Subconscious strange sensation
Unconscious relaxation
What a pleasant nightmare
And I can't wait to get there again

Every time I close my eyes
There's another vivid surprise
Another whole life waiting
Chapters unfinished, fading

Closer now,
Slowly coming into view
I've arrived,
Blinding sunshine beaming through

There's a house I'm drawn into
Familiar settings, nothing new
There's a pathway leading there
With a haunting chill in the air

There's room at the top of the stairs
Every night I'm drawn up there
There's a girl in the mirror
Her face is getting clearer
Young child won't you tell me why I'm here?

In her eyes
I sense a story never told
Behinde the disguise
There's something tearing
At her soul

Tonight I've been searching for it
A feeling that's deep inside m
Tonight I've been searching for
The one that nobody knows
Trying to break free

I just can't help myself
I'm feeling like I'm going out of my head
Tears my heart into two
I'm not the one the sleeper thought he knew

Back on my feet again
Eyes open to real world
Metropolis surrounds me
The mirror's shattered the girl

Why is this other life
Haunting me everyday
I'd break through the other side
If only I'd find the way

Something's awfully familiar
The feeling's so hard to shake
Could I have lived in that other world
It's a link that I'm destined to make

I'm still searching but I don't know what for
The missing key to unlock my mind's door

Today I am searching for it
A feeling that won't go away
Today I am searching for it
The only one I know
Trying to break free

I just can't help myself
I'm feeling like I'm going out of my head
Tears my soul into two
I'm not the one I thought I always knew

I just can't help myself
I'm feeling like I'm going out of my head
Uncanny, strange Deja Vu
But I don't mind
I hope to find the truth


Lyrics submitted by Idan

Strange Deja Vu Lyrics as written by John Petrucci John Myung

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Strange Deja Vu song meanings
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7 Comments

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  • +2
    General CommentI once had a guarding duty (I'm a soldier) and I spent it with (surprisngly) Seven other DT fans.

    We had so much fun with singing this album all togther, damn extacy, err...
    Idanon June 22, 2003   Link
  • +1
    General Commentit's really really a cool song..!
    "i just can't help myself
    i'm feeling like i'm going out of my mind
    tears my soul into two
    i'm not the one i thought i always knew"
    it just representate my feelings sometimes when i felt so confuse about myself.
    listening this whole album makes me once again realize what a great band they are, what a great music they made..!
    choo2on May 20, 2007   Link
  • +1
    My InterpretationIn this song, Nicholas is describing the dreams he has been having of his past life. In a past life, he was a young woman named Victoria on the 1920s. That is why "there's a girl in the mirror" in his dream, because the dream is actually a "scene from a memory" of Victoria's life and he is "looking through her eyes" and sees Victoria when he looks in the mirror.

    In the dream, he is in a setting both familiar (as Victoria) and unfamiliar (as Nicholas). He says his soul is torn in two because he is experiencing this scene from memory as both personalities simultaneously. This is why he experiences uncanny, strange deja vu.

    There is a pun on the word "sleeper", when Victoria/Nicholas says, "I'm not the one the Sleeper thought he knew." Since Nicholas is literally sleeping, he finds that he has a past life he never knew of, so he finds a new aspect to his soul. The other Sleeper is the character named Julian, who is Victoria's lover. This is only the second lyrical song on the album, so Julian hasn't been introduced to the story yet, but it is eventually revealed that Victoria had a secret hidden from Julian (she had a love affair with his brother, Edward "The Miracle") so that's what she means when she says she's not the one The Sleeper thought he knew.

    This song also explains that Nicholas knows there is something very mysterious about these dream memories, and also it says that Victoria seems like she has something to tell him.

    The album notes show that italicized lyrics are in the past, non-italicized lyrics are in the present. It also states which character is singing each part, since all characters' words are sung by James LaBrie and it can get confusing. But in this song, I think large parts of the lyrics are being told from the point-of-view of both Nicholas and Victoria simultaneously, so the same words can be interpreted differently if you think it's Nicholas or Victoria speaking. Hence why Nicholas feels his soul torn in two.
    FerrousFauceton August 11, 2014   Link
  • 0
    General CommentPerfect song! The way the music (lyricly and instrumentally) describes the regression is just awesome!!!
    dr_jekyllon June 04, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Commentsimply awesome!!, the meaning of the whole album is jus awesome!! dt rocks :)
    strangedejavuon February 25, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General CommentI just love the drumming in this song...man! instrumentally this song is just damn good!!
    preemaniaon March 18, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General CommentDefinitely top 3-4 off of SFaM. I love this one, and that opening lyric is just amazing.
    hank_317on July 25, 2005   Link

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