It’s time now
My time now
Give me my,
Give me my, Wings
Having grown up in a particularly religious family, one that didn’t encourage listening to rock music, hearing Tool’s brilliant lyrics and masterful musicality struck a cord from the first song I heard. However, their song “10,000 Days (Wings, Part 2)” that shook me to my core.
On the quad at the University of Redlands, I would belt out songs in the warm night air, when the campus was quiet save the echoes of my voice. So when I really listened to “10,000 Days” and sang the lyrics into the darkness, I was rapt with emotion; I felt the message in the song. While the song is about the lead singer’s mother, her piety, and her passing, the singer demands that she receives her wings. The somber tones and religious metaphors caused my voice to tremble as I sang the tune. Tears welled as the fast paced tempo, ethereal guitar, and driving drums demanded my presentness in the moment.
I remember this moment so vividly because I was at a turning point in my relationship with religion, sexuality, and life. This song opened up a pathway to healing myself and defining those relationships on my own terms. I didn’t have to ask for freedom, I could demand, “Give me my wings!”
– Richard Daily (Ph.D. Candidate)
