I've got a nightmare to remember, I'll 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 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 of fear
Sounds of sirens
Smoke in my eyes
Sudden stillness
wrapped in 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 thought 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 okay?"
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 thought 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
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 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 of fear
Sounds of sirens
Smoke in my eyes
Sudden stillness
wrapped in 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 thought 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 okay?"
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 thought 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
Lyrics submitted by Idan, edited by Octavarium64
A Nightmare to Remember Lyrics as written by John Petrucci John Myung
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
"No son should ever have to see his father such a mess"
First part, a character/group is at a party. They're having a good time, until some uninvited guests come and ruin it. So they leave. Then they get into a car crash, and the character in the song goes on to describe how the crash went through in his head.
Second part, he wakes up in the hospital. He goes on to describe the day after the "nightmare". The drugs and the pain killers start to not only take away the pain, but carry him away.
Final part is just recalling how the crash.
i'm noticing a theme in these two songs. history. now i'm just curious what wither and the count of tuscany are about.
"A Nightmare To Remember"
Lyrics by John Petrucci
A nightmare to remember
I'll never be the same
What began as laughter
So soon would turn to pain
The sky was clear and pretty
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 (__???__)
(there's 3 syllables here, not 2) 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
Crashing fast, rubber and steel
Scorching fire, glowing light
Screams of terror, pain of fear
Sounds of sirens, smoke in my eyes
Silent 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 okay?"
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
We play out the events, did they ever see the red light?
Over and over, scene by scene
Like a recurring nightmare haunting my dreams
How could you prepare for what would happened next?
It's (__???__) that you'd 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
---------------------------
At it's length (almost 15 minutes), I'm going to guess this song has movements/sections like "A Changes of Seasons" or "Octavarium"- it's very segmented and has recurring themes/riffs, giving each section it's own feel.
The first part is about these people before the crash, a "simple" and "innocent" time full of laughter.
The second part is about the crash itself; this section is very short, just like the crash, which is shown with the short and quick lyrics.
The third part is where the narrator wakes up to a faceless stranger (a doctor I assume), giving him medicine to take away his pain. I've come to call this section "Beautiful Agony" as it perfectly describes what this feeling would be like - the sedative state, drugged up and trying to recall the events of an accident in such a confusing state of mind.
The fourth part begins with the guitar solo in 5/4 (which is a riff from earlier), and begins the crazy instrumental section up to MP's vocal, which seems to be outside of the original narrator's perspective. Then at the end returns a similar verse from earlier with more of the prior themes coming back.
-M.
As far as I know/hear, the only problematic section is MP's line there. The rest sounds correct.
God damn this is an awesome sound.
The rest is based on the story.
I love it... By the grace of God above, everyone survived... RRRRRUUUUAAAAHHHH!!!!
Is wrong.
I clearly hear James say
"The sky was clear and frigid"
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"
This part is just beautiful.