Fix what’s wrong, but don’t rewrite what the artist wrote. Stick to the official released version — album booklet, label site, verified lyric video, etc. If you’re guessing, pause and double-check.
Respect the structure
Songs have rhythm. Pages do too. Leave line breaks where they belong. Don’t smash things together or add extra empty space just for looks.
Punctuation counts (but vibe-editing doesn’t)
Correct typos? Yes. Re-punctuating a whole verse because it ‘looks better’? Probably not. Keep capitalization and punctuation close to the official source.
Don’t mix versions
If you’re editing the explicit version, keep it explicit. If it’s the clean version, keep it clean. No mashups.
Let the lyrics be lyrics
This isn’t the place for interpretations, memories, stories, or trivia — that’s what comments are for. Keep metadata, translations, and bracketed stage directions out unless they’re officially part of the song.
Edit lightly
If two lines are wrong… fix the two lines. No need to bulldoze the whole page. Think ‘surgical,’ not ‘remix.’
When in doubt, ask the crowd
Not sure what they’re singing in that fuzzy bridge? Drop a question in the comments and let the music nerds swarm. Someone always knows.
This song is beautiful. It can be a very general song (about losing someone or something similar), but specifically these lyrics seem to be about a person slowly losing their partner/family member to Alzheimer's... excellent lyrics by JLB, though as far as I know it's not about a personal experience...
This is a very beautiful song. I love the lyrics and the instruments (especially, that heart melting violin-like inst). I almost cried the first time I heard it.
This song can't be a prequel to "Disappear" because 6DOIT came out before "Train of Thought" that "Vacant" appears on. And "Disappear" is about a man losing his wife.
Kris, just because it was written after Disppear, doesn't mean it can't be a prequel, even if they're based on real events.
Great song, very similar to Disappear, I can see why people make the connection. This song definitely seems like it's about someone suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
This song is SO great. The lyrics are so good man.. James can be a great lyric writer just like JM but they do not write often unfortunately. I think this song can't be seen apart from Stream of Consciousness, just like Wait for Sleep and Learning to Live.
Well, this song is obviously linked to the following track, Stream of Consciousness. It has the same theme, and I think of Vacant as a sort of intro to SoC.
This is just my interpretation: In Vacant, a man is sitting beside his wife' hospital bed, wanting to reach her in a coma (possibly drug-induced) or something. He's unable to evoke any sort of reaction, and is wondering if she can even think at all. Then SoC starts, and I view it as a look into the coma patient's thoughts: a wildly insane dream. I picture a simply effed-up, drug-trip-like thing.
I know that seems very far-fetched, but it seems like a cool explanation and satisfies me.
@psychomonkey62 not far fetched. Me and a group of my high school buddies listened to this on release and this is all basically the same reaction out of all 6 of us. How anybody would think it's for disappear, that just tells me they don't listen to dream theater much.
I don't think of drug induced coma I think of trauma. That's how the instruments feel to me, the fight to come back. Physical trauma that knocks you out is very different from let's say, heroine overdose or severe alcohol poisoning. I've experienced all 3.
@psychomonkey62 not far fetched. Me and a group of my high school buddies listened to this on release and this is all basically the same reaction out of all 6 of us. How anybody would think it's for disappear, that just tells me they don't listen to dream theater much.
I don't think of drug induced coma I think of trauma. That's how the instruments feel to me, the fight to come back. Physical trauma that knocks you out is very different from let's say, heroine overdose or severe alcohol poisoning. I've experienced all 3.
Stream of consciousness is definitely about the...
Stream of consciousness is definitely about the person fighting to come back from that state. How they got so close maybe we'll never know.
I see this song as simply someone drifting more and more out of reality and someone who loves them having to watch it and knowing that they can't do anything about it. It's a very sad song, but god it is so beautiful
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Actually, it probably is a prequel to Disappear, off of 6DOIT. I think it's about James' mother dying of Alzheimer's.
This song is beautiful. It can be a very general song (about losing someone or something similar), but specifically these lyrics seem to be about a person slowly losing their partner/family member to Alzheimer's... excellent lyrics by JLB, though as far as I know it's not about a personal experience...
This is a very beautiful song. I love the lyrics and the instruments (especially, that heart melting violin-like inst). I almost cried the first time I heard it.
This song can't be a prequel to "Disappear" because 6DOIT came out before "Train of Thought" that "Vacant" appears on. And "Disappear" is about a man losing his wife.
This may be one of DT's shorter songs, but it still gets a big thing across, and it still brings tears to my eyes. Beautiful.
Kris, just because it was written after Disppear, doesn't mean it can't be a prequel, even if they're based on real events.
Great song, very similar to Disappear, I can see why people make the connection. This song definitely seems like it's about someone suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
psaffire, the violin-like instrument you speak of is a cello.
This song is SO great. The lyrics are so good man.. James can be a great lyric writer just like JM but they do not write often unfortunately. I think this song can't be seen apart from Stream of Consciousness, just like Wait for Sleep and Learning to Live.
Well, this song is obviously linked to the following track, Stream of Consciousness. It has the same theme, and I think of Vacant as a sort of intro to SoC.
This is just my interpretation: In Vacant, a man is sitting beside his wife' hospital bed, wanting to reach her in a coma (possibly drug-induced) or something. He's unable to evoke any sort of reaction, and is wondering if she can even think at all. Then SoC starts, and I view it as a look into the coma patient's thoughts: a wildly insane dream. I picture a simply effed-up, drug-trip-like thing.
I know that seems very far-fetched, but it seems like a cool explanation and satisfies me.
Dude, I fucking love ur interpretation man! I can feel it too!
Dude, I fucking love ur interpretation man! I can feel it too!
@psychomonkey62 not far fetched. Me and a group of my high school buddies listened to this on release and this is all basically the same reaction out of all 6 of us. How anybody would think it's for disappear, that just tells me they don't listen to dream theater much. I don't think of drug induced coma I think of trauma. That's how the instruments feel to me, the fight to come back. Physical trauma that knocks you out is very different from let's say, heroine overdose or severe alcohol poisoning. I've experienced all 3.
@psychomonkey62 not far fetched. Me and a group of my high school buddies listened to this on release and this is all basically the same reaction out of all 6 of us. How anybody would think it's for disappear, that just tells me they don't listen to dream theater much. I don't think of drug induced coma I think of trauma. That's how the instruments feel to me, the fight to come back. Physical trauma that knocks you out is very different from let's say, heroine overdose or severe alcohol poisoning. I've experienced all 3.
Stream of consciousness is definitely about the...
Stream of consciousness is definitely about the person fighting to come back from that state. How they got so close maybe we'll never know.
I see this song as simply someone drifting more and more out of reality and someone who loves them having to watch it and knowing that they can't do anything about it. It's a very sad song, but god it is so beautiful