Illumination Theory Lyrics

Lyric discussion by AndresFL 

Cover art for Illumination Theory lyrics by Dream Theater

This song is about the search for meaning in life, the wonder of life and creation and the fight for survival. First part: We find ourselves living, but what are we really living for? What is this all about? "We seek to understand..." Love and hate unite or divide us in this quest. But there is one thing we all see and wonder about and that unites us in our final act of faith. The beauty of nature surrounding us. Second part: The creation. The beauty of the world. You might say. The idea of things (Plato) or the garden of eden. (?) Just, the beauty of it all. Then all of a sudden, like the sound of something crashing down. I say to myself in biblical mythology: "the fall of man" Third part: The stuggle for survival. Everyone living for his thing. Fighting for their lives and struggling to make ends meet. Fourth part: The message: We need to taste the bitter to know the sweet. (Tree of good and evil) There is redemption as we learn to see the necessity of lifes struggles and learn to embrace love and light.

Maybe I am totally wrong with what DT thought about while making this song. It´s my two cents of what I think about when I hear this song.

My Interpretation

I would say, that you right what you said about it. But I would go further from there. I think that JP is leading us on a path to God, makes us think about things that are beyond us, find the real meaning of life, find the truth but not the absolute truth, but something that we are searching our entire life and getting closer to it. I truely believe that "love" and "light" are reflects on God.