![Ben Kinder's truck shows the consequences impatient driving in the snow. It is better to take your time on the road and get to school safely rather than hurry and worry about your tardy. "Me and my sister were in a rush, and because the roads were so slippery, we crashed. If we had more time we could've drove [sic] slower," said Kinder.](https://mountainstar.lcsd2.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/IMG_4599-preview-1008x1200.jpg)
Not many bands pay attention to fine details like Tool does. In 2001 they released their magnum opus, Lateralus. In the title track, the band uses the Fibonacci Sequence in their time signatures, chords, and number of syllables.
The Fibonacci Sequence is a mathematical sequence that starts at 0, followed by 1. All the numbers after that are the sum of the previous two numbers: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, etc.
The sequence occurs in nature in things like the branching patterns in trees and leaves, the distribution of seeds in a raspberry, and the spiraled shape in hurricanes. The sequence is known as the golden ratio, and it is used in architecture and art. The Fibonacci spiral is often associated with balance, harmony, and perfection.
The singer for Tool, Maynard James Keenan, sings syllables in the first verse of the title song that follow the Fibonacci sequence, ascending and descending in the sequence 1-1-2-3-5-8-5-3. “Black (1), then (1), white are (2), all I see (3), in my infancy (5). Red and yellow then came to be (8), reaching out to me (5). Lets me see (3).”
In the next verse, Maynard begins with the seventh number of the Fibonacci sequence (13), implying a missing verse in between. The syllable count in the lyrics then descends back down with the following pattern; 13-8-5-3. “As below so above and beyond I imagine (13). Drawn beyond the lines of reason (8). Push the envelope (5). Watch it bend (3).” The second verse adds the missing line to complete the sequence; “There is (2), so (1), much (1), more that (2), beckons me (3), to look through to these (5), infinite possibilities (8).” (1-1-2-3-5-8-5-3-2-1-1-2-3-5-8-13-8-5-3.)
In Lateralus, the lyrics encourage the listener to “spiral out” and embrace an expanding, limitless view of the world—an idea tied to the infinite growth and beauty of the Fibonacci spiral.
The time signatures of the chorus of the song change from 9/8 to 8/8 to 7/8. When put together, they make 987, which is the 16th number of the Fibonacci sequence.
The song’s use of the Fibonacci spiral is what makes it so good because it appeals to what our brains think naturally sounds good.
