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About This Track
Tool's 'Ticks & Leeches' is an exercise in controlled fury. The song builds its argument through a single extended metaphor: those who exploit the artist's labour are parasites, feeding until there is nothing left to take. The language is direct and repetitive, hammering the image home across verses that cycle through variations on the same accusation. Maynard James Keenan's vocal delivery moves from measured complaint to something closer to a threat, the repeated refrain "I hope you choke" arriving not as hyperbole but as a statement of fact. What gives the song its force is the restraint underneath. The anger is real and specific, but it is processed rather than spilled. The song does not dissolve into unmitigated hatred; instead, it channels resentment into a kind of bitter clarity. By the final repetitions, the listener understands exactly what has been taken and what the cost has been. The song sits as the eighth track on Lateralus, a moment of confrontation before the album moves elsewhere.
"Ticks & Leeches" is a track by TOOL, from the album Lateralus, released 14th May 2001. The track is 8:10 long. It's filed under Metal. Full lyrics are available below. Dork has published 1 article about TOOL.
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