TOOL 'Intolerance' EXPLAINED (Lyrics & Message Breakdown)

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TOOL — “Intolerance” — Song Meaning, Lyrics & Message Breakdown

If you’ve ever sensed that the first track on an album sets the emotional tone for everything that follows, “Intolerance” from Tool’s debut album Undertow hits like a gut punch. It drips with quiet rage, disillusionment, and the tension that bubbles beneath surface-level acceptance. Ready to explore what’s really simmering?

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A Doorway to Undertow

“Intolerance” opens the album Undertow, released in April 1993, introducing listeners to a world of raw feeling, spiritual wrestling, and emotional unrest. It’s the spark that ignites the chaos that unfolds. 

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Lyrics That Cut Deep

The song’s delivery is as chilling as its words. Fronted by haunting whispers and punctuated with seething crescendos, “Intolerance” delivers a narrative of suppressed frustration and silent judgment:

“I don’t want to be hostile. I don’t want to be dismal / But I don’t want to rot in an apathetic existence either…”

It captures that sticky conflict between wanting to remain polite…and not wanting to ignore the rot. 

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Themes Beneath the Surface

• Masking Moral Decay — Words like “Veil of virtue hung to hide your method” suggest surface-level goodness covering something corrupt.

• Patience Reaching Its Limit — “I tolerate you” rinse-repeats like a mantra. It’s not forgiving; it’s just barely holding on.

• Shared Responsibility — As fans note, the self-awareness in lines like “I am not innocent. You are not innocent. No one is innocent.” offers a hard mirror, not just pointing fingers outward. 

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Why It Still Echoes Today

Intolerance remains poignantly relevant because it captures the silent breakdown happening inside people who are done with shallow niceties—but aren’t yet ready to erupt. It’s not about overt conflict—it’s the pressure cooker beneath the calm.

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The Full Dive Awaits You

This tease only scratches the surface. MANBEARCOW TV’s video goes deeper—decoding each lyrical turn, connecting it to Tool’s early aesthetic, and unearthing why this track still stirs us decades later.

Watch now:
🎥 MANBEARCOW TV – TOOL ‘Intolerance’ EXPLAINED (Lyrics & Message Breakdown)

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