To date, the band has released five studio albums, one EP and one box set. They emerged with a heavy metal sound on their first studio album, Undertow (1993), and became a dominant act in the alternative metal movement with the release of their follow-up album Ænima in 1996. Their efforts to unify musical experimentation, visual arts, and a message of personal evolution continued with Lateralus (2001) and 10,000 Days (2006), gaining critical acclaim and international commercial success. Their fifth studio album, Fear Inoculum, was released on August 30, 2019, to widespread critical acclaim. Prior to its release, the band had sold more than 13 million albums in the US alone.
Due to Tool's incorporation of visual arts and very long and complex releases, the band is generally described as a style-transcending act and part of progressive rock, psychedelic rock, and art rock. The relationship between the band and today's music industry is ambivalent, at times marked by censorship, and the band's insistence on privacy.
There is a raging debate about whether Tool can be considered "post-metal" or not. However, they surely had a hand in its creation as much as Neurosis. The influential act Isis was heavily influenced by Tool's music, so much that they lifted entire basslines and guitar riffing from Tool and even their iconic snare sound was inspired by Tool's style. Much has been made of both Isis and Tool's sound and influence across the years but one thing is sure, modern post-metal has their fingerprints everywhere and it would not have sounded this way without them. Additionally, Tool actually was aware of and liked Isis' music as they chose Isis as touring partners, a move that brought even more attention to Isis' music.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tool_(band)
Studio albums
Undertow (1993)
Ænima (1996)
Lateralus (2001)
10,000 Days (2006)
Fear Inoculum (2019)
Stranglehold
Tool Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a dog in heat
Tell it's me by the clamor now, baby
I like to tear up the street
And I been smokin' for so long
Ya know I'm here to stay
Got you in a stranglehold, baby
You best get outta the way
Road I cruise is a bitch now baby
But no, you can't turn me round
And if a house gets in my way, baby
Ya know I'm tearing it down
You ran the night that you left me
You put me in my place
I got you in a stranglehold, baby
Then I crushed your face.
Sometimes you wanna start higher
And sometimes you gotta start low
Some people think they gonna die someday
I got news, ya never got to go
C'mon, c'mon up...
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon baby
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon up
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon baby
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon
Road I cruise is a bitch now
Ya know ya can't turn me round
And if a house gets in my way
Ya know I'm burnin' it down
Ya ran the night that you left me
You put me in my place
I got you in a stranglehold, baby
Then I crushed your face.
The lyrics of Tool's "Stranglehold" seem to be about someone who is determined to make their way in life, no matter the obstacle in front of them. The metaphor of a dog in heat tearing up the street suggests that the singer is going full steam ahead and stopping at nothing to get what they want. The line, "Got you in a stranglehold, baby, you best get outta the way" then implies that there is someone in their path who they have no qualms about steamrolling over if they have to.
The rest of the song re-emphasizes this idea of plowing through anything in their way, even if it means tearing down houses. The line "You put me in my place, I got you in a stranglehold, baby, then I crushed your face" suggests that the singer has already gone through another obstacle and come out on top.
The chorus "C'mon baby, c'mon up" encourages this sense of determination and aggression, that no matter what comes your way, you need to keep fighting until you get what you want. The final lines then add a sense of existentialism, saying that some people think they're going to die someday but "I got news, ya never got to go," implying that there's always something to keep fighting for.
Line by Line Meaning
Here I come again now, baby
The singer is returning, likely after being gone for some time.
Like a dog in heat
The singer is coming back with a lot of energy and intensity.
Tell it's me by the clamor now, baby
People will know the singer is coming because of all the noise he's making.
I like to tear up the street
The singer enjoys causing chaos and destruction wherever he goes.
And I been smokin' for so long
The singer has been using drugs for a long time and it has become a part of his life.
Ya know I'm here to stay
The singer is not leaving again anytime soon.
Got you in a stranglehold, baby
The singer has power and control over someone, likely a romantic partner.
You best get outta the way
The singer's power is strong and whoever he has control over should stay away from him.
Road I cruise is a bitch now baby
The path the singer is taking is difficult and unpleasant.
But no, you can't turn me round
The obstacles on the path won't stop the singer.
And if a house gets in my way, baby
The singer will destroy anything that gets in his way.
Ya know I'm tearing it down
The singer will destroy whatever obstacles come his way.
You ran the night that you left me
The person who the singer has power over left him in the past.
You put me in my place
The person who left the singer made him feel powerless in the past.
Then I crushed your face.
The singer got revenge on the person who made him feel powerless by exerting power and violence over them.
Sometimes you wanna start higher
Sometimes people strive for success and greatness.
And sometimes you gotta start low
Sometimes people have to start small and work their way up to achieve success.
Some people think they gonna die someday
Some people believe they will die at some point.
I got news, ya never got to go
The singer is suggesting that even though people may die physically, they can still live on in the impact they have on the world.
C'mon, c'mon up...
The singer is urging someone to come up to his level.
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon baby
The singer is encouraging someone to come towards him.
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon up
The singer is encouraging someone to come up to his level.
Ya know ya can't turn me round
No one can stop the singer from achieving his goals.
Ya know I'm burnin' it down
The singer is willing to destroy everything in his path to achieve his goals.
Contributed by Madison B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mostafa Hossain Tuhin
Here I come again now baby
Like a dog in heat
Tell it's me by the clamor now baby
I like to tap the streets
Now I've been smoking for so long
You know I'm here to stay
Got you in a stranglehold baby
You best get out of the way
The road I cruise is a bitch now baby
You know you can't turn me 'round
And if a house gets in my way baby
You know I'll burn it down
You remember the night that you left me
You put me in my place
Got you in a stranglehold baby
You're gone, I crushed your face
Yeah, sometimes you want to get higher
A sometimes you gotta start low
Some people think they gonna die someday
I got news you never got to go old
Come on, come on up
Come on, come on up
Come on, come on up
Come on, come on up
Come on, come on baby
Come on, come on, come on, come on up
Come on, come on, come on, come on baby
Come on, come on, come on
The road I cruise is a bitch now baby
You know you can't turn me 'round
Yeah and if a house gets in my way
You know I'll burn it down
You remember the night that you left me
You put me in my place
I got you in a stranglehold baby
Last night I crushed your face
socio sanch
Tool has a way of doing a cover yet making it sound like an original by them. Perfect.
cup
that should be the goal of a cover imo. To change it into something new, rather than copy the original.
to be fair, people like Max Niessl and LeoBassCovers serve a great purpose by transcribing songs to the exact, finest details in order to help others learn, but I think beyond that official covers should attempt to twist and redefine the original song. A great example of this is "sounds" cover of Black Hole Sun. Completely different style, but the same underlying concept
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXT3ZDbKaik
Elijah Deutsch
Facts!!! Have you heard there spasm cover
Theepie
No no
Mike Hunt
Everyone band does that.. it’s called a cover
None Ya
No Quarter is better than the Zep version. I’m not afraid to say it
PS2freak11223
ya know what... I think I'd be happy if Tool just released a cover album.. like I could survive another 10,000 days with just a cover album...
gredangeo
+PS2freak11223 I really wished they did that during this downtime of their's. Just release SOMETHING.
Noah Huguenin
Heheheh
Norman Breau
One more day....