The Patient
Ofln - TOOL Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

A groan of tedium escapes me
Startling the fearful
Is this a test? It has to be
Otherwise I can't go on
Draining patience, drain vitality
This paranoid, paralyzed vampire act's a little old

But I'm still right here

Giving blood, keeping faith
And I'm still right here

But I'm still right here
Giving blood, keeping faith
And I'm still right here

Wait it out
Gonna wait it out
Be patient (wait it out)

If there were no rewards to reap
No loving embrace to see me through
This tedious path I've chosen here
I certainly would've walked away by now

Gonna wait it out

If there were no desire to heal
The damaged and broken met along
This tedious path I've chosen here
I certainly would've walked away by now

And I still may, I still may

Be patient
Be patient
Be patient

I must keep reminding myself of this
I must keep reminding myself of this
I must keep reminding myself of this
I must keep reminding myself of this

And if there were no rewards to reap
No loving embrace to see me through
This tedious path I've chosen here
I certainly would've walked away by now
And I still may
And I still may
And I still may
And I

Gonna wait it out
Gonna wait it out

Wait it out
Gonna wait it out

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to TOOL's The Patient seem to be a message of perseverance and endurance through difficult times. The opening line, "A groan of tedium escapes me," suggests that the singer is tired and bored, but this is followed by, "Startling the fearful," indicating that this feeling is not necessarily shared by those around him. This sense of being out of step with the world around him is reinforced by the line, "This paranoid, paralyzed vampire act's a little old," which suggests that the singer is feeling isolated or cut off from others. Despite this, he resolves to soldier on, insisting that he is "still right here" and "giving blood, keeping faith."

The repeated refrain, "Wait it out, gonna wait it out, be patient," reinforces this idea of enduring through difficult times, and emphasizes the importance of perseverance. The second half of the song expands the scope of this message, suggesting that the perseverance shown by the singer is necessary not only for his personal survival, but also for the greater good. The lines, "If there were no desire to heal the damaged and broken met along/This tedious path I've chosen here/I certainly would've walked away by now," suggest that the singer's perseverance is linked to his desire to help others. The final refrain, "And I still may," suggests that this path is not an easy one, and that the singer may be tempted to give up at times. But the repetition of "Be patient" at the end provides a final reminder of the importance of not giving up.

Line by Line Meaning

A groan of tedium escapes me
I let out a sound of boredom and annoyance

Startling the fearful
Which scared those around me

Is this a test? It has to be
I wonder if this is a challenge that must be faced

Otherwise I can't go on
Otherwise I won't be able to keep going

Draining patience, drain vitality
This situation is testing my ability to remain patient and is exhausting

This paranoid, paralyzed vampire act's a little old
Acting paranoid and helpless is getting tiresome

But I'm still right here
Despite everything, I am still present and persevering

Giving blood, keeping faith
I am continuing to give my all and keep my belief in the situation

Wait it out
I will wait until this scenario concludes

Gonna wait it out
I am going to wait it out

Be patient (wait it out)
I need to remain patient and wait this out

If there were no rewards to reap
If there were nothing to gain from this experience

No loving embrace to see me through
No one to support me until the end

This tedious path I've chosen here
The boring and wearisome route I have taken

I certainly would've walked away by now
I would have given up if not for the potential gain

And I still may, I still may
I still might give up regardless

Be patient
I need to remain patient

I must keep reminding myself of this
I need to keep telling myself to stay patient

And if there were no rewards to reap
Again, if there were no benefits to this

No loving embrace to see me through
No one to support me through the difficult times

This tedious path I've chosen here
This boring route I have chosen to take

I certainly would've walked away by now
I would have given up if it weren't for the rewards and support

Gonna wait it out
I will continue to wait it out

Wait it out
Again, I will wait it out

Gonna wait it out
Once more, I will wait it out

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ADAM JONES, DANIEL CAREY, JUSTIN GUNNER CHANCELLOR, MAYNARD JAMES KEENAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS

No Related Genres

More Genres

No Artists Found

More Artists Load All

No Albums Found

More Albums Load All

No Tracks Found

Genre not found

Artist not found

Album not found

Search results not found

Song not found

Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@simonn5651

3y↑1

i worked on a site once a long time ago ...joiners had done the joists for the floor and laid the floor boards and i was asked to go up and clear it out (i was a labourer) i walked up the stairs (they literally moved with every step) i carefully walked up and as i stepped onto the floor upstairs the whole thing sunk about 2 inches from one foot on it , i quickly left locked it up went to the foreman and said i ain't going in there because the stairs the joists and the floor upstairs is highly unsafe. he didn't understand what i was on about.

as i showed him the problems he said out....out NOW ...we parted the building locked it up and placed a notice saying unsafe to prevent anyone else going in , as the foreman contacted the joiners to see what the hell they did in there ....there was a extremely loud crash ...we went to see and what we came across was shocking.

the entire top floor was now downstairs in a large crumpled up mess , the joists collapsed taking the floor the stramit walls (heavy as hell stramit walls) the wiring , the plaster boards from the ceiling and snapped some of the roof joints too , if we where in there at the time we'd have been seriously injured or even dead

the site was shut down while an inspection was carried out on the whole site because of these so called joiners.

the foreman really couldnt thank me enough for locking it up and coming to find him as i saw it , he gave me £150 bonus for doing so , he said many who he'd worked with in the past would have just got on with it and moved on , things could of been far far worse.

All comments from YouTube:

@matthewimhardbrucelee6995

4y↑16

Don’t tell me that was foam holding them rafters up 😂😂

@bellerophonchallen8861

4y↑7

Mind you, I've just had to cut a piece out of a new fence to accommodate the summerhouse roof of the property I'm building a new close board fence for. Absolutely on the money line wise with the original developers fence from forty years ago, but that was a 1500 high and we now have 1.8m. Posts in and...ah 50mm of roof overhanging the neighbours. Only one thing to do as I haven't got forever to sort their problems out, cut the fence round it, looks wonderful....

@adamhalcyon3393

4y↑1

I get it. Improvise. But make it look decent and be functionable atleast to cover your ass!

@doubletrouble0833

2y↑5

I am always blown away as to how the Genius who installed it …thought “um..good enough 🤦‍♂️”

@mickk8519

4y↑8

I used to be the guy they sent in to put things right, sometimes it's the customer that likes to "help" or won't listen when you tell them it won't work. But, most of the times it is bodge it and scarper. I had a whole block of apartments to sort out where not one window was toe and heeled. And another time I had to re fit a frame in a quadruple door opening which had half a pig in the base, from one side to the other with a one inch sag in the lintel above, and each side was out of plumb by half inch.

@OneBiteoftheCherry

43w

I feel your pain Mick. I used to be a glazer and the amount of times I'd see huge glass doors not toe and heeled. We used to call those lads pizza delivery boys, cos that's all they're good for!

@RavenclawFtW3295

3y↑2

9:22
Man: I did the job, boss!
Boss: looks at the job You're fired.

@erefaanabrahams6792

4y↑5

Good ole' British workmanship.

@waffleburger8752

Nah, same in my country. Lazy people everywhere.

@CARLIN4737

9 out of 10 of these workers are not british trust me. More likely Eastern European. You clearly know nothing about site work you fool.

@charlesrodriguez7984

You should see the US. Oh boy it’s just as bad.

@MegaBrawny

I’m literally crying with laughter here . It’s fuxxing class 😂👍👍👍

@G4RY1159

Think they chaps fitted my new kitchen

@ToniHunterOne

2y↑3

Clearly it's so easy to tell most of the screw ups, but some I'm not certain I'm focused on the right problem, at 5:53 is that the electrical outlet panel stuck up there on the ceiling? How in the heck do you flush a toilet and it turns on the taps or for that matter, flick a light switch anywhere in the house and it turns on the kitchen sink faucet/spigot? How is that even done?

@OneBiteoftheCherry

43w↑1

Likely done deliberately Toni. You don't do that stuff by accident.

@goodplacereviewer2495

2y↑2

3:29 they've clearly left straight lengths up so they can cut there 45's in position

@shawnhbkdx90

4y↑1

As someone that helps in fitting kitchens...the few kitchen ones, like at 8:36...you can tell it's been fitted by someone who's never fitted one in their lives. Probably been put in by a builder.

@whospilledmybeans

0:24 this type of thing is common because of 1. Unskilled labor 2. Companies not paying for tools to cut circles and the actual reason which is that they only have 1 chance to cut that whole perfect, they won’t get another pole and or metal roofing material. A square is seen as good enough as sometimes you won’t see it or their will be a cover

@OneBiteoftheCherry

43w

It's the fact that the acro is still there, and they've soffitted round it.

@reverendbigred

4y↑5

No clue this was on YOUTUBE only thought it was a FB thing (new sub!!!)

@benjaminfisher5809

4y↑1

Me too. I've missed them lol

@48_s

3y↑3

I feel that painters pain when he didn't move the wires, always people seem to put things in the way of a wall, everytime I've gone in to paint for some reason everyone leans the stuff up the walls 😭😭

@11DNA11

2y↑1

You have 2 working hands i presume.

Use them to move the said stuff.

@48_s

@@11DNA11 you're missing the point, when people move things in the room ready for it to be painted they always seem to lean it agasint the walls

@ToniHunterOne

@@48_s i get it. You're not saying you can't move the stuff from away from the wall, but when you tell the "preppers" or whomever that the room needs to be cleared so you can paint, instead of them moving any lumber or boards, etc completely out of the room they're picked up off the floor and leaned against the walls, right?

@48_s

@@ToniHunterOne exactly that mate yea. It just becomes funny everytime I see it now. Re reading my comment can see it seems a bit confusing how I've wrote it.

@madcarew.3256

4y↑2

True quote by local disaster builder...Had all me tools stollen!!---What..Both yer Hammers!!! And me level....You've never used a level!!!......Time to leave!!!

@ToniHunterOne

My apartment bldg owners recently made a big deal of moving us out for a week for renovations. What a muck up! I'm still pissed at the work that was done wrong and still not corrected in my own apt. Even when they come back they still do it wrong or the work/repair doesn't hold. When I was younger I'd just fix the stuff myself, but A. I don't have the funds and B. I'm a little bent and crotchety these days to be climbing ladders and things. I just bugs the crap out of me everytime I look up and see the white paint slopped over the brown ring on my brand new ceiling light fixture, or the hardwire to the hardwired smoke/fire alarm system running straight up the center of the wall instead of using 2 elbows to move the wire over 2.5 feet and then run it up the wall. I used to have an antique clock on that space, now I have an ugly 1/2 inch thick hardwire running up the center. You might ask, why is it on the out side of the wall? This bldg was built around 1898 of cinder blocks and bricks so they didn't want to take the time to drill into the cinderblocks and run the wires through, I mean, thats a lot of cinder blocks to cut through, but I look like I live in a basement apartment instead of the top floor. But they take no care to attempt to make it asthetically pleaseing. Oh, there's so much more but hey, this is your "Not My Job" vid and not "My Not My Job" video.

@whospilledmybeans

2y↑1

1:04 carpenters will typically not unhook machines like this, of course this guy knows how to do it but if they break the machine which they don’t know how to unhook it ruins everything. Not to mention only certified people can even really touch something’s like a water boiler or any large equipment that’s not a home appliance (carpenters know how to do those so as long as it’s practically the normal ones)

@dezbigguns1072

22w

Glad to see the GC don’t give a shit there like they don’t in the US 😂😂😂

@mikerevell8145

2y↑2

It's actually sad imo a small handful of pretenders are unleashed onto sites and people's homes there's a big gap in the industry now for the new generation to fill but unfortunately the only thing they fill is a 30mm gap with caulking

@OneBiteoftheCherry

43w

😂😂😂

@peterwalton6680

4y↑4

Ah just leave It for snagging someone will eventually be back 😂

@countycricklewood

49w

Upto the usual British tradesman standard and skills

@johnw2758

1y↑1

I have to laugh at the 'official' sites that give you advise. What a load of bollox, if I said half the things to a contractor they would walk away. My view is if they're not going to do it right when they're being paid for it, they sure ain't going to come back and fix it (for no payment) afterwards. I'm not fussy but most of the standard of work I've seen in mine and other houses is abysmal. Seriously, cowboys, fooking hate them. I thought I did all the right things when looking for a new bathroom and fitment. Word of mouth, recommendations etc., turned out to be the worst experience of my life. E.g. we had ordered a bathroom cabinet with a led light around it. The electric was already there so it was just a case of hooking it up. Anyway, I gets a call from the 'fitter' (and I use that term lightly) saying that the led on the cabinet light comes on when you put the main light on, that's how it is he says. Strange I thought, so when I got home I looked at the side of the cabinet unit and there was an on/off switch ( I thought there would be). He also couldn't understand that certain toilet roll holders only fit the one way for sliding the roll on (he got that wrong). Also all grub screws for the tumblers etc were on the top. These , btw, are only the minor things. The silicon looked like a child had done it, after taking my old radiator off he said we were ok until the day after as the lockshield etc were all off and no water was leaking. Turns out that the pressure in the boiler was so low that, yes, there wasn't a leak......until it was topped up to 1.5 bar. then it came through my ceiling. He fooked the (new) braided hose on the toilet fill up by using grips on it. He couldn't manage to stop my bathroom sink waste from dripping. He broke the full wall mirror ( that was already there and being kept as a feature). The floor adhesive from the previous tiles were left so that over a period of 3 months the waterproof laminate flooring raised and came away at the joints. The shower panel was set wrong so there is now filled screw holes in my tiles. He couldn't work out how to exchange the EXACT same extractor fan and finally he left us with no heating because he couldn't work out how to get an airlock out of my radiators ( I managed to sort that via Youtube). I phoned the bathroom shop ( who also recommended him) and said I had no confidence in him. They said they couldn't understand it as he does all their shop displays and makes a marvellous job. " Are the displays live?" I said..........." Ermm no" was the reply...............enough said. I check my living room ceiling every day because, no doubt, at some point the dreaded brown stain will appear.............................................................and if you're reading this ( you know who you are) , you're a c**t !!

@adamhalcyon3393

4y↑5

I'm a flooring contractor. I move and fix stuff everyday so I get paid and don't have to come back. WTF is going on here?!

@michaelwilliams9038

4y↑1

So who comes around to fix this stuff? Do those responsible for it get called in to? Or is it left to others?

@adamhalcyon3393

4y↑2

If they mess it up that bad....would you want them back. Call company. Complain. Get better crew and original crew gets back charged.

@bodymind9158

4y↑27

Most of those are work in progress so obviously in the middle of the project it might look silly. Some though.. I just can't explain!

@outkast3133

4y↑2

Exactly what I was thinking clearly alot of these places are not finished yet so theres bound to be some things out of place or that dont look right

@coldonylum

4y↑1

@@outkast3133 you work in construction or just British?

@figgeberglund4145

3y↑2

When I see this I’m proud to be Swedish. Our standard is very high.

@tonyalways7174

3y↑2

Absolutely shocking stuff. Cvnts like these give tradesmen a terrible name. Really they need to be named and shamed.

@georgemayers2536

3y↑2

For the train seat, they are meant to release the bottom pillow for cleaning...

@micjubba709

3y↑1

Pure bodge jobs 😂🤣😂🤣

@howtomundane3109

Jesus Christ was a carpenter.
He didn't die on a cross for this!

@ollie9199

Can’t believe they cut a hole in the door, irredeemable😂

@fullsizedwarf

4y↑3

Anyone ever bought a new build house and found 300 'not my jobs'?

@micjubba709

Not my job 😂🤣😂

@howtomundane3109

When you hire a civil engineer to be your architect 👌🏼

@rhysyapp1819

3y↑6

Them push out ali windows are bastards for dropping down and catching the keeps. Most probably not the window fitters fault

@ieattacoss

4y↑1

Cant help to see that a lot of pipefitters hold up to their reputation :)

@gotitfromthemudd1152

4y↑2

When you have a pint of corona then this happens ☝🏿🤣🤦🏿‍♂️

@kenhasibar2450

If a Corona can make you do stupid stuff like this, don't drink a beer.

@howtomundane3109

A pint?!

Whatever did this emptied a six pack during lunch break

@metal.gendalf

10w

*cries in engineer

@whospilledmybeans

Ngl some of these mistakes are so expensive to fix because once you install something it changes the layout

@stevestheboy1

i miss bein on site and on the tools

@OneBiteoftheCherry

43w

I don't.

@jamesp7623

4y↑5

You get what you pay for!

@ibidydo

James P doesn’t take much to put a door Handle in the right place

@metal.gendalf

10w

So much pain in one video..

@harrysweeten9417

3y↑1

I had to replace some old windows on a second floor, out of ten windows I only pulled out three nails total and two were in one window, the rest were held in by spray foam and good will.
Not my job...

@simonn5651

3y↑1

@ciarancosgrave

3y↑1

All symptomatic of a civilization in rapid decline.

@fright_nike09

Most look like it is my job I just don’t give a sh*t 🤣

@krisrickson853

4y↑68

The music was terrible for that length of video

@chrismcdermott7954

4y↑24

Not their job to do the music mate....

@krisrickson853

4y↑1

@@chrismcdermott7954 😂 😂

@jonpon69

Turn the volume down. It’s a video not an Ed Sheehan Albun

@johnfisher747

3y↑2

Cheapest quote, lowest bidder? You generally get what you pay for.

@DocHellfish

3y↑1

I call them AirBnB reno's.. lol

@Tr1ck0rTr3at

How do some of these jobs get signed off by building regs?

@whospilledmybeans

A lot of these weird things are temporary meaning it was supposed to be placed their temporarily or lowest bidder type stuff

@joeelwell162

2y↑1

why true tradsmen should be paid top dollar

@mariateresahenriquezrivera5784

8:16Can you cut the door that no longer crashes in the whole wash?

@errornotfound4004

cut the door?

gonna have to take it off at the hinges.

@adamwest3637

4y↑5

This could be a really interesting video but all the videos are way too close up. Who's job is it to teach these guys how to record a video?

@scottinWV

4:50 homeowner special

@jenson3810

3y↑2

A few things on a punch-out list.

@lifeafter2020

Who's job is it?

@babiipeachy2884

Funny

@dianneholland9969

😭😂🤣

@Atheist409

4y↑1

The worst job was the filming.

@DocHellfish

I'm a superintendent for commercial side here in the US.. is this really a thing in the UK? You'd never get paid doing this in the states.. you'd never get out of punch list.

@cocolade99marmie

Dochellfish....No it is not and it isn't fair to label everyone the same, There is good and bad everywhere and a lot of tradesmen work to a high standard .....I wish other British people were not so quick to pull their own people down its done far too much in Britain!

@thunoi9648

xxxx

@milopsup9530

lok

@user-su7tt5nd3o

What is the song name ？

@Droningonuk

What am I missing at 2:08?

@SBBUK

3y↑1

Took me a while to get that but someone has used a radiator lockshield valve instead of a compression elbow! Couldn't be arsed to go to the merchants on a Friday...

@TamroNick

3y↑1

Is that matter, this is not their job? The matter is, they have that idiots in their team. Is it shame for them too, that they works with donkeys and don't teach them how to do this jobs properly. It looks like the boss should find workers far away from last location.

@hambone4402

3y↑2

Would’ve been a good video if I hadn’t had to mute because of the STUPID MUSIC!!!

@davidmeulendyk1517

I really hope these are not his subs lol

@KnightsCrossbows

You have to admit those plugs are bulky as hell leave it to the United kingdom

@OneBiteoftheCherry

43w

They're really safe though, the ones we used in New York just didn't feel safe at all.

@TheZen582

4y↑1

England has a great marketing. Any shit made in uk can be sold to the world as “great”
After 17 years in uk i can say openly that engilsh construction standards are shite.

@OneBiteoftheCherry

43w

I'm English and I definitely agree with you

@leevaughan8368

the things I've seen and fixed. these are nothing.ally stuff is how was it even possible to do this. better yet how the hell can it take it down to fix it

@handyman4192

Most of these are rushed jobs and put no thought into them. Job n jack jobs.

@warrenrodgers7544

Humbly ask Jesus he will answer you

@howtomundane3109

Jesus was a carpenter, so maybe he can fix it 👍🏼

@pauldirac808

3y↑2

No need for the annoying music .

@sonofwilliamchris

The joy of proudly displaying how poor British workmanship is to the world.
What's the area code Poland again?!

@davothegreat9990

4y↑6

let me guess. Indians!!😂😂😂

@CutieRingoJoy

They should British and I mean alot of them, but some sound Indian

@maximecommien8310

4y↑3

let me guess. racist !! 😂😂😂

@cocolade99marmie

3y↑1

@@maximecommien8310 Well said!

@cocolade99marmie

3y↑1

Davo ..... That was racist!

@davothegreat9990

@@cocolade99marmie no, a realist!

@paulthomas3841

4y↑3

their not builders today ! !, all they think of is McDonald's, football, beer and watching Soaps, 🤮🤮🤮🤮

@cocolade99marmie

3y↑1

Paul.... Grow up no their not!

More Comments

just now