The Count Of Tuscany

The Count Of Tuscany
album: "Black Clouds & Silver Linings" (2009)
[Music by Petrucci, Portnoy, Rudess and Myung, Lyrics by John Petrucci]




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Several years ago...In a foreign town
Far away from home...I met the Count of Tuscany

A young eccentric man...Bred from royal blood
Took me for a ride....Across the open countryside

Get into my car....Let's go for a drive
Along the way...I'll be your guide
Just step inside

Maybe you recall.....A cannibal curator
A character inspired by my brother's life

Winding through the hills
The city far behind...On and on we drove
Down narrow streets and dusty roads

At last we came upon....A picturesque estate
On sprawling emerald fields
An ancient world of times gone by

Let me introduce....My brother
A bearded gentleman...Historian
Sucking on his pipe....Distinguished accent
Making me uptight.....No accident

I.. I want to stay alive  Everything about this place
Just doesn't feel right  I don't want to die
Suddenly I'm frightened for my life

I want to say goodbye   This could be the last time
You see me alive
I-I may not survive
Knew it from the moment we arrived

Would you like to see   Our secret holy place?
I come here late at night
To pray to him by candle light

Then peering through the glass
I saw with disbelief
Still dressed in royal clothes
The saint behind the altar

History recalls
During times of war
Legend has been traced
Back inside these castle walls

Where soldiers came to hide
In barrels filled with wine
Never to escape
These tombs of oak are where they died

Down the cellar stairs
I disappear
Like the English heir
The end is near

Come and have a taste
A rare vintage
All the finest wines
Improve with age

I want to stay alive
Everything about this place
Just doesn't feel right
I
I don't want to die
Suddenly I'm frightened for my life

I want to say goodbye
This could be the last time
You see me alive

I
I may not survive
Knew it from the moment we arrived

Could this be the end?
Is this the way I die?
Sitting here alone
No one by my side

I don't understand
I don't feel that I deserve this
What did I do wrong?
I just don't understand

Give me one more chance
Let me please explain
It's all been circumstance
I'll tell you once again

You took me for a ride
Promising a vast adventure
Next thing that I know
I'm frightened for my life

Now wait a minute man
That's not how it is
You must be confused
That isn't who I am

Please don't be afraid
I would never try to hurt you
This is how we live
Strange although it seems
Please try to forgive

The chapel and the saint
The soldiers and the wine
The fables and the tales
All handed down through time

Of course you're free to go
Go and tell the world my story
Tell about my brother
Tell them about me
The Count of Tuscany...

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The Best Of Times

The Best Of Times
album: "Black Clouds & Silver Linings" (2009)
[Music by Petrucci, Portnoy, Rudess and Myung, Lyrics by Mike Portnoy]




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Remember days of yesterday
How it flew so fast
The two score and a year we had,
I thought it would always last

Those summer days and west coast dreams
I wished would never end
A young boy and his father,
Idol and best friend

I'll always remember
Those were the best of times
A lifetime together
I'll never forget

The morning shows on the radio
The case of the missing dog
Lying on the pillows at the old 812
Watching Harold and Maude
The record shops, the stickball fields
My home away from home
And when we weren't together
The hours on the phone

I'll always remember
Those were the best of times
I'll cherish them forever
The best of times

But then came the call
Our lives changed forever more
"You can pray for a change
But prepare for the end..."

The fleeting winds of time
Flying through each day
All the things I should've done
But time just slipped away
Remember seize the day
Life goes by in the blink of an eye
With so much left to say

These were the best of times
I'll miss these days
Your spirit lit my life each day

Thank you for the inspiration
Thank you for the smiles
All the unconditional love
That carried me for miles
It carried me for miles
But most of all thank you for my life

These were the best of times
I'll miss these days
Your spirit lit my life each day
My heart is bleeding bad
But I'll be OK
Your spirit guides my life each day

[In Loving Memory of Howard Portnoy 1940-2009]

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The Shattered Fortress

The Shattered Fortress
album: "Black Clouds & Silver Linings" (2009)
[Music by Petrucci, Portnoy, Rudess and Myung, Lyrics by Mike Portnoy]




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[X. Restraint]

Freedom calls my name
Serenity keeps me sane
Happiness -- it dulls the pain

Honest to see my place
Open to other ways
Willingness to understand

Justice but do not judge
Courtesy for others' flaws
Kindness -- it's not that hard

Self-restraint of tongue and pen
Inventory -- my daily friend
Analysis let down your guard

Look in the mirror
What do you see?
The shattered fortress
That once bound me

Faithful ascent, through darkest fires
I've found the path to take me higher

You're smart enough for me to trust go live your life now
Just keep these steps in your life and you'll know how
If you're not sure, ask yourself,
"Have I done to them as I would have them do to me?"

Look in the mirror
What's that you see?
The shattered fortress
Fly now be free

Faithful ascent, through darkest fires
I've found the path to take me higher

I once thought it better to be right
But now I have finally seen the light
Sometimes you've got to be wrong
And learn from mistakes
I live with serenity now
Not self-righteous hate

[XI. Receive]

(Help me be a channel of Thy peace
That where there is hatred, I may bring love;
That where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness;
That where there is discord, I may bring harmony;
That where there is error, I may bring truth;
That where there is doubt, I may bring faith)

Now that you can see all you have done
(That where there is despair, I may bring hope;
That where there are shadows, I may bring light)

It's time to take that step into the kingdom
(That where there is sadness, I may bring joy)

All your sins will help to make you strong
(That I may seek rather to comfort, than to be comforted.
That I may seek to understand than to be understood)

And help you break right through the prison wall
(That I may seek to love, rather than to be loved,
for it is by self-forgetting that one finds,
it is by forgiving that one is forgiven)

Keep all of me,
The desires that once burned me deep inside
Help me live today
And help to give me grace
To carry out your way

I am ready, help me be all I can be
I am ready, help guide me and keep me free

[XII. Responsible]

I am responsible when anyone, anywhere
Reaches out for help, I want my hand to be there
I am responsible when anyone, anywhere
Reaches out for help, I want my hand to be there

[Dedicated to Bill W. and all of his friends]

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Wither

Wither
album: "Black Clouds & Silver Linings" (2009)
[Music & Lyrics by John Petrucci]




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Let it out, let it out  Feel the empty space
So insecure  Find the words...And let it out

Staring down, staring down
Nothing comes to mind  Find the place
Turn the water into wine

But I feel I'm getting nowhere
And I'll never see the end

So I wither...And render myself helpless
I give in...And everything is clear
I breakdown...And let the story guide me

Turn it on...Turn it on   Let the feelings flow
Close your eyes...See the ones you used to know
Open up open up...Don't struggle to relate
Lure it out...Help the memory escape
Still this barrenness consumes me
And I feel like giving up

So I wither...And render myself helpless
I give in....And everything is clear
I breakdown   And let the story guide me

I wither...And give myself away
Like reflections on the page
The world's what you create

I drown in hesitation  My words come crashing down
And all my best creations   Burning to the ground
The thought of starting over   Leaves me paralyzed
Tear it out again...Another one that got away

I wither...And render myself helpless
I give in....And everything is clear

I wither....And render myself helpless
I give in....And everything is clear
I breakdown   And let the story guide me
I wither....And give myself away

Like reflections on the page
The world's what you create

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A Rite Of Passage

A Rite Of Passage
album: "Black Clouds & Silver Linings" (2009)
[Music by Petrucci, Portnoy, Rudess and Myung, Lyrics by John Petrucci]




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Since the new world order..Played upon our fears
Spreading accusations...Of radical ideas

The brotherhood of wisdom..Strength and dignity
Its rituals and secrets...Remain a mystery

Beneath an ever watchful eye
The angels of the temple fly

Turn the key Walk through the gate
The great ascent To reach a higher state
A rite of passage

The final stage  A sacred home
Unlock the door  And lay the corner stone
A rite of passage

Men of wealth and power
Influence and fame
Philosophers and leaders
All members of the trade

Bound by oath and honor
Like the rose and cross
An enigmatic union
Of esoteric thought

Beneath an ever watchful eye
The angels of the temple fly

Turn the key..Walk through the gate
The great ascent...To reach a higher state
A rite of passage

The final stage...A sacred home
Unlock the door...And lay the corner stone
A rite of passage

Turn the key...Walk through the gate
The great ascent....To reach a higher state
A rite of passage

The seven stars...The rising sun
A perfect world...Where new life has begun
A rite of passage

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A Nightmare To Remember

A Nightmare To Remember
album: "Black Clouds & Silver Linings" (2009)
[Music by Petrucci, Portnoy, Rudess and Myung, Lyrics by John Petrucci]




* Next Song

A nightmare to remember...I'd never be the same.
What began as laughter...So soon would turn to pain.
The sky was clear and frigid....The air was thick and still
Now I'm not one to soon forget...And I bet I never will

Picture for a moment...The perfect irony
A flawless new beginning...Eclipsed by tragedy.
The uninvited stranger...Started dancing on his own
So we said goodbye....To the glowing bride
And we made our way back home.

Life was so simple then.....We were so innocent.
Father and mother.....Holding each other.

Without warning....Out of nowhere
Like a bullet.....From the night
Crushing Glass....Rubber and steel
Scorching fire.....Glowing lights
Screams of terror....Pain and Fear

Sounds of sirens....Smoke in my eyes
Sudden stillness.....Blackened silence
No more screaming....No more cries

Stunned and bewildered....Cold and afraid
Torn up and broken....Frightened and dazed

Stunned and bewildered...Cold and afraid
Torn up and broken....Frightened and dazed

Lying on the table....In this unfamiliar place
I'm greeted by a stranger....A man without a face
He said, "Son, do you remember?
Do you even know your name?"
Then he shined a light into my eyes
And said, "take this for the pain."

Hopelessly drifting,....Bathing in beautiful agony.
I am endlessly falling,....Lost in this wonderful misery.
In peaceful sedation, I lay half awake
And all of the panic inside starts to fade.
Hopelessly drifting,.....Bathing in beautiful agony.

"Tell me does this hurt you?"
Said the faceless man....."Can you move all of your fingers?
Can you try your best to stand?"
I asked about the others...Is everyone OK?
He told me not to worry....As he turned and looked away.

Hopelessly drifting,...Bathing in beautiful agony.
I am endlessly falling,...Lost in this wonderful misery.
In peaceful sedation, I lay half awake
And all of the panic inside starts to fade.
Hopelessly drifting,....Bathing in beautiful agony.

Day after day.....And night after night
Replaying the events....Did they ever see the red light?

Over and over...Scene by scene
Like a recurring nightmare haunting my dreams.
How can you prepare for what would happen next?
No son should ever have to see his father such a mess
It's a miracle he lived...It's a blessing no one died
By the Grace of God above...Everyone survived

Life was so simple then....We were so innocent.
It will stay with us forever...A nightmare to remember

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In The Presence Of Enemies, Pt. 2

In The Presence Of Enemies, Pt. 2
album: "Systematic Chaos" (2007)
[Music: Dream Theater / Lyrics: John Petrucci]




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[III. Heretic]

Welcome tired pilgrim...Into the circle
We have been waiting

Everyone's gathered...for your arrival
All the believers

Angels fall...all for you
heretic...Demon heart...bleed for us

I've been waiting for you,
Weary preacher man
You have been expected
Now we can begin
Let this hollowed Day of Judgment reign

I have known you father
And your sacred quest
Blessed soldier fighting
You shall never rest
I have known you but do you know me?

Angels fall....all for you
heretic.....Demon heart....bleed for us

(My soul is yours Dark Master, I will fight for you)

Dark Master within, I will fight for you
Dark Master of sin, now my soul is yours
Dark Master, my guide, I will die for you
Dark Master inside…

I cannot see his face.....But I could feel his spite
A presence from the dead....Abandoned by the light
This shadow will consume him...from within

This power that I sense....The rage behind those eyes
Is just a shrouded ghost.....A spirit sealed inside
The body and the soul both threats
For they are one

Angels fall....all for you
heretic.....Demon heart....bleed for us

(My soul is yours Dark Master, I will fight for you)

Dark Master within, I will fight for you
Dark Master of sin, now my soul is yours
Dark Master, my guide, I will die for you
Dark Master inside…
Dark Master, amen, I belong to you
Dark Master within…

Heil! Heil! Heil! Heil!
Heil! Heil! Heil! Heil!

[IV. The Slaughter of The Damned]

Don't
Bother trying to find them
They will be coming to you
Fight,
Fight and destroy until you can't take anymore

Slay
Spill the blood of the rebels
They are the children of hell
Flesh,
Of the undead
Stopping at nothing to kill

Sin,
Caught in a moment of weakness
Committed the greatest of all
Sold,.....Half of my soul.....And now it's too late for you

I judge us...my eyes see
I judge and I am just
For I speak of the beast
That lives in all of us

Unwelcome ones
your time has come

Lord,
You are my god and my shepherd
Nothing more shall I want
Walk,
Through the abyss
Into the shadow of death

Fear,
There is no evil to fear now
For I know you are with me
My,
Cup overflows
With my enemy's blood

I,
Decay in the house of the lord
Forever, amen
Death,
Will follow me
All the days of my life

I judge us
my eyes see
I judge and I am just
For I speak of the beast
That lives in all of us
Unwelcome ones
your time has come

Servants of the fallen
Fight to pave the way
For their savior's calling
On this wicked day

Through a veil of madness
With a vicious play
One man rises up
Standing in their way

It's time for your reckoning

[V. The Reckoning ]

[Instrumental]

[VI. Salvation]

My soul grows weaker
He knows and he waits
He watches over me
Standing at the infernal gates
In the hour of darkness
The moment I feared has passed
The moment I lost my faith
Promising salvation
My soul is my own now
I do not fight for you
Dark Master

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The Ministry Of Lost Souls

The Ministry Of Lost Souls
album: "Systematic Chaos" (2007)
[Music: Dream Theater / Lyrics: John Petrucci]




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The water's edge....Is where she waits
Lost soul still wandering...Meant to die
But she's stuck not crossing over

The other side...Is where he waits
His spirit reaching out...Meant to save
But she's too scared....to take his hand

Living in a world without you...(drowning in the past)
Is living in no world at all...So now I call on you

Remember me?.....I gave you life
You would not take it....Your suffering
was all in vain....It's almost over now
Don't turn your back on paradise

Feeling scared, she's prepared
To give up everything
She can't stand
to feel like half of her is fading

He will choose....the only way
To rid her of her pain....Take her soul now
The decision has been made

Living in a world without love
(a burden to my soul)
Is living in a worthless world
So I will call on you...

Remember me?.....I gave you life
You would not take it....Your suffering
was all in vain....It's almost over
Remember me?....You were so young
How could I tell you?....Remember me?
I am the one....Who saved your life that night

I was the one....who would not abandon you
Even in death....I was the one
who would not leave you...I used my freedom to protect you
And all the while direct you....Do you remember me this time?
Even in death I gave you life...I gave you life

I wanted to deserve a place...A place beside you
This time when I reached out my hand
It reached all the way to heaven

Remember me?....I gave you life
You would not take it....Your suffering
was all in vain....It's almost over now
Goodbye....It's almost over now
Goodbye.

It's time
I release you from this life
Don't turn your back on paradise

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Prophets Of War

Prophets Of War
album: "Systematic Chaos" (2007)
[Music: Dream Theater / Lyrics: James LaBrie]




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It burns deep down inside of me,
We have ourselves to blame.
Not questioning, accepted as the truth.

Debate this fight it's just cause
The facts do not support theirs
To liberate a people
And rid them of tyrant rule

Is it time to make a change?
Are we closer than before?
Can we help them break away?
Are we profiting from war?

It's time to make a change.

Intrigued
Got your attention - deceived
Since the inception - our brave
Fight for what reason

Compelled
Can we clean up this mess?
The loss of loved ones
A perverse request
They continue the same rhetoric
These derelicts that profit
Win or lose

Is it time to make a change?
Are we closer than before?
Can we help them break away?
Are we profiting from war?
It's time to make a change

Time for change
Fight the fear
Find the truth
Time for change

The only thing
That I believe
Will help us see this through is faith.
Pray they will forgive,
Forgive our arrogance,
So we can make it right,
Right what they have wronged.

See you sweat
Unexpected, controversial
Get used to it
Things are gonna get personal
Your sympathy
A pitiful display you stutter
Your empathy
Means nothing if there is no honor
Responsible
Of this you are incapable
We implicate
Incriminate - Exacerbate - Too much at stake

Our Fathers, Mothers
Sisters, Brothers
Sons and Daughters
Forced
Perpetuating their ideals
A mindless act
To stay the course

Is it time to make a change?
Are we closer than before?
Can we help them break away?
Are we profiting from war?

Is it time to make a change?
Are we closer than before?
Can we help them break away?
Are we profiting from war?
Is it time to make a change?
A change from what it's been
Can we help them break away?
Is our patience wearing thin?
It's time to make a change

Time for change
Fight the fear
Find the truth
Time for change

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Repentance

Repentance
album: "Systematic Chaos" (2007)
[Music: Dream Theater / Lyrics: Mike Portnoy]




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[VIII Regret]
Hello, mirror, so glad to see you my friend
It's been a while...

Staring at the empty page before me
All the years of wreckage running through my head
Patterns of my life I thought adorned me
Revealing hurtful shame and deep lament

Overwhelming sorrow now absorbs me
As the pen begins to trace my darkest past
Signs throughout my life
that should have warned me
Of all the wrongs I've done for which I must repent

I once thought it better to regret
Things that I have done than haven't
Sometimes you've got to be wrong
And learn the hard way
And sometimes you've got to be strong
When you think it's too late

Staring at the finished page before me
All the damage now so clear and evident
Thinking about the dreaded task in store for me
A pit of fear at the thought of my amends

Hoping that this step will help restore me
To face my past and ask for forgiveness
Cleaning up my dirty side of this unswept street
Could this be the beginning of the end?

I once thought it better to regret
Things that I have done than haven't
Sometimes you've got to be wrong
And learn the hard way
And just when you're through hanging on
You're saved

[IX Restitution]

"Until that moment, I'd never felt like I'd failed at anything...
And I felt like I failed her...And I failed myself,
and I failed my children...It's still really hard to deal with."

"I want to thank you for helping me to see my own
selfishness and to tell you how regretful I am it has hurt you."

"I'm sorry I didn't visit you in the hospital, Grandpa when you
were on your deathbed. I'm sorry I didn't come to your funeral...
I don't know if I was selfish or just too scared to face it.
It's one of the biggest regrets of my life."

"I'm here to confess with you that what I did, was wrong...
And I'm asking for your forgiveness..."

"The only unforgivable thing hauls itself out of bed, looks
over my shoulder at the bloody English weather..."

"I really regret not being able to see my friend Andy..."

"One of my best friends who's the godfather of my daughter,
 he asked me to sing or play something at his wedding, and
I turned it down because I was busy and too much of a chicken
shit to do it...And I feel sorry for that, because it was a very
very close friend of mine..."

"So, I wanted to apologize to anyone that I've upset or offended..
they're just words, it's just an opinion, but unfortunately,
I tend to express it as a fact, and that's kind of arrogant. Isn't it?"

"I think it's the betrayal...it still haunts me."

"I'm sorry for what I did back then... I was a different person.
 I really was and I'm so sorry. I wish it wouldn't have happened,

but it did, and I'm sorry. Forgive me. I'm sorry..."
"I guess I'm simply sorry for being me and not you.
I so often wish you could be here with me to show me the way..."

If we are painstaking about this phase of our development,
we will be amazed before we are half way through.
We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.
We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace.

No matter how far down the scale we have gone,
we will see how our experience can benefit others.
That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear.
We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.

Self seeking will slip away.
Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.
We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.
We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what
we could not do for ourselves.

Are these extravagant promises? We think not.
They are being fulfilled among us - sometimes quickly,
sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them.

"You're only as sick as your secrets, but the truth shall set you free..."

"The truth is the truth and the only thing you can do is to live with it."

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The Dark Eternal Night

The Dark Eternal Night
album: "Systematic Chaos" (2007)
[Music: Dream Theater, Lyrics: John Petrucci]




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No one dared to Speak of the terrible danger
The hideous ancient warnings
Forged in the void of night

He has risen up...Out of the blackness
Chaos....The last of the prophets
Sinister....A sickening monstrous sight

Through the stifling heat...
Underneath the pale green moon
I burned with a thirst
To seek things not yet seen

Climbing endless stairs
Leading to the choking room
Eager to explore
His most shocking mysteries

Drifting beyond all time
Out of a churning sky
Drawn to the beckoning light
Of the dark eternal night

Black forces...Rage in the vortex,
Fighting.....Waves of destruction
Swallowing...The echo of the universe

I am the last
Born of the blood of the pharaohs
The ultimate god of a rotting creation
Sent to unleash this curse

Restless crowds draw near
Nameless hooded forms appear
Amidst fallen ruins
Grotesque creatures battle

Shadowed on a screen
Yellow evil faces leer
Vacant monuments
Corpses of dead worlds left behind

Drifting beyond all time
Out of a churning sky
Drawn to the beckoning light
Of the dark eternal night

Trapped in a hellish dream
Spinning past worlds unseen
And frightfully vanishing
Into the dark eternal night

Drifting beyond all time
Out of a churning sky
Drawn to the beckoning light
Of the dark eternal night

Trapped in a hellish dream
Spinning past worlds unseen
And frightfully vanishing
Into the dark eternal night

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Constant Motion

Constant Motion
album: "Systematic Chaos" (2007)
[Music: Dream Theater / Lyrics: Mike Portnoy]




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Tunnel vision at blinding speed
Controlling my thoughts, obsessing me
Void of any uncertainty....Throughout my very soul

Lost illusions of mind control
Resisting all hope of letting go
Racing impulse of dark desire
Drives me through the night

I try to shut it down...It leaves me in the dust
No matter what I've found...I can never get enough

Frantic actions of insanity...Impulsive laced profanity
Long for elusive serenity...Way out of my control

Traveling through both space and time
(Out of body, out of mind)....Out of control
My wheels in constant motion

Spinning round and round it goes
(I can't let up, I can't let go)
Can't stop this flame from burning
Forever more....Into the night
Blistering

Focus here, focus there...Cannot see the light
(Falling down through the night)...Sprawling everywhere

Searching left, searching right
(Panic setting in, I can no longer fight)
When will this end?

Accelerate, dislocate
(Set to crash and burn, haven't got time to waste)
Not planning to return

Aggravate, agitate...(When will I ever learn?)
There's no way out of here...Nowhere to turn

Obsessive yearning...Compulsive burning
Still never learning....Insane random thoughts
Of neat disorder

Scattered wasteland surrounding me
Tattered memories of what used to be
Apocalyptic mind debris...Until we meet again

Traveling through both space and time
(Out of body, out of mind)....Out of control
My wheels in constant motion

Spinning round and round it goes
(I can't let up, I can't let go)
Can't stop this flame from burning
Forever more...Into the night....Blistering

Traveling through both space and time
(Out of body, out of mind)
Out of control....My wheels in constant motion

Spinning round and round it goes
(I can't let up, I can't let go)
Can't stop this flame from burning
Can't stop the wheels from turning

Traveling through both space and time
(You get yours, and I got mine)
Out of control...My wheels in constant motion

Spinning round and round it goes
(I can't let up, I can't let go)
Can't stop this flame from burning
Forever more...Into the night...Blistering

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Forsaken

 Forsaken
album: "Systematic Chaos" (2007)
[Music: Dream Theater / Lyrics: John Petrucci]




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For a while I thought I fell asleep
Lying motionless inside a dream

Then rising suddenly
I felt a chilling breath upon me
She softly whispered in my ear
(Forsaken)

Forsaken...I have come for you tonight
Awaken...Look in my eyes and take my hand
Give yourself up to me

I waited painfully For night to fall again
Trying to silence the fear within me

Out of an ivory mist I felt a stinging kiss
And saw a crimson stain on her lips

I have to know your name
Where have I seen your face before?
My dear one don't you be afraid

Forsaken....I have come for you tonight
Awaken....Look in my eyes and take my hand
Give yourself up to me

Take me far away Close your eyes
And hold your breath To the ends of the earth

Forsaken...I have come for you tonight
Awaken....Look in my eyes and take my hand

Forsaken....Fly away with me tonight
Awaken....Renew my life
Now you are mine Give yourself up to me

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In The Presence Of Enemies, Pt. 1

In The Presence Of Enemies, Pt. 1
album: "Systematic Chaos" (2007)
[Music: Dream Theater / Lyrics: John Petrucci]
[I Prelude]  [Instrumental]  [II Resurrection]




* Next Song

I saw a white light Shining there before me
And walking to it I waited for the end
A final vision Promising salvation
A resurrection For a fallen man

Do you still wait for your God
And the symbol of your faith?

I can free you from this Hell and misery
You should never be ashamed my son
I can give you power beyond anything
Trust me you will be the chosen one

I was forgotten A body scorned and broken
My soul rejected Tainted by his blood
Beyond redemption A sinner not worth saving
Forever taken From the one I loved

Do I still wait for my God
And a symbol of my faith?

I can lead you down the path and back to life
All I ask is that you worship me
I can help you seek revenge and save yourself
Give you life for all eternity

Servants of the fallen Fight to pave the way
For their saviour's calling Of this wicked day

Through a veil of madness With a vicious blade
One man rises up Standing in their way
Redemption Redemption for humanity

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Metropolis

Metropolis
album: "Score" (2006)




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The smile of dawn Arrived early May
She carried a gift from her home
The night shed a tear To tell her of fear
And of sorrow and pain She'll never outgrow

Death is the first dance, eternal
There's no more freedom
The both of you will be confined to this mind

I was told there's a miracle for each day that I try
I was told there's a new love that's born for each one that has died
I was told there'd be no one to call on when I feel alone and afraid
I was told if you dream of the next world
You'll find yourself swimming in a lake of fire

As a child, I thought I could live without pain, without sorrow
As a man I've found it's all caught up with me
I'm asleep yet I'm so afraid

Somewhere like a scene from a memory
There's a picture worth a thousand words
Eleuding stares from faces before me
It hides away and will never be heard of again

Deceit is the second without end
The city's cold blood teaches us to survive
Just keep my heart in my eyes and we'll stay alive

The third arrives
Before the leaves have fallen Before we lock the doors
There must be the third and last dance
This one will last forever
Metropolis watches and thoughtfully smiles
She's taken you to your home

It can only take place
When the struggle between our children has ended
Now the Miracle and the Sleeper know that the third is love

Love is the Dance of Eternity

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Octavarium

 Octavarium
album: "Score" (2006)
[I. Someone Like Him]




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I never wanted to become someone like him so secure
Content to live each day just like the last
I was sure I knew that
This was not for me
And I wanted so much more
Far beyond what I could see
So I swore that I'd
Never be someone like him

So many years have passed
Since I proclaimed
My independence
My mission
My aim
And my vision
So secure
Content to live each day like it's my last
It's wonderful to know
That I could be
Something more than I dreamed
Far beyond what I could see
Still I swear that I'm
Missing out this time

As far as I could tell
There's nothing more I need
But still I ask myself
Could this be everything
Then all I swore
That I would never be was now
So suddenly
The only thing
I wanted
To become
To be someone just like him

[II. Medicate (Awakening)]

A Doctor sitting next to me
He asks me how I feel
Not sure I understand his questioning
He says I've been away a while
But thinks he has cured me
From a state of catatonic sleep

For 30 years
Where have I been
Eyes open
But not getting through to me

Medicate me
Infiltrate me
Side effects appear
As my conscience slips away

Medicate me
Science failing
Conscience fading fast
Can't you stop what's happening

A higher dosage he prescribes
But there's no guarantee
I feel it starting to take over me
I tell him not to be ashamed
There's no one who's to blame
A second shot
A brief awakening

I feel the relapse
Can't break free
Eyes open
But not getting through to me

[III. Full Circle]

Sailing on the seven seize the day tripper diem's ready
Jack the ripper owns Wilson Phillips and my supper's ready
Lucy in the sky with diamond dave's not here I come to save the
Day for nightmare cinema show me the way to get back home again

Running forward
Falling back
Spinning round and round
Looking outward
Reaching in
Scream without a sound

Leaning over
Crawling up
Stumbling all around
Losing my place
Only to find I've come full circle

Flying off the handle with careful with
That axe Eugene gene the dance machine
Messiah light my fire gabba gabba
Hey hey my my generation's home again

Running forward
Falling back
Spinning round and round
Looking outward
Reaching in
Scream without a sound

Leaning over
Crawling up
Stumbling all around
Losing my place
Only to find I've come full circle

[IV. Intervals]

[First]
Our deadly sins feel his mortal wrath
Remove all obstacles from our path

[Second]
Asking questions
Search for clues
The answer's been right in front of you

[Third]
Try to break through
Long to connect
Fall on deaf ears and fails muted breath

[Fourth]
Loyalty, trust, faith and desire
Carries love through each darkest fire

[Fifth]
Tortured Instanity
A smothering hell
Try to escape but no avail

[Sixth]
The calls of admirers
Who claim they adore
Drain all your lifeblood while begging for more

[Seventh]
Innocent victims of merciless crimes
Fall prey to some madmen's impulsive designs

[Eighth]
Step after step
We try controlling our fate
When we finally start living it has become too late

Trapped inside this Octavarium

[V. Razor's Edge]

We move in circles
Balanced all the while
On a gleaming razor's edge

A perfect sphere
Colliding with our fate
Whose story ends where it began

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Sacrificed Sons

Sacrificed Sons
album: "Score" (2006)




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Walls are closing...Anxiously...Channel surfing
Frantically

Burning City...Smoke and fire...Planes we're certain
Faith inspired

No clues....A complete surprise...Who'll be
Coming home tonight

Heads all turning....Towards the sky
Towers crumble...Heroes die

Who would wish this on....On our people
And proclaim....That His will be done
Scriptures they heed have misled them
All praise their Sacrifice Sons

Teach them....What to think and feel
Your ways....So enlightening

Words they preach....I can't relate
If God's true Love....Are acts of Hate

God on High....Our mistakes
Will mankind be extinct?....There's no time to waste
Who serves the truth....For Heavens' sake

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The Answer Lies Within

The Answer Lies Within
album: "Score" (2006)




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Look around...Where do you belong
Don't be afraid....You are not the only one

Don't let the day go by....Don't let it end
Don't let a day go by in doubt
The answer lies within

Life is short, so learn from your mistakes
And stand behind, the choices that you made
Face each day with both eyes open wide
And try to give, don't keep it all inside

Don't let the day go by....Don't let it end
Don't let a day go by, in doubt...The answer lies within

You've got the future on your side
You've gonna be fine now
I know whatever you decide
You are gonna shine (shine)

Don't let the day go by...Don't let it end
Don't let a day go by, in doubt
You re ready to begin

Don't let a day do by in doubt
The answer lies within

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Vacant

Vacant
album: "Score" (2006)




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Hey you, Hey you
I'm right here
Conscience fading
Can't get through

Oh Lord
Helpless
Confused
Head swayed
Eyes glazed
And mine teared

She's losing control
What can I do
Her vacant eyes
Black holes
Am I losing you

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Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence

Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence
album: "Score" (2006)
[I. Overture] [Instrumental] [II. About to crash]




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She can't stop pacing...She never felt so alive
Her thoughts are racing...Set on overdrive

It takes a village...This she knows is true
They're expecting her...And she's got work to do

He helplessly stands by...It's meaningless to try
As he rubs his red-rimmed eyes
He says "I've never seen her get this bad"

Even though she seems so high
He knows that she can't fly
And when she falls out of the sky
He'll be standing by

She was raised in a small midwestern town
By a charming and eccentric loving father
She was praised as the perfect teenage girl
And everyone thought highly of her

And she tried everyday...With endless drive
To make the grade...Then one day
She woke up to find....The perfect girl
Had lost her mind

Once barely taking a break
Now she sleeps the days away

She helplessly stands by
It's meaningless to try
All she wants to do is cry
No one ever knew she was so sad

Cause even though she gets so high
And thinks that she can fly
She will fall out of the sky
But in the face of misery...She found hopefulness
Feeling better...She had weathered
This depression

Much to her advantage...She resumed her frantic pace
Boundless power....Midnight hour
She enjoyed the race

[III. War Inside My Head]

Napalm showers
Showed the cowards
We weren't there to mess around

Through heat exhaustion
And mind distortion
A military victory mounted on innocent ground

Hearing voices from miles away
Saying things never said
Seeing shadows in the light of the day
Waging a war inside my head

Years and years of
Bloodshed and warfare
Our mission was only to get in and kill

A free vacation
Of palm trees and shrapnel
Trading innocence for permanent psychotic hell

Hearing voices from miles away
Saying things never said
Seeing shadows in the light of the day
Waging a war inside my head

Feeling strangers staring my way
Reading minds never read
Tasting danger with each word I say
Waging the war inside my head

[IV. The Test That Stumped Them All]

Standing in the darkness
Waiting for the light
The smell of pure adrenaline
Burning in the night

Random blinding flashes
Aiming at the stage
Intro tape begins to roll
Igniting sonic rage

Still they keep me between these hollow walls
Hoping to find in me
The answers to the test that stumped them all

"The boy is just simply crazy
Suffering from delusions
We honestly think that maybe
He might need an institution

He lives in a world of fiction
And really could use some help
We have just the place to fix him
To save him from himself"

Curled up in the darkness
Searching for the light
The smell of sweat and shit
Steaming through the night

Random urine testing
Pills red, pink and blue
Counseling and therapy
Providing not a clue

Still they keep me between these hollow walls
Hoping to find in me
The answers to the test that stumped them all

"We can't seem to find the answers
He seemed such a clear cut case
We cannot just let him leave here
And put all this work to waste

Why don't we try shock treatment
It really might do some help
We have just the tools to fix him
To save him from himself"

[V. Goodnight Kiss]

Goodnight kiss in your nightgown
Lavender in your bed
So innocent as you lie down
Sweet dreams that run through your head

Are you lonely without Mommy's love?
I want you to know I'd die for that moment
You're just a poor girl
Afraid of this cruel world
Taken away from it all

It's been five years to the day and
My tainted blood's still the same
I can't help acting this way and
Those bastard doctors are gonna pay

I'm so lonely without baby's love
I want you to know I'd die for one more moment
I'm just a poor girl
Afraid of this cruel world
Taken away from it all

[VI. Solitary Shell]

He seemed no different from the rest
Just a healthy normal boy
His mama always did her best
And he was daddy's pride and joy

He learned to walk and talk on time
But never cared much to be held
And steadily he would decline
Into his solitary shell

As a boy he was considered somewhat odd
Kept to himself most of the time
He would daydream in and out of his own world
But in every other way he was fine

He's a Monday morning lunatic
Disturbed from time to time
Lost within himself
In his solitary shell

A temporary catatonic
Madman on occasion
When will he break out
Of his solitary shell

He struggled to get through his day
He was helplessly behind
He poured himself onto the page
Writing for hours at a time

As a man he was a danger to himself
Fearful and sad most of the time
He was drifting in and out of sanity
But in every other way he was fine

He's a Monday morning lunatic
Disturbed from time to time
Lost within himself
In his solitary shell

A momentary maniac
With casual delusions
When will he be let out
Of his solitary shell

[VII. About To Crash (Reprise)]

I'm alive again
The darkness far behind me
I'm invincible
Despair will never find me

I feel strong
I've got a new sense of elation
Boundless energy
Euphoria fixation

Still it's hard to just get by
It seems so meaningless to try
When all I want to do is cry
Who would ever know I felt so sad

Even though I get so high
I know that I will never fly
And when I fall out of the sky
Who'll be standing by

Will you be standing by

[VIII. Losing Time / Grand Finale]

She dresses in black everyday
She keeps her hair simple and plain
She never wears makeup
But no one would care if she did anyway

She doesn't recall yesterday
Faces seem twisted and strange
But she always wakes up
Only to find she'd been miles away

Absence of awareness
Losing time
A lapse of perception
Losing time

Wanting to escape
She had created a way to survive
She learned to detach from herself
A behavior that kept her alive

Hope in the face of our human distress
Helps us to understand the turbulence deep inside
That takes hold of our lives
Shame and disgrace over mental unrest
Keeps us from saving those we love
The grace within our hearts
And the sorrow in our souls
Deception of fame
Vengeance of war
Lives torn apart
Losing oneself
Spiraling down
Feeling the walls closing in
A journey to find
The answers inside
Our illusive mind

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