Mike Portnoy [Drum]

instrumental

Hypnotherapist:
"Close your eyes and begin to relax
Take a deep breath, and let it out slowly
Concentrate on your breathing
With each breath you become more relaxed
Imagine a brilliant white light above you
focusing on this light as it flows through your body.
Allow yourself to drift off as you fall deeper
and deeper into a more relaxed state of mind
Now as I count backward from ten to one
you will feel more peaceful, and calm. Ten. Nine. Eight.
Seven. Six
You will enter a safe place where nothing can harm you
Five. Four. Three. Two.
If at any time you need to come back
all you must do is open your eyes
One
Nicholas:
Safe in the light that surrounds me
Free of the fear and the pain
My subconscious mind
Starts spinning through time
To rejoin the past once again
Nothing seems real
I'm starting to feel
Lost in the haze of a dream
And as I draw near
The scene becomes clear
Like watching my life on a screen
Hello Victoria so glad to see you
My friend.

conscious Strange Sensation
Unconscious relaxation
What a pleasant nightmare
And i can't wait to get there again
Every time I close my eyes
There's another vivid surprise
Another whole life waiting
Chapters unfinished fading
Closer now slowly coming into view
I've arrived Blinding
sunshine beaming through
There's a house i'm drawn to
Familiar settings nothing new
There's a pathway leading there
With a haunting chill in the air
There's a room at
the top of the stairs
Every night I'm drawn up there
There's a girl in the mirror
Her face is getting clearer
Young child won't you
Tell me why i'm here
In her eyes i sense a story
never told Behind the disguise
There's something tearing
At her soul Tonight
I've been searching for it
A feeling that's deep inside me
Tonight I've been searching for
The one that nobody knows
Trying to break free
I just can't help myself
I'm felling like I'm going out
of my head Tears my heart into two
I'm not the one the
sleeper thought he knew

Back on my feet again
Eyes open to the real world
Metropolis surrounds me
The mirror's shattered the girl
Why is this other life
Haunting me every day
I'd Break through to the other side
If only I'd find the way
Something's awfully familiar
The feeling's so hard to shake
Could I have lived in that other
world It's a link that
i'm destined to make
still searching but
I don't know that for
The missing key to unlock
my mind's door

Today I am searching for it
A feeling that won't go away
Today I am searching for
The one that I only know
Trying to break free
I just can't help myself
I'm feeling like I'm going out
of my head Tears my soul into two
I'm not the one I thought
I always knew
I just can't help myself
I'm felling like I'm going out
of my head Uncanny Strange Deja Vu
But I don't mind
I hope to find the truth

MUSIC % LYRICS BY JOHN PETRUCCI

Nicholas:

All your eyes have ever seen
All you've ever heard
Is etched upon my memory
Is spoken through my words

All that I take with me
Is all you've left behind
We're sharing one eternity
Living in two minds
Linked by an endless thread
Impossible to break

Music by Dream Theater
Lyrics by John Myung
Nicholas:
Alone at night
I feel so strange
I need to find
All the answers to my dreams
When I sleep at night
I hear the cries
What does this mean?
I shut the door and traveled to another home
I met an older man, he seemed to be alone
I felt that I could trust him
He talked to me that night;
"Lad did you know a girl was murdered here?"
"This fatal tragedy was talked about for years"
Victoria's gone forever
Only memories remain
She passed away
She was so young

Without love
Without truth
There can be no turning back
Without faith
Without hope
There can be no peace of mind

As the night went on
I started to find my way
I learned about a tragedy
A mystery still today
I tried to get more answers
But he said, "You're on your own."
Then he turned away and left me
As I stand there all alone
He said, "You'll know the truth
As you future days unfold"

Without love
Without truth
There can be no turning back
Without faith
Without hope
There can be no peace of mind
Hypnotherapist:
"Now it is time to see how you died.
Remember that death is not the end but only a transition."

Murder, young girl killed
Desperate shooting at Echoe's hill
Dreadful ending, killer died
Evidently suicide

A witness heard a horrifying sound
He ran to find a woman dead and
Lying on the ground

Standing by her was a man
Nervous, shaking, gun in hand
Witness says he tried to help
But he'd turned the weapon on himself

His body fell across that poor young girl
After shooting out in vain
The witness ran to call for assistance
A sad close to a broken love affair

Our deeds have traveled far
What we have been is what we are

She wanted love forever
But he had another plan
He fell into an evil way
She had to let him down
She said "I can't love a wayward man"

She may have found a reason to forgive
If he had only tried to change
Was their fatal meeting prearranged?

Had a violent struggle taken place?
There was every sign that lead there
Witness found a switchblade on the ground
Was the victim unaware?
They continued to investigate
They found a note in the killer's pocket
It could have been a suicide letter
Maybe he had lost her love

I feel there's only one thing left to do
I'd sooner take my life away
than live without losing you

Our deeds have traveled far
What we have been is what we are

All that we learn this time
(What we have been is what we are)
Is carried beyond this life

Nicholas:
She never really had a chance
On that fateful moonlit night
Sacrificed without a fight
A victim of her circumstance
Now that I've become aware
AND I've exposed this tragedy
A sadness grows inside of me
It all seems so unfair
I'm learning all about my life
By looking through her eyes
Just beyond the churchyard gates
Where the grass is overgrown
I saw the writing on her stone
I felt like I would suffocate
Inloving memory of our child
So innocent, eyes open wide
I felt so empty as I cried
Like part of me had died
I'm learning all about my life
By looking through her eyes
And as her image
Wandered through my head
I wept just like a baby
As I lay awake in bed
And I know what it's LIKE
TO lose someone you love
AND this felt just the same
She wasn't given any choice
Desperation stole her voice
I've been given so much more in life
I've got a son, I've got a wife
I had TO suffer ONE LAST TIME
TO grieve FOR her AND say goodbye
Relive the anguish of my past
TO find OUT who I was AT LAST
The door has opened wide
I'm turning with the tide
Looking through her eyes

The Sleeper:
Shine- lake of fire
Lines take me higher
My mind drips desire
Confined and overtired

Living this charade
Is getting me nowhere
I can't shake this charade
The city's cold blood calls me home
HomeIt's what I long for
Back homewhere I belong

The city- it calls to me
Decadent scenes from my memory
Sorrow- eternity
My demons are coming to drown me

Help- I'm falling, I'm crawling
I can't keep away from its clutch
Can't have it, this habit
It's calling me back to my home

The Miracle:
I remember the first time she came to me
Poured her soul out all night and cried

I remember I was told there's a new love that's born
For each one that has died

I never thought that I
Could carry on with this life
But I can't resist myself
No matter how hard I try

Living their other life
Is getting them nowhere
I'll make her my wife
Her sweet temptation calls me home
HomeIt's what I long for
My homewhere she belongs

Her ecstasy- means so much to me
Even decieving my own blood
Victoria watches and thoughtfully smiles
She's taking me to my home

Help- he's my brother, but I love her
I can't keep away from her touch
Deception, dishonor
It's calling me back to my home

Nicholas:
Her story- it holds the key
Unlocking dreams from my memory
Solving this mystery
Is everything that is a part of me

Help- regression, obsession
I can't keep away from her touch
Leave no doubt, to find out
It's calling me back to my home

It doesn't make any sense
This tragic ending
In spite of the evidence
There's something still missing

Heard some of the rumors told
A taste of one's wealth
Did Victoria wound his soul?
Did she bid him farewell?

Victoria:
One last time
We'll lay down today
One last time
Until we fade away
One last time
We'll lay down today
One last time
We slowly fade away

Nicholas:
Here I am inside his home
It holds the many clues
To my suspicions
And as I'm standing here right now
I'm finally shown what I have always known

Coincidence I can't believe
As my childhood dreams slowly come true

Are these her memories
Awakened through my eyes
This house has brought back to life

An open door
I walk on through
Into his bedroom

Feeling as cold as outside
The walls disappear
To some woman who's screaming
A man pleads forgiveness
His words I cannot hear

Where did we come from?
Why are we here?
Where do we go when we die?
What lies beyond
And what lay before?
Is anything certain in life?

They say, "Life is too short,"
"The here and the now"
And "You're only given one shot"
But could there be more,
Have I lived before,
Or could this be all that we've got?

If I die tomorrow
I'd be allright
Because I believe
That after we're gone
The spirit carries on

I used to be frightened of dying
I used to think death was the end
But that was before
I'm not scared anymore
I know that my soul will transcend

I may never find all the answers
I may never understand why
I may never prove
What I know to be true
But I know that I still have to try

If I die tomorrow
I'd be allright
Because I believe
That after we're gone
The spirit carries on

Victoria:
"Move on, be brave
Don't weep at my grave
Because I am no longer here
But please never let
Your memory of me disappear"

Nicholas:
Safe in the light that surrounds me
Free of the fear and the pain
My questioning mind
Has helped me to find
The meaning in my life again
Victoria's real
I finally feel
At peace with the girl in my dreams
And now that I'm here
It's perfectly clear
I found out what all of this means

If I die tomorrow
I'd be allright
Because I believe
That after we're gone
The spirit carries on

Music by Dream Theater
Lyrics by Mike Portnoy

The Miracle:
Friday evening
The blood still on my hands
To think that she would leave me now
For that ungrateful man

Sole survivor
No witness to the crime
I must act fast to cover up
I think that there's still time

He'd seem hopeless and lost with this note
They'll buy into the words that I wrote

"This feeling inside me
Finally found my love, I've finally broke free
No longer torn in two
I'd take my own life before losing you"

Victoria:
Feeling good this Friday afternoon
I ran into Julian
Said we'd get together soon

He's always had my heart
He needs to know
I'll break free of the Miracle
It's time for him to go

This feeling inside me
Finally found my love, I've finally broke free
No longer torn in two
He'd kill his brother if he only knew

Their love renewed
They'd rendezvous
In a pathway out of view
They thought no one knew
Then came a shot out of the night

The Sleeper:
One last time
We'll lay down today
One last time
Until we fade away
One last time
We'll lay down today
One last time
We fade away

As their bodies lie still
And the ending draws near
Spirits rise through the air
All their fears disappear, it all becomes clear
A blinding light comes into view
An old soul exchanged for a new
A familiar voice comes shining through

Nicholas:
This feeling inside me
Finally found my life, I'm finally free
No longer torn in two
I learned about my life by living through you

This feeling inside me
Finally found my life, I'm finally free
No longer torn in two
Living my own life by learning from you

We'll meet again my friend someday soon

CNN report:
"news in London, France, Russia and Italy have deleted their lead story, all anticipating the outcome of the man considered to be a member of American nobility. And as you can imagine, as the skies have grown darker here over Washington, the mood has grown darker as well and people here are beginning to resign themselves to the possibility that they are witnessing yet another tragedy in a long string of misfortunes. Reaction from everywhere, from Washington and certainly from around the world has gues..."

Hypnotherapist:
"Open your eyes, Nicholas."

Nicholas:
"AAAH!"

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, yeah, 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 I 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
Eluding stares from the faces before me
It hides away and will never be heard of again

Deceit is the second [incomprehensible]
The city's cold blood teaches us to survive
Just keep your 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 a third and last dance, this one will last forever
Metropolis watches, 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
The sleeper know that the third is love
Love is the dance of eternity

Temptation-
why won't you leave me alone?
Lurking Every Corner, everywhere I go
-Self Control-
Don't turn your back on me now
When I need you most
Constant pressure tests my will
My will or my wont
My Self Control escapes from me still ....

Hypocrite-
How could you be so cruel
and expect my faith in return?
-Resistance-
Is not as hard as it seems
When you close the door

I spent so long trusting in you
I trust you forgot
Just when I thought I believed in you...

It's time for me to deal
Becoming all too real living in fear,-
Why did you lie and pretend?
This has come to an end
I'll never trust you again
It's time you made your amends
Look in the mirror my friend

Let's stare the problem right in the eye
It's plagued me from coast to coast
Racing the clock to please everyone
All but the one who matters the most

Reflections of reality
are slowly coming into view
How in the hell could you possibly forgive me?
After the hell I put you through

It's time for me to deal
Becoming all too real
living in fear
Why'd I betray my friend?
Lying until the end
Living life so pretend
It's time to make my amends
I'll never hurt you again

Open your eyes
And turn off your mind
Step right up folks
"Step right up folks" [Spoken by Mike Portnoy]
and you will find
A growing trend
An epidemic
Spread with zen
And hypodermics, yeah
Yeah

Just close your mind
You can find all you need with your eyes

The big machines take care of you
Until you kill yourself
And then the sales go through the roof
Calculated, formulated
Feed my head with simple thoughts
And let me breathe instead of being taught
All bottled up and tearing at the seams
I'm bored
Just let me breathe

A daily dose of eMpTyV
Will flush your mind right down the drain
Shannon Hoon and Kurt Cobain,
Make yourself a household name, yeah-yeah
Yeah

Just close your mind
You can find all you need with your eyes

The big machines take care of you
Until you kill yourself
And then the sales go through the roof
Calculated, formulated
Feed my head with simple thoughts
And let me breathe instead of being taught
All bottled up and tearing at the seams
I'm bored
Just let me breathe

Strike up your best angst ridden posture, whoa
Manufactured anger
Let's not forget my legacy
All my heroes have failed me
Now they're dead and buried, yeah

Just close your mind
You can find all you need with your eyes

The big machines will take care of you
Until the fashion fades
And the checks go through
My bankroll's red
And my face is blue
And still they'll turn their backs on me for someone new

Feed my head
With some real thoughts
And let me think instead
Of being taught
I'll say things
You won't believe
Just stand back
Just let me breathe...

to moonn6pence from shootingstar(papayeverte)







Live another day
Climb a little higher
Find another reason to stay
Ashes in your hands
Mercy in your eyes
If you′re searching for a silent
sky...

You won′t find it here
Look another way
You won′t find it here
So die another day

The coldness of this words
The message in his silence,
"Face the candle to the
wind..."
This distance in my voice
Isn′t leaving you a choice
So if you′re looking for a time
to run away...

You won′t find it here
Look another way
You won′t find it here
So try another day

They took pictures of our
dreams
Ran to hide behind the stairs
And said maybe when it′s right
for you, they′ll fall
But if they don′t come down
Resist the need to pull them in
And throw them away
Better to save the mystery
Than surrender to the secret

You won′t find it here
Look another way
You won′t find it here
So try another day

There was no time for pain
No energy for anger
The sightlessness of hatred slips away
Walking through winter streets alone
He stops and takes a breath
With confidence and self control

I look at the world and see no understanding
I'm waiting to find some sense of strength
I'm begging you from the bottom of my heart to show me understanding

I need to live life
Like some people never will
So find me kindness
Find me beauty
Find me truth
When temptation brings me to my knees
And I lay here drained of strength
Show me kindness
Show me beauty
Show me truth

The ways that your heart sounds makes all the difference
It's what decides if you'll endure the pain that we all feel
The way that your heart beats makes all the difference
In learning to live
Here before me is my soul
I'm learning to live
I won't give up
Till I've no more to give

Listening to the city
Whispering its violence
I set out watching from above
The 90's bring new questions
New solutions to be found
I fell in love to be let down

Once again we dance in the crowd
At times a step away
From a common fear that's all spread out
It won't listen to what you say
Once you're touched and you stand alone
To face the bitter fight
Once I reached for love
And now I reach for life

Another chance to lift my life
Free the sensation in my heart
To ride the wings of dreams into changing horizons
It brings inner peace within my mind,
As I'm lifted from where I've split my life
I hear an innocent voice
I hear kindness, beauty and truth

The way your heart sounds makes all the difference
It's what decides if you'll endure the pain that we all feel
The way your heart beats makes all the difference
In learning to live
Spread before you is your soul
So forever hold the dreams within our hearts
Through nature's inflexible grace
I'm learning to live

A Change of Seasons



I. The Crimson Sunrise
(Instrumental)

II. Innocence

I remember a time
My frail, virgin mind
watched the crimson sunrise
Imagined what it might find
Life was filled with wonder
I felt the warm wind blow
I must explore the boundaries
Transcend the depth of winter's snow
Innocence caressing me
I never felt so young before
There was so much life in me
Still I longed to search for more
But those days are gone now
Changed like a leaf on a tree
Blown away forever
into the cool autumn breeze
The snow has now fallen
and my sun's not so bright
I struggled to hold on
with the last of my might
In my den of inequity
viciousness and subtlety
struggle to find the sane
Ignorance surrounding me
I've never been so filled with fear
All my life's been drained from me
The end is drawing near

III. Carpe Diem

I'll always remember
The chill of November
The news of the fall
The sounds in the hall
The clock on the wall ticking away
Seize the Day
I heard him say
Life will not always be this way
Look around
Hear the sounds
Cherish your life while you're still around
We can learn from the past
But those days are gone
We can hope for the future
But there might not be one
The words stuck in my mind
alive from what I've learned
I have to seize the day
To home I returned
Preparing for her flight
I held with all my might
Fearing my deepest fright
She walked into the night
She turned for one last look
She looked me in the eye
I said, I Love You...Goodbye

IV. The Darkest Of Winters
(Instrumental)

V. Another World

So far or so it seems
All is lost with nothing fulfilled
Off the pages and the T.V. screen
Another world where nothing's true
Tripping through the life fantastic
Lose a step and never get up
Left alone with a cold blank stare
I feel like giving up
I was blinded by a paradise
Utopia high in the sky
A dream that only drowned me
Deep in sorrow, wondering why
Oh come let us adore him
Abuse and then ignore him
No matter what, don't let him be
Let's feed upon his misery
Then string him up for all the world to see
I'm sick of all you hypocrites
holding me at bay
And I don't need your sympathy
to get me through the day
Seasons change and so can I
Hold on Boy, No time to cry
Untie these strings, I'm climbing down
I won't let them push me away
Oh come let us adore him
Abuse and then ignore him
No matter what, don't let him be
Let's feed upon his misery
Now it's time for them to deal with me

VI. The Inevitable Summer
(Instrumental)

VII. The Crimson Sunset

I'm much wiser now
A lifetime of memories
run through my head
They taught me how
for better or worse, alive or dead
I realize there's no turning back
Life goes on the offbeaten track
I sit down with my son
Set to see the Crimson Sunset
Many years have come and gone
I've lived my life, but now must move on
He's my only one
Now that my time has come
Now that my life is done
We look into the sun
Seize the day and don't you cry,
Now it's time to say goodbye
Even though I'll be gone,
I will live on
Live on

All wound up
On the edge
Terrified

Sleep disturbed
Restless mind
Petrified

Bouts of fear
Permeate
All I see

Heightening
Nervousness
Threatens me

I am paralyzed
So afraid to die

Caught off guard
Warning signs
Never show

Tension strikes
Choking me
Worries grow

Why do I feel so numb
Is it something to do with where I come from
Should this be fight or flight
I don't know why I'm constantly so uptight

Rapid heartbeat pounding through my chest
Agitated body in distress
I feel like I'm in danger
Daily life is strangled by my stress

A stifling surge
Shooting through all my veins
Extreme apprehension
Suddenly I'm insane

Lost all hope for redemption
A grave situation desperate at best

Why do I feel so numb
Is it something to do with where I come from
Should this be fight or flight
I don't know why I'm constantly reeling

Helpless hysteria
A false sense of urgency
Trapped in my phobia
Possessed by anxiety

Run
Try to hide
Overwhelmed by this complex delirium

Cunning, Baffling, Powerful
Been beaten to a pulp
Vigorous, Irresistable
Sick and tired and laid low
Dominating, Invisible
Black-out, loss of control
Overwhelming, Unquenchable
I'm powerless, have to let go

I can't escape it
It leaves me frail and worn
Can no longer take it
Senses tattered and torn

Hopeless surrender
Obsession's got me beat
Losing the will to live
Admitting complete defeat

Fatal Descent
Spinning around
I've gone too far
To turn back round

Desperate attempt
Stop the progression
At any length
Lift this obsession

Crawling in my glass prison
A place where no one knows
My secret lonely world begins

So much safer here
A place where I can go
To forget about my daily sins

Life here in my glass prison
A place I once called home
Fall in nocturnal bliss again

Chasing a long lost friend
I no longer can control
Just waiting for this hopelessness to end

II. Restoration

Run? fast from the wreckage of the past
A shattered glass prison wall behind me
Fight? past walking through the ashes
A distant oasis before me

Cry? desperate crawling on my knees
Begging God to please stop the insanity
Help me? I'm trying to believe
Stop wallowing in my own self pity

"We've been waiting for you my friend
The writing's been on the wall
All it takes is a little faith
You know you're the same as us all"

Help me? I can't break out this prison all alone
Save me? I'm drowning and I'm hopeless on my own
Heal me? I can't restore my sanity alone

Enter the door
Desperate
Fighting no more
Help me restore
To my sanity
At this temple of hope

I need to learn
Teach me how
Sorrow to burn
Help me return
To humanity
I'll be fearless and thorough
The enter this temple of hope

Believe
Transcend the pain
Living the live
Humility
Opened my eyes
This new odyssey
Of rigorous honesty

Serenity
I never know
Soundness of mind
Helped me to find
Courage the change
All the things that I can

"We'll help you perform this miracle
But you must set your past free
You dog the hole, but you can't bury your soul
Open your mind and you will see"

Help me? I can't break out this prison all alone
Save me? I'm drowning and I'm hopeless on my own
Heal me? I can't restore my sanity alone

III. Revelation

Way off in the distance I saw the door
I tried to open
I tried forcing with all of my will and still
The door wouldn't open

Unable to trust in my faith
I turned and walked away
I looked around, felt a chill in the air
Took my will and turned it over

The glass prison which once held me is now gone
A long lost fortress
Armed only with liberty
And the key of my willingness

Fell down on my knees and prayed
"Thy will be done"
I turned around, saw a light shining through
The door was wide open