Far From Heaven

Beautiful song. There's a lot of emotion and feeling in it. I think this song could possibly have to do with someone who doesn't live up to the standards of someone they care about. No matter what they do, they feel like they'll never be good enough for said person. It seems like even if the person does what is expected of them, it still isn't enough. "Way too high a price I should pay" could be referring to the happiness that the person is giving up in order to try to please the other person. It could refer to a relationship, or a scenario where one person, the "inferior" one, loves the other person, but they do not reciprocate because they're not seen as good enough. Towards the end of the song, the person begins to realise that they can't be anyone except themselves, and if that's not good enough for the other person, it's time to move on. "Nothing you can do to change me, but accept me as I am" is a clear indication that the person has come to a realisation for the better. But that's just my take on things.

A quote from this interview with James: http://www.atlasjams.com/2011/12/exclusive-a-dramatic-turn-of-phrase-dream-theater%E2%80%99s-james-labrie-in-his-own-words/4324/

I thought lyrically you were coming down on parents for stifling the creativity of their kids by not giving them enough room to breathe, so to speak. -You frickin’ nailed it! People are trying to live vicariously through their children and putting on unspeakable pressure for them to become something without listening to what it is their children are feeling!

Someone who is clearly unhappy/has something wrong with them, sounds like this other friend isn't being as sympathetic as they could be.

Perhaps the song is about an individual questioning their gender or sexual orientation?

"Put a brave face on... facing it alone... hard to tell that I can change who I am (how I feel)?" This sounds like a cry for help from somebody who wants to be accepted for who they want to be (or feel they should be)...

Accept me as I am... Pretty powerful lyrics...

Suggestions?

It is obviously a sad song about Mike Portnoy.

I kinda thought about a guy in love. "Every day I put a brave face on" really fits itno the whole picture of a guy, maybe a teenager, much like myself, whose love rejected him and doesn't want people close to him to know he's in pain."You keep your pride while I die inside every day" the girl doesn't seem to notice him, while he suffers constantly. Kinda fits doesn't it?

It certainly wasn't related, I'm sure but, someone once played this in a tribute to Tilikum. And I found that profoundly eerie.

I think it's about a long term pupil - religon leader or teacher relationship. The teacher teached the pupil many way of life with theory, theory and theory that "no one truly has the answers" if it is the only righteous way. That way of life is too complicated to be done. Too much rules. Too high standard that make the pupil depressed, "feeling helpless" and "die inside everyday". If heaven only belongs to person who fullfill that standard so the pupil is "too far from heaven" Then the pupil give up that way of life and wanting the One who can "accept me as i am"

Well, i don't want to say anything for sure but there's a movie called far from heaven about gay people, and the song for sure fits on the spot "keep things bottled up, never speaking my mind" mean staying in the closet, "i can't change who i am, how i feel" in the movie the mc tries to change, goes to a conversion therapy but it fails and he falls into a pseudo "depression" and alcool "i have done what you asked of me, leaves me nothing to live for" later in the movie he finally decide to divorce her to get together with a guy he fell in love with corresponding to "can't lie anymore and won't pretend"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0297884/