Prison Sex Lyrics
It took so long to remember just what happened
I was so young and vestal then
You know it hurt me
But I'm breathing so I guess I'm still alive
Even if signs seem to tell me otherwise
Got my hands bound
And my head down and my eyes closed
My throat's wide open
[Refrain]
Do unto others what has been done to me
Do unto others what has been done to you
[Verse 2]
I'm treading water
I need to sleep a while
My lamb and martyr, you look so precious
Won't you, won't you come on a bit closer?
Close enough so I can smell you
I need you to feel this
I can't stand to burn too long
Release in sodomy
For one sweet moment I am whole
[Refrain]
Do unto you now what has been done to me
Do unto you now what has been done
You're breathing so I guess you're still alive
Even if signs seem to tell me otherwise
Won't you, won't you come on a bit closer?
Close enough so I can smell you
I need you to feel this
I need this to make me whole
Release in sodomy
Have you witnessed that blood and flesh can't be trusted?
Have you witnessed that blood and flesh can't be trusted?
And only this one holy medium brings me peace of mind
[Verse 4]
Got your hands bound
And your head down
And your eyes closed
You look so precious now
[Bridge]
I have found some kind of temporary sanity in this
Shit, blood, and cum on my hands
I've come 'round full circle
[Outro]
My lamb and martyr, this will be over soon
You look so precious, you look so precious
You look so precious, you look so precious
You look so precious now
You look so precious
About
With introspection that Maynard seems to bring to the table almost constantly, “Prison Sex” addresses the psychological, almost procedural impact of abuse on its victims.
The song seems to alternate between the perspective of the abuser and the perspective of the victim. With the differing wording, it brings out both the paralyzing fear expressed by the victim and the twisted mentality of the abuser. In fact, Maynard James Keenan discussed these different interpretations of the song in a 1994 interview with the San Francisco Chronicle.
Q: The “Prison Sex” video seemed to strike a chord with just about everyone who saw it. What are your impressions of the clip?
A: In a lot of the music you’ll find open spaces for your own interpretation. In the “Prison Sex” video you question whether the song is actually being sung from an infant’s point of view, or from the antagonist’s point of view. But there’s definitely a cycle involved, a push-and-pull.
Although it can be metaphorically translated to match different forms of abuse, the theme in this song revolves around the rape and sexual assault of a young child. The song, as well as its music video, has been the source of a significant amount of controversy due to its symbolic depictions of child abuse and sexual assault: it was pulled from MTV’s rotation after only a few rotations. However, it was still nominated for the 1995 MTV Video Award for Best Special Effects.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Before a live performance of the song, Maynard James Keenan provided a little bit of insight into the purpose behind the song:
This song is about recognizing, identifying, the cycle of abuse within yourself. That’s the first step of the process: realization; identifying. The next step is to work through it. But this song is about the first step in the process, which is recognizing.
Adam Jones, the main creative director behind the video, has stated that the video and song depict:
[…] the involuntary circle of retribution caused by molestation.
The music video, which generated a significant amount of controversy, is a stop-motion animation depicting the same child abuse themes evident in the song.
Although many critics were approving of the creativity, animation skill, and symbolism expressed in the video, MTV pulled it after only a few showings.
Adam Jones, Tool’s guitarist, was the main creative force behind the video. In a December 1994 interview, he explained the creative idea behind the video:
The video is about someone who is sexually molested as a child, yet puts it out his mind because of the trauma. When he’s older, he releases this hidden trauma by sexually molesting a child himself. The video is a surrealistic interpretation of the involuntary circle of retribution caused by molestation.
In a way, it could be, but the song is mostly just about abuse in general and how it’s a cycle in which the abused eventually becomes the abuser out of trauma.
- 1.Intolerance
- 2.Prison Sex
- 3.Sober
- 4.Bottom
- 5.Crawl Away
- 6.Swamp Song
- 7.Undertow
- 8.4°
- 9.Flood
- 10.Disgustipated