inside, dead inside
Nameless now, shameless now
Nothing now, no one now
Shit adds up, shit adds up
Shit adds up, shit adds, as you see me
Naked now, fearless now
Naked now, fearless now
Shit adds, shit adds
Shit adds, shit adds up, it leaves me
Dead inside, dead inside
Dead inside, dead inside
[Outro]
Hatred keeps me alive
Ugliness keeps me alive
Weakness keeps me alive
Guilt keeps me alive at the bottom
@Jugglenaught1980
one of the most underrated tool song IMO, its so godamn good
@Spitson7771
Their best non single on this album
@UnwrittenSpade
Greb Nitty your right this and opiate are my fav albums this one especially every single song is a banger I only don’t like sober prolly from how overplayed it is
@Jugglenaught1980
@@UnwrittenSpade When I saw them in Hamilton 2017 they didn't play one song off of Undertow, I was a bit disappointed. Still an amazing show though.
@777Thibs
This song popped up in my Tool playlist. Not sure if I've actually heard it before, but was surprised to hear Henry Rollins spoken word in it. Henry is the man.
@Gnix1996
@Greb nitty that's how I felt when I saw NIN in 2014. Not a single song was played from The Fragile which is my favorite nails album. I was a bit upset lol
@DreddPirateRoberts
That opening riff is one of the things I love so much about Undertow.
Yes, I much prefer prefer the harder, grungier Tool.
@PunchDrunkLizzy
Same
@blackspot4194
Nothing wrong with that.🤘😎🤘
@VoraxUmbra
i love the diversity of all their albums, they have a song for every mood. that said i definitely slept on this album for too long. i see why theres a lot of people who has it as their favorite.