A Nightmare to Remember

I'm pretty sure that MPs lyric should be "No son should ever have to see his father such a mess"

I could swear it's "In peaceful sedation I lay half awake".

It begins in the first two verses as a prelude to the accident.

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.

this song's about how you can't predict one day to the next and the smallest of actions one does can change the course of history.

i'm noticing a theme in these two songs. history. now i'm just curious what wither and the count of tuscany are about.

After a few days of listening to this song carefully, there are some lyrics here that aren't right. Here's what I think they should be:

"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.

Can you highlight only the sections with the errors? Thanks. 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.

This is an awesome song

John Petrucci crashed as a child. Well.. he was in the car.

The rest is based on the story.

I love it... By the grace of God above, everyone survived... RRRRRUUUUAAAAHHHH!!!!

"The sky was clear and pretty"

Is wrong.

I clearly hear James say

"The sky was clear and frigid"

"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"

This part is just beautiful.