(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 run through my head
Patterns of my live have thawed and torn 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, then haven't

Sometimes you've got to be wrong
Learn the hard way
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 'bout the dreaded task in store for me
A bitter fear at the thought of my amends
Hoping that the step will help restore me
To face my past and ask for forgiveness
Cleaning up my dirty side of this un-swept street
Could this be the beginning of the end?

I once thought it better to regret
Things that I have done, then haven't

Sometimes you've got to be wrong
Learn the hard way
Just when you're through hanging on
You're saved

If we are painstaking about this phase of our development
We will be amazed before we are halfway 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 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 have been fulfilled amongst others
Sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly.
We will always be true to our principles.

You're only as sick as your secrets
But the truth shall set you free.
The truth is the truth.
That's all you can do is live with it.


Lyrics submitted by 2006200720082009, edited by Idan, Octavarium64

Repentance Lyrics as written by Michael Portnoy John Petrucci

Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

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Repentance song meanings
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    I like this song alot. I can totally relate to this in a lot of ways. I pretty much spent the last four years of my life as a complete drug addicted drunk. The funny thing was, was that before I ever did drugs I bought a bag of coke and brought it to my mother trying to explain to her that I couldn't take my problems any more and they weren't giving me a way out. All she did was yell. All she does is yell. When I was in college she would call me hammared, it was really sad. I definately couldn't take it. I surrounded myself with untrustworthy friends and people because I didn't want to bring the good/nice people down. I always felt sorry and tried to protect people from me. I started changing my life but I was stuck in a bad enviornment and there were too many problems that I couldn't handle. I'm not a control freak but if someone is burdening me with their problems and they don't listen to my advice but keep it up I can't take it. I tried reaching out for help but I had no friends to turn to. I tried reaching out to an exboyfriend who popped up but he couldn't even give me a straight answer... I always thought people were nicer... I guess I was really wrong. I always thought that if you couldn't help someone, you would find someone who could... I was wrong. That is what this song means to me.

    perhapspsychologyon January 12, 2008   Link

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