Ah you got me with the aw at the end.
Lateralus, as an album, is about resiliency. We will meet a challenge and need to keep pushing forward through the pain in order to grow. From the beginning with The Grudge, learning to let go of pain, through The Patient and even the title song, Lateralus, this is a journey of personal growth.
Yeah, but buying tickets to a Tool show is nearly impossible. I remember many tours sitting on ticketmaster with credit card in hand reedy to click go and BAM, sold out =(. Luckily I have still been able to see them a couple times.
to me, this song is about an existential conversation with the divine. the album is themed that way. thats why lyrics like “is this a test, it has to be, otherwise i cant go on”.
“I must keep reminding myself of this…” lyrical brilliance and my personal mantra since 2001. I’ve always interpreted this song to urge us to keep the faith, be patient, the miracle is right around the corner, just wait it out.
Can’t wait for H…
I actually think the double entendre is even deeper than you suggest. It’s not just about the patient requiring patience (in the most literal sense, Maynard’s mother); it’s also about the patience required of caretakers, especially in circumstances where the person’s condition is terminal or degenerative in some way. The magic of this song to me is how every single line applies equally to the perspective of his mother waiting out her own illness and eventual death, and Maynard’s patience watching her slowly deteriorate. Both consider giving up, both hang on because of some faith (hers religious, his in medicine or in her “seeing the light” that her religious faith has not helped her in any tangible sense), both driven by the promise of reward (hers salvation in heaven, his validation in his anger and acknowledgement that it was him and others who love her, not the church or Jesus, who stood by her side as she slowly withered away).
wow shes so quirky…
I always considered this song was a gift to his bandmates in a way of a reference to his commitment to the band , taking in consideration of how they felt about his new endeavor wth APC at that time & how I imagined that would have had to been a awkward conversation / topic looming at the forefront of finalizing this album process.
I’ve watched your posts,but I don’t forgive myself. My Mother died because of me not realizing one thing, between two Doctors. Communication equals suffering in some circumstances. I hate myself for not looking at the details and speaking outlawed
. It’s my fault as a son and a care giver
Lateralus is definitely the best album from any band I ever heard it’s not very close and I’m 50 years old
God I love this woman…
I wish my future Wife loves tool as much as you do 
The patient referenced both he and his mother I think
i watched this video 5 hours ago and now im in the emergency room ? as im writing im singing be patient …
You are one 
of us…
You are not suppose to see this song so much as an analytical mindset. This song is about many things. This song is very eastern spiritual/esoteric also. In zen there is a state of awareness called satori, or Samadhi in Hinduism. A lot of Tool’s work from this time reflect that. Most of this album was suppose to be a meditation. This song is also about the tedium of pushing through all of the stages of processing and letting go of deep set trauma and not always being able to. To be patient to wait it out. Because at the end of this “dark night of the soul” or “purification”, enlightenment is suppose to be the end of all of this, and then not knowing. Given the album that this is from, I think that is one aspect of this song. Third eye by tool is a good example. Maynard basically describes reaching a state of Samadhi and deep spiritual transformative experience. That is the reference of Maynard from that time period.
you are the best 
…
Oh my god you have been the light of the day
I mean TOOL are the best hands down, sorry to the swifties out there lol