Dream Theater

Scenes From A Memory (1999)

 
 

Act I
1. Scene One: Regression
2. Scene Two: I. Overture 1928
3. II. Strange Deja Vu
4. Scene Three: I. Through My Words
5. II. Fatal Tragedy
6. Scene Four: Beyond This Life
7. Scene Five: Through Her Eyes
Act II
8. Scene Six: Home
9. Scene Seven: I. The Dance Of Eternity
10. II. One Last Time
11. Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On
12. Scene Nine: Finally Free

Cast Of Characters:
     Nicholas
     Victoria Page
     Senator Edward Baynes (The Miracle)
     Julian Baynes (The Sleeper)
     The Hypnotherapist  [Spoken by Terry Brown]

The Character and Chronological Key (Past or Present) are identified
within the lyrics and surrounded by brackets [].

ACT I

1) Scene One: Regression
- John Petrucci

[Present]
    [The Hypnotherapist:]
    "Close your eyes and begin to relax. 
    Take a deep breath, and let it out slowly. 
    Concentrate on your breathing. 
    With each breath you become more relaxed. 
    Imagine a brilliant white light above you, 
    focusing on this light as it flows through your body. 
    Allow yourself to drift off as you fall deeper and 
    deeper into a more relaxed state of mind. 
    Now as I count back from ten to one, 
    you will feel more peaceful, and calm. 
    Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. 
    You will enter a safe place where nothing can harm you. 
    Five. Four. Three. Two. 
    If at any time you need to come back, 
    all you must do is open your eyes. One."

    [Nicholas:]
    Safe in the light that surrounds me
    Free of the fear and the pain
    My subconscious mind
    Starts spinning through time
    To rejoin the past once again

    Nothing seems real
    I'm starting to feel
    Lost in the haze of a dream

    And as I draw near
    The scene becomes clear
    Like watching my life on a screen

    Hello Victoria so glad to see you
    My friend.

2) Scene Two: I. Overture 1928
(instrumental)

3) Scene Two: II. Strange Deja Vu
- Mike Portnoy

[Present]
    [Nicholas:]
    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

[Past]
    Closer now- Slowly coming into view
    I've arrived- Blinding sunshine beaming through

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

    There's a room at the top of the stairs
    Every night I'm drawn up there
    And 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
    Behind the disguise- There's something tearing
    At her soul...

    [Victoria:]
    Tonight I've been searching for it
    A feeling that's deep inside me
    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

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

    Why is this other life
    Haunting me every day
    I'd break through to 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
    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

4) Scene Three: I. Through My Words
- John Petrucci

[Present]
    [Nicholas:]
    All your eyes have ever seen
    All you've ever heard
    Is etched upon my memory
    Is spoken through my words

    All that I take with me
    Is all you've left behind
    We're sharing one eternity
    Living in two minds
    Linked by an endless thread
    Impossible to break

5) Scene Three: II. Fatal Tragedy
      - John Myung

[Present]
    [Nicholas:]
    Alone at night
    I feel so strange
    I need to find
    All the answers to my dreams

    When I sleep at night
    I hear the cries
    What does this mean?

    I shut the door and traveled to another home
    I met an older man, he seemed to be alone
    I felt that I could trust him
    He talked to me that night;

    "Lad did you know a girl was murdered here?"
    "This fatal tragedy was talked about for years"
    Victoria's gone forever
    Only memories remain
    She passed away
    She was so young

    Without love
    Without truth
    There can be no turning back

    Without faith
    Without hope
    There can be no peace of mind

    As the night went on
    I started to find my way
    I learned about a tragedy
    A mystery still today

    I tried to get more answers
    But he said, "You're on your own."
    Then he turned away and left me
    As I stand there all alone
    He said, "You'll know the truth
    As you future days unfold...unfold"

    Without love
    Without truth
    There can be no turning back

    Without faith
    Without hope
    There can be no peace of mind

    [The Hypnotherapist:]
    "Now it is time to see how you died. 
    Remember that death is not the end,
    but only a transition."

6) Scene Four: Beyond This Life
- John Petrucci

[Past]
    Headline: "Murder, young girl killed
    Desperate shooting at Echo's Hill
    Dreadful ending, killer died
    Evidently suicide."

    A witness heard a horrifying sound
    He ran to find a woman dead and
    Lying on the ground

    Standing by her was a man
    Nervous, shaking, gun in hand
    Witness says he tried to help
    But he'd turned the weapon on himself

    His body fell across that poor young girl
    After shouting out in vain
    The witness ran to call for assistance
    A sad close to a broken love affair

    Our deeds have traveled far
    What we have been is what we are

    Our deeds have traveled far
    What we have been is what we are

    She wanted love forever
    But he had another plan
    He fell into an evil way
    She had to let him down
    She said, "I can't love a wayward man."

    She may have found a reason to forgive
    If he had only tried to change
    Was their fatal meeting prearranged?

    Had a violent struggle taken place?
    There was every sign that lead there
    Witness found a switchblade on the ground
    Was the victim unaware?
    They continued to investigate
    They found a note in the killer's pocket
    It could have been a suicide letter
    Maybe he had lost her love

    I feel there's only one thing left to do
    I'd sooner take my life away
    Than live with losing you

    Our deeds have traveled far
    What we have been is what we are

    Our deeds have traveled far
    What we have been is what we are

    All that we learn this time
    (What we have been is what we are)
    Is carried beyond this life

    All that we learn this time
    (What we have been is what we are)
    Is carried beyond this life

    Our deeds have traveled far
    What we have been is what we are

    Our deeds have traveled far
    What we have been is what we are

    All that we learn this time
    (What we have been is what we are)
    Is carried beyond this life

    All that we learn this time
    (What we have been is what we are)
    Is carried beyond this life

7) Scene Five: Through Her Eyes
- John Petrucci

[Present]
    [Nicholas:]
    She never really had a chance
    On that fateful moonlit night
    Sacrificed without a fight
    A victim of her circumstance

    Now that I've become aware
    And I've exposed this tragedy
    A sadness grows inside of me
    It all seems so unfair

    I'm learning all about my life
    By looking through her eyes

    Just beyond the churchyard gates
    Where the grass is overgrown
    I saw the writing on her stone
    I felt like I would suffocate

    In loving memory of our child
    So innocent, eyes open wide
    I felt so empty as I cried
    Like part of me had died

    I'm learning all about my life
    By looking through her eyes

    And as her image
    Wandered through my head
    I wept just like a baby
    As I lay awake in bed

    And I know what it's like
    To lose someone you love
    And this felt just the same

    She wasn't given any choice
    Desperation stole her voice
    I've been given so much more in life
    I've got a son, I've got a wife

    I had to suffer one last time
    To grieve for her and say goodbye
    Relive the anguish of my past
    To find out who I was at last

    The door has opened wide
    I'm turning with the tide
    Looking through her eyes

ACT II

8) Scene Six: Home
- Mike Portnoy

[Past]
    [The Sleeper:]
    Shine- lake of fire
    Lines take me higher
    My mind drips desire
    Confined and overtired

    Living this charade
    Is getting me nowhere
    I can't shake this charade
    The city's cold blood calls me home...
    Home... It's what I long for
    Back home... where I belong

    The city- it calls to me
    Decadent scenes from my memory
    Sorrow- eternity
    My demons are coming to drown me

    Help- I'm falling, I'm crawling
    I can't keep away from its clutch
    Can't have it, this habit
    It's calling me back to my home

    [The Miracle:]
    I remember the first time she came to me
    She poured out her soul all night and cried...

    I remember I was told there's a new love that's born
    For each one that has died...

    I never thought that I
    Could carry on with this life
    But I can't resist myself
    No matter how hard I try

    Living their other life
    Is getting them nowhere
    I'll make her my wife
    Her sweet temptation calls me home...
    Home... It's what I long for
    My home... where she belongs

    Her ecstasy- means so much to me
    Even decieving my own blood
    Victoria watches and thoughtfully smiles
    She's taking me to my home

    Help- he's my brother, but I love her
    I can't keep away from her touch
    Deception, dishonor
    It's calling me back to my home

    "...four, four, who wants the hard      [A craps "stickman" is heard     ]
     four?... who wants the hard four?...   [calling out various bets during ]
     ...shooter had one, four...            [the gambling and sex sequence.  ]
     ...one, four... one and make it the 
     hard way... ...got the shooter... ...coming out for a new player... 
     take your best shot, gambler... ...who wants to come?
     better hop in... place your bets... who wants to come?"

[Present]
    [Nicholas:]
    Her story- it holds the key
    Unlocking dreams from my memory
    Solving this mystery
    Is everything that is a part of me

    Help- regression, obsession
    I can't keep away from it's clutch
    Leave no doubt, to find out
    It's calling me back to my home

9) Scene Seven: I. The Dance Of Eternity
(instrumental)

10) Scene Seven: II. One Last Time
- James LaBrie

[Present]
    [Nicholas:]
    It doesn't make any sense
    This tragic ending
    In spite of the evidence
    There's something still missing

    Heard some of the rumors told
    A taste of one's wealth
    Did Victoria wound his soul?
    Did she bid him farewell?

[Past]
    [Victoria:]
    One last time
    We'll lay down today
    One last time
    Until we fade away
    One last time
    We'll lay down today
    One last time
    We slowly fade away... away

[Present]
    [Nicholas:]
    Here I am inside his home
    It holds the many clues
    To my suspicions
    And as I'm standing here right now
    I'm finally shown what I have always known

    Coincidence I can't believe
    As my childhood dreams slowly come true

    Are these her memories
    Awakened through my eyes
    This house has brought back to life

    An open door
    I walk on through
    Into his bedroom

    Feeling as cold as outside
    The walls disappear
    To some woman who's screaming
    A man pleads forgiveness
    His words I cannot hear

11) Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On
- John Petrucci

[Present]
    [Nicholas:]
    Where did we come from?
    Why are we here?
    Where do we go when we die?
    What lies beyond
    And what lay before?
    Is anything certain in life?

    They say, "Life is too short,"
    "The here and the now"
    And "You're only given one shot"
    But could there be more,
    Have I lived before,
    Or could this be all that we've got?

    If I die tomorrow
    I'd be all right
    Because I believe
    That after we're gone
    The spirit carries on

    I used to be frightened of dying
    I used to think death was the end
    But that was before
    I'm not scared anymore
    I know that my soul will transcend

    I may never find all the answers
    I may never understand why
    I may never prove
    What I know to be true
    But I know that I still have to try

    If I die tomorrow
    I'd be allright
    Because I believe
    That after we're gone
    The spirit carries on

    [Victoria:]
    "Move on, be brave
    Don't weep at my grave
    Because I am no longer here
    But please never let
    Your memory of me disappear"

    [Nicholas:]
    Safe in the light that surrounds me
    Free of the fear and the pain
    My questioning mind
    Has helped me to find
    The meaning in my life again
    Victoria's real
    I finally feel
    At peace with the girl in my dreams
    And now that I'm here
    It's perfectly clear
    I found out what all of this means

    If I die tomorrow
    I'd be allright
    Because I believe
    That after we're gone
    The spirit carries on

12) Scene Nine: Finally Free
- Mike Portnoy

[Present]
    [The Hypnotherapist:]
    "You are once again surrounded by a brilliant white light. 
    Allow the light to lead you away from your past and into this lifetime. 
    As the light dissipates you will slowly fade back into consciousness 
    remembering all you have learned. When I tell you to open your eyes 
    you will return to the present, feeling peaceful and refreshed. 
    Open your eyes, Nicholas."

[Past]
    [The Miracle:]
    Friday evening
    The blood still on my hands
    To think that she would leave me now
    For that ungrateful man

    Sole survivor
    No witness to the crime
    I must act fast to cover up
    I think that there's still time

    He'd seem hopeless and lost with this note
    They'll buy into the words that I wrote

    "This feeling inside me
    Finally found my love, I've finally broke free
    No longer torn in two
    I'd take my own life before losing you"

    [Victoria:]
    Feeling good this Friday afternoon
    I ran into Julian
    Said we'd get together soon

    He's always had my heart
    He needs to know
    I'll break free of the Miracle
    It's time for him to go

    This feeling inside me
    Finally found my love, I've finally broke free
    No longer torn in two
    He'd kill his brother if he only knew

    Their love renewed
    They'd rendezvous
    In a pathway out of view
    They thought no one knew
    Then came a shot out of the night

    [The Miracle:]
    "Open your eyes, Victoria."             [Towards the end of the shrieks ]
                                            [and gun fire during the fight. ]

    [The Sleeper:]
    One last time
    We'll lay down today
    One last time
    Until we fade away
    One last time
    We'll lay down today
    One last time
    We fade away

    As their bodies lie still
    And the ending draws near
    Spirits rise through the air
    All their fears disappear, it all becomes clear
    A blinding light comes into view
    An old soul exchanged for a new
    A familiar voice comes shining through...

[Present]
    [Nicholas:]
    This feeling inside me
    Finally found my life, I'm finally free
    No longer torn in two
    I learned about my life by living through you

    This feeling inside me
    Finally found my life, I'm finally free
    No longer torn in two
    Living my own life by learning from you

    We'll meet again my friend someday soon...

    "...news in London, France, Russia      [Samples from TV news broadcasts.]
    and Italy have deleted their lead 
    story, all anticipating the outcome 
    of the man considered to be a member of American nobility."
    "And as you can imagine, as the skies have grown darker 
    here over Washington, the mood has grown darker as well 
    and people here are beginning to resign themselves 
    to the possibility that they are witnessing yet another 
    tragedy in a long string of misfortunes."
    "Reaction from everywhere, from Washington and 
    certainly from around the world has cast..."

    [The Hypnotherapist:]
    "Open your eyes, Nicholas."

    [Nicholas:]
    "Aaah!" 

Hosted by uCoz