For the popular band, featuring Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan, see: A Perfect Circle.
Orestes
Perfect Circle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pull me into your perfect circle
One womb
One shape
One resolve
Liberate this will
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
The lyrics of Perfect Circle’s song “Orestes” are filled with metaphors and symbolism that make it open to various interpretations. The song can be seen as a plea for release, and a desire for peace and reconciliation. The opening lines, “Metaphor for a missing moment, Pull me into your perfect circle” could be interpreted as the yearning for a moment of clarity, a moment of pure understanding. The singer wants to be pulled into someone’s “perfect circle,” a space that is free of chaos and hostility where they can find peace.
The second verse of the song seems to reference the bond between a parent and child, “Gotta cut away, clear away, Snip away and sever this Umbilical residue that's Keeping me from killing you.” In this verse, the singer is expressing a desire to sever the connection between themselves and their mother or father. This connection is keeping them from experiencing peace, but at the same time, it is also keeping them from “killing” their parent. The singer is struggling to let go of this connection, but at the same time, they know that it is the only way they can find the release they crave.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase “One more medicated peaceful moment” twice. This repetition suggests that the singer is looking for a moment of respite from the turmoil that they are feeling. The final lines of the song, “Gotta cut away, clear away, Snip away and sever this Umbilical residue, Keeping me from killing you” bring us back to the central metaphor of the song. The singer is calling for a separation, a cutting away of the emotional ties that bind them and prevent them from finding peace.
Line by Line Meaning
Metaphor for a missing moment
The song represents a moment in time that has been lost or forgotten.
Pull me into your perfect circle
The singer wants to be lost in a perfect world where there's no pain, no anger, and no violence.
One womb
All humans come from the same source, mother nature.
One shape
All humans have the same basic physical appearance and are equal.
One resolve
All humans have the same destiny, to live and die.
Liberate this will
Set free the human will to help us find purpose and meaning in life.
To release us all
Allow humanity to be free from the constraints of society and politics.
Gotta cut away, clear away
The artist needs to remove the negative influence of someone else to be free.
Snip away and sever this
The artist wants to cut anything that's holding him back from being free.
Umbilical residue that's
The negative influence is compared to an umbilical cord that should be cut.
Keeping me from killing you
The singer is being held back from doing violence to someone else by the negative influence.
And from pulling you down with me in here
The person who has a negative influence is also being held back from being pulled down into the darkness.
I can almost hear you scream
The singer can almost hear the cries of the person holding him back.
One more medicated peaceful moment
The singer wants another moment of peace before succumbing to violent impulses.
And I don't wanna feel this overwhelming hostility
The singer wants to be free from anger and violence.
Gotta cut away, clear away
The artist needs to remove the negative influence of someone else to be free.
Snip away and sever this
The artist wants to cut anything that's holding him back from being free.
Umbilical residue
The negative influence is compared to an umbilical cord that should be cut.
Keeping me from killing you
The singer is being held back from doing violence to someone else by the negative influence.
Keeping me from killing you
The artist is being held back from doing violence to someone else by the negative influence.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Billy Howerdel, Maynard James Keenan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind