| Dream Theater – Octavarium Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I think any interpretation of the song is valid, but mine still revolves around the official explanation (which the article on Wikipedia will explain better than I): basically there are five movements, and they are only connected by a common concept: that of full circle. The first movement tells the story of a man who never wanted to be someone normal and mundane, so he set out to be unique and having achieved this, realized that he was wrong and thus decides to become like everyone else. The second movement is a story of a man who wakes up from a coma, but slowly feels more and more disconnected between body and brain. His doctor tries to help him but ultimately he cannot, and the man slips back into a coma. The remaining three movements do not tell a story but still come full circle musically. Finally, the last chords of Octavarium are actually the first chords of The Root of All Evil - Mike Portnoy had a genius idea a few years before Octavarium: he'd start the first chords of the first song of the album with the last chords of the last song of the previous album. They did this for four albums before he realized in Octavarium that if he kept this up he'd never break free, thus he decided to make Octavarium (the album, not the song) itself a cycle so that he could start fresh. The whole album has the imagery of an octave behind it too - 8 natural notes for 5 accidental ones... it's their 8th studio album, after their 5th live one, each song is played in a different key for a total of 8 songs, etc. (again, Wikipedia explains it so much better than I). Octavarium is actually a word... in that it was first used by a Greek Philosopher thousands of years ago barely once. Heh. As a guitarist I love John Pettrucci for his skills but Portnoy was the genius behind all the ideas I explained above. It's a shame he left :( |
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| Dream Theater – In the Presence of Enemies Pt.2 Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| Yup, Mike wanted to do this continuous thing - basically, the ending chords of the last song of one album are used as the opening chords of the first song of the next album. He realized he'd have to keep going forever so he decided to end Octavarium as The Root of All Evil (respectively first and last song of the album) begins. | |
| Dream Theater – In the Presence of Enemies Pt.2 Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I remember reading that Mike Portnoy wrote some songs about his journey through Alcoholics Anonymous - the twist is, he put them on different albums. They can be recognized because the movements are titled... just like this one is. The Shattered Fortress, unveiled a few years later, is another part of his story (and Octavarium, to some extent, is so too - but read it on Wikipedia, because Octavarium is damn complicated!). Alcoholics Anonymous is a fairly religious organization and I can't help but wonder if this composition tried to draw a parallel between religious elements (NOT religion; merely elements) and his journey. Alcohol is the Dark Master, the congregation is the organization. I still love the chorus of part III. |
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| Avantasia – The Seven Angels Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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This song is the very first song of the second album of the rock opera called Avantasia. It's about a dominican monk in the 17th century who begins to doubt his faith when his cousin is imprisoned for being a witch. He travels to another world to help save her. I cannot stress this enough. He travels to a land of elves and dwarves and dragons. |
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| Bruce Dickinson – Machine Men Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I never thought of this song like that! To me, it's always been about mere Men turned into machine to make some sort of superhuman. A common theme in science-fiction! I like your theory, however I have to point out two things: 1- there is a lingering horror aspect to the whole Chemical Wedding album 2- Blaze and Bruce are on very good terms I don't think my anecdotes discredit your meaning. If anything, it compliments it - what's cooler than composing a song expressing your feelings towards your ex-bandmates while letting it take a story of its own? |
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| W.A.S.P. – Unholy Terror Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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Blackie said that the whole album, Unholy Terror, is the big brother to The Neon God (which is about an orphan growing up in an unhealthy orphanage until he discovers that he has a power to persuade anyone of anything). While the link between the two albums is not known, this song could be about our Neon God. |
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| Judas Priest – Jawbreaker Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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When Rob did his coming out, he also said that many, many Judas Priest songs have sexual connotations or innuendos. He didn't say "if there's anything remotely sexual, then it's all about sex", nor did he mention that they were specifically about gay sex. Thus, I think this song can be interpreted in two ways: either it's full of metaphors for oral sex, OR it's about a guy so beat up by life that one day he just wakes up and explodes. |
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| Queensrÿche – Lady Jane Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I don't know about the drug aspect of the song... sure, Lady Jane IS the other name for Marijuana, and the line "Chase the dragon" is slang for LSD (or was it heroin?)... But, the song feels too sad to simply be about drug experimentation. The piano and the tempo add to this feeling. Maybe it's about a person slowly shutting themselves in because of their addiction? Maybe it's about losing said person who was once your friend? Maybe there's an entirely different theme - like others have pointed out, it could go hand in hand with a mental hospital or something in that vein. |
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| Queensrÿche – Blinded Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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If we go by the idea that the whole album is a concept album (which the video for Queen of the Reich hints to), then this song is about an average citizen in this new world. The beginning of the song describes their fear and uncertainty about tomorrow ("From the night comes a roar of thunder" -> a reference to the Nightrider?) "And the signs of death descend your way Fighting back from the devil's hunger Freeing souls from their chosen number" -> to me, this shows the powerlessness of the people, who have no choice but to be the subject of the Queen's wrath. Death, hunger and murder (probably by the Queen's forces) are all too common. As the song goes on, this average citizen changes ("But only time will tell the answer you've been blinded from today"). He was a submissive subject of the Queen, but he cannot take this anymore and he decides to fight back ("Burning dreams cause your mind to wonder", "Still the sword of right will guide your way"). It won't be an easy task ("But the night will reflect the hunger And the blackness will pull you under") but it is a fight that must be fought. I also find a link to the Lady Wore Black, which I think is about the Queen's demise and her cruel future that the rebels forced down on her. The last line, "But only time will tell the answer you've been blinded from today", which is in fact in the chorus, could be a reference to this: in their fight, the rebels forgot what it is they were trying to accomplish and instead devolved into a mindless mob - which is all too common when a resistance movement lasts too long - and became no better than the Queen. Thus, the chorus has a different meaning each time despite being the very same! |
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| Queensrÿche – Nightrider Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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If we go by the idea that the whole album is a concept album (which the video for Queen of the Reich hints to), then this song tells about some sort of troop of shock - while there are few lyrics and one can wonder if they serve a purpose in the story of such a short album (where every second is important), there are a few underlying themes to find out: - this song reinforces the mood of this Reich. The Nightrider (which is possibly a collective name for a whole army) instills fear and uncertainty. - He is afraid of nothing, and will stop at nothing to accomplish his goal - which he is always eager to take on, it seems (The Nightrider sails away, indicating a long voyage). People have reason to dread him; they are powerless against him. - Finally, his work is always done perfectly (By day the rider will have vanished from their eyes...). Resisting against him only delays the inevitable. We could link this song to Queen of the Reich - in the beginning of that track, it is said that the Queen can come and take you away in the dead of the night... what if it wasn't the Queen doing the job, but the Nightrider? -> However, the song is very vague on this. Judging from this vagueness, it is entirely possible that the Nightrider does not work for the Queen but for himself - he is friend and foe at the same time. And remember... beware of the night. |
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| Queensrÿche – The Lady Wore Black Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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If we follow the logic that this album is in fact a concept album (hinted by the video for Queen of the Reich), then this song goes as follow: it is about said Queen, after the rebels were successful in their attack and got rid of her. Probably this song takes place in the near future. An unnamed narrator meets said Queen, and tells of this encounter. To support my argument, look at the following quotes: "Dressed in black with eyes of grey She wore her pain like a shackled spirit Eternal life was her debt to pay" -> the rebels couldn't kill her either by choice or by mistake, yet she can do no harm anymore (why? We don't know. It seems she has magic powers so maybe they got rid of them?). This line also makes it clear we are talking about a specific lady, thus it's no stretch to think she is the ex-Queen. "The lady wore black It's the sign of the prisoners lives" -> in the very first song of the album, we are told she can snatch you away in the dead of the night. Being abducted by the Queen is in fact the major theme of said song. "The lady wore black Her mystic power calls to me" -> she has magic powers (which I think are a part of the video for Queen of the Reich). Otherwise, it's a metaphor for a woman so intriguing and hypnotizing she might as well have cast a spell on our narrator. "The wind song whispered a warning Telling me to beware Of the quiet shadowed woman And of the sadness I would share" -> she is still the evil tyrannical Queen, after all :) "The words she spoke were of forgotten lives And of all knowledge gained Mem'ries I had and didn't know why" -> she is talking to him about the time when she was Queen. Since we are in the near future, our narrator or their direct parents' have lived in that dictatorship and they all remember vividly what it was like. Finally, there are a few parts about love. I think this is a metaphor for a cunning woman - she tricked the narrator into listening to her, and possibly into loving her. Reading even deeper, we could ask the question: did her actions in the past warrant a fate so cruel? A fate that has her wander eternally around the world without ever a chance of someone having pity, even ten thousand years from now? Thus, who is the real evil? The Queen, or the freedom fighters? |
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| Queensrÿche – Queen Of The Reich Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I remember reading somewhere that their first EP - in which this song is present - was a concept album... in fact I recall it's in the video clip for this very song! Basically, story goes that in the future there's a one world government and a Queen rose to power. She, of course, is a tyrannical dictator. A group of rebels (the band, of course), infiltrates her base to get rid of her and restore peace. Following this logic, this song is pretty straightforward: this is the first track of the album, and it describes the titular character: she's a vile woman, who frequently abducts people for one reason or another. That's all we need to know to understand the rebels are the good guys :) |
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