Rosetta Stoned

{{Short description|2006 song by Tool}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Rosetta Stoned

| cover =

| alt =

| type =

| artist = Tool

| album = 10,000 Days

| released = April 28, 2006

| format =

| recorded = August–December 2005

| studio =

| venue =

| genre =

• Progressive metal
• experimental metal

| length = 11:12

| label =

• Tool Dissectional
• Volcano

| writer =

• Danny Carey
• Justin Chancellor
• Adam Jones
• Maynard James Keenan

| producer = Tool

}}

{{Wikiquote}}

"Rosetta Stoned" is a song by American rock band Tool. It was released on April 28, 2006, as the eighth track off their fourth studio album, 10,000 Days.

Structurally, the song contains complex fast-to-slow drum fills, performed by the band's drummer Danny Carey.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bJGsMxYZf3MC&dq=%22rosetta+stoned%22&pg=PA26|title=On the Beaten Path Progressive Rock: The Drummer's Guide to the Genre and the Legends Who Defined It|last=Lachowski|first=Rich|publisher=Alfred Music Publishing|year=2008|accessdate=December 1, 2012|isbn=978-0739056714|page=26}} The song uses 4/4, 5/8, 5/4, 9/8, 11/8, 3/4, and 6/4 time signatures{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vRgI4W_dN5IC&dq=%22rosetta+stoned%22&pg=PA105|title=The Total Rock Bassist: A Fun and Comprehensive Overview of Rock Bass Playing|last=Bennett|first=Dan|publisher=Alfred Music Publishing|year=2008|accessdate=December 1, 2012|isbn=978-0739052693|page=105}} and is characterized by its aggressive riffs.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dA_V2mbPiecC&dq=rosetta+stoned&pg=PT67|title=Unleashed: The Story of Tool|author=McIver, Joel|year=2012|author-link=Joel McIver|publisher=Music Sales Group|accessdate=December 1, 2012|isbn=978-0857120403}} The song also features unconventional percussion instruments{{cite web|url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/6669/Tool-10%2C000-Days/|title=Tool 10,000 Days|last=Butler|first=Nick|website=Sputnikmusic|date=May 3, 2006|accessdate=December 1, 2012}} and polyrhythms.{{cite journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OXNLAAAAYAAJ&q=%22rosetta+stoned%22|others=the University of Virginia|title=Mojo, Issues 150-153|publisher=EMAP Performance Limited|publication-date=2006|issue=150–153|date=22 Jan 2010|accessdate=1 Dec 2012}}

The name of the song is a reference to the Rosetta Stone. Lyrically, the song deals with a man's encounter with aliens, spiritual realizations, and his state of a coma after a DMT trip.{{cite magazine|url=http://drownedinsound.com/releases/7412/reviews/828662-?search|title=Tool - 10,000 Days|last=Cowen|first=Nick|magazine=Drowned in Sound|date=May 12, 2006|accessdate=December 1, 2012|archive-date=November 4, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104012844/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/7412/reviews/828662-?search|url-status=dead}} The song is written in a stream of consciousness style.

The preceding track on the album, "Lost Keys (Blame Hofmann)" serves as a conceptually synchronized prologue for the song. It depicts a conversation between a patient (Albert Hofmann), a nurse and a doctor (R. Gordon Wasson), which occurs after the event in "Rosetta Stoned".

The song generally received positive reviews from critics. It was also praised for its arranging and performances, especially due to Danny Carey's "multi-limbed" percussion skills and creative drumming.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/tool_10000_days/|title=Tool: 10,000 Days|last=Begrand|first=Adrien|date=May 5, 2012|accessdate=December 1, 2012|magazine=PopMatters}} Critics also likened the song to The Grateful Dead's works. The similarities between this song and another Tool song, "Third Eye," also have been noted. Nick Cowen from Drowned in Sound gave a positive review to the song, appreciating its narration, intense mood, and guitar work. The song was also musically compared to an extensive jam.