Losing Time / Grand Finale Lyrics

Lyric discussion by Elmatto 

Cover art for Losing Time / Grand Finale lyrics by Dream Theater

As a sufferer of anxiety disorder and all that comes with it (depression etc)....this is just describing how things fall into place when you've managed to trudge through the worst of it.

"She doesn't recall yesterday Faces seem twisted and strange But she always wakes up Only to find she'd been miles away"

When you've been warring with yourself for so long, things sort of run together, and you start to lose your sense of time and place. It's hard to describe, but it's a very disturbing feeling because you have little moments of reality when everything sinks in. When you realize "you've been miles away".

Wanting to escape She had created a way to survive She learned to detach from herself A behavior that kept her alive

I dont see this line as creating a split personality. It's just in your distress you want to escape from yourself. And this verse is especially true for me. With all my anxiety problems, and my time with my psychiatrist, I indeed found a way to survive. I found a way to use what was bothering me to my advantage, thus taking the power out of my fears. "Detaching myself" from them in a sense. Without the fear powering my worries, I was able to not focus on them, and indeed detach myself from them. It really was what made the difference. "kept me alive". The last part of the song, is simply less about the girl and just about our mind in general. Hope in the face of our human distress" really resonated with me. Because, even when I was at my worst, I simply wanted a way out. And as thus, it really did help me learn more about myself and my "illusive mind". And the part about shame keeping us from saving the ones we love, that is also very true. If my parents and friends hadn't of helped me through that time of my life, I don't know where I would be today. And indeed shame was a big part of my problem. I had a lot of troubles accepting that I had a mental disorder. And when I finally did I fell apart. It took several long months to see it wasn't so bad. But indeed, I felt like I was crazy. And because of my family and friends, I was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. that is just my two cents.

My Interpretation

Oh. But yes. I could also see this song being about a girl with split personality. That's what I love about music. Interpretation.

One of the most common traits of an individual suffering from dissociative personality disorder is the DISSOCIATIVE FUGUE: epsisodes of suddenly leaving home or place of work without any explanation, traveling to another city, and being unable to remember his or her past or identity. He or she may assume a new identity (Videbeck, pg. 203). Hence the line: "But she only wakes up to find she had been miles away." My nursing school module is currently covering mental health and I've been listening to 6DoiT constantly. I am VERY HAPPY TO REPORT that DT has nailed it with 98% or better...