Mullmuzzler

The players:
James LaBrie - lead and background vocals
Matt Guillory- keyboards/piano
Trent Gardner - keyboards/piano
Mike Mangini - drums
Mike Keneally- guitars
Mike Borkosky - guitars
Brian Beller - bass

Afterlife

In the aftermath of an afterthought we come to terms
In a moment no hostile termination
Just reflection on the facts (on the facts)
(as I see them)
All that I, all that I have tried to do is be honest with myself (yeah)
Now my agenda is shifting focus
Running against the tide of time
In an ocean of complexity and confusion
In the afterimage I've created for myself
In my afterlife - I've come of age
A generation late - my essence and my rage
A state of being here - my spirit soars
After time - after more

Laughter in the left field
Hanging on the ledge of what is real
I think it's gonna be all right
And I know you hear me
'Cause we're not that far apart
Now that I can see beyond myself

Last trip on a strange, strange ride
Every head a big world inside
Hey, it's my turn
Jawbreaker - jawbone
When the truth is finally shown
Now that I can see beyond myself
Now the truth is stranger than fiction
In my revolution of resistance
(now that I, now that I can see)
In a manic manipulation only contradictions follow
No exoneration in my afterimage I've created....

In my afterlife - I've come of age
A generation late - my essence and my rage
A state of being here - my spirit soars
After time - after more

In my afterlife - a soul of years
Beyond the frame of man
The boundaries and the years
In my afterlife the language grows
Feast on purpose - afterglow

Venice Burning

Sometimes life can be so damn cold
When the verdicts in
The streets were alive
The night falling down around
On the prowl again
Catlike moves
The pain betrays the smile
Delicate and sad
A rage of tears subsides
Reality fades into the mask
Then the hunger takes control
Once the hunted in for the kill

No one came, no one saw
On the night that Venice Burned
Tortured souls, they set the sky alight
And don't ever say a word
Familiar hands fanned the flames
That would burn baptismal tears
Where to go it's all come down

Only silence
Venice Burned
Only silence
Venice Burned

In the shadows
In the face of trust
In a piercing blow
Spills the soul of an innocent heart

no one came, no one saw
On the night that Venice Burned

Embers glow and eyes soon fade
And the circle starts again
So set them up, knock them down
As the smoke begins to rise
Where to go, it's all come down

Only silence
Venice burned
Only silence
Venice burned

Darkened room
Late at night
I slip in nice and quiet
I feel the cold
Dark secrets here unfold
Where that cat digs it's claws
At the alter of scars
I taste the cold
The shrine of a twisted soul
Lost my will when I saw
Vengeance on the wall

No one came, no one saw
On the night that Venice Burned

Innocence reduced to filth
That can never wasy away
So stoke the flames
Bare the flesh
Let the branding leave it's mark
The spark of youth
Engulfed and smothered out

Only ashes
Venice Burned
Only ashes
Venice Burned

I must I've got to hold
I'm holding on

Watching Venice Burning
Watching Venice Burning
Watching Venice Burning
Watching Venice Burning

Confronting The Devil

I look as though I've died
I loathe my life
I can't believe my mind
Oh the pain
The pictures tell it all
Wretchedly depraved
Cast reason to the wind
Fires all I see
The mirror shattering

Someone avenge for me
The child who died inside
Water come over me
Until the flames subside

I see I see through you
The devil there
Consumed your bitter soul
And left destruction in it's wake

Your eyes they tell me all
All the guilt you bear
My confidant and friend
You betrayed the trust
Smashed forever more

Someone avenge for me
The child who died inside
Water come over me
Until the flames subside
Venomous fury builds
Let's hang the traitor high

You're not alone in your sin
We're all the same
But you didn't break the chain
And rise above
Goodbye my friend

Moments such as this
Are what defines a man
When the curtains finally close
All we're left with is blood
We must fight for the blood
There's nothing else
More worth standing up for

I swam in the vengeance of
The child who died inside
Water came over me
But couldn't still the knife
Until you feel my pain
You'll never realize
Mercy wash over me
And grant me stay this night

It's so unreal
The cruelty of fate
It's so unreal
The sorrow of fate

Falling

The world has turned me upside down again
And put me back right where I started from
I could have sworn, that I was fastened in
But you've broken me, now look what I've become
When innocence was all that I embraced
How is it that I fell from your grace
And I'm still

Falling
Falling
I'm still falling
Falling
I'm still falling

So obvious, yet I can't define
A gentle kiss, has never felt so wrong
You say you are, but you were never mine
I know you're here,
But somehow your heart is gone

When the smoke had cleared
And I knew what was true
How is it that I still fell for you
And I'm still

Falling
Falling
Feel like I'm still falling
Falling

Falling
Falling
I'm still falling
Falling
Feel like I'm still falling
Falling
I'm still falling
Falling
Feel like I'm still falling

Stranger

Intoxicate my life
Keep wanting more
Never away from me
Now I feel it's over
Still I can't let go
Feel the colds colder

I'm laying down
It washes over me
The only time I feel alive

The cravings never end
Please come again
Take what you want from me

Drifting there again
Here I lose my way
As it slowly invades me

I know I'll never feel the same way
No complicated moods today

I know I should leave you
But I can't resist you
If you touched them
Then they'd understand

If they gave you a try
Know the reasons why I
Love this Stranger
More than all of them

Now I'm with God again
Just you and me my friend
I know You'll never leave my side
My body simply slips away

They say I should leave you
But they've never met you
If you touched them
Then they'll understand

If they gave you a try
Know the reasons why I
Love a Stranger
More than I love them

A Simple Man

A thousand years of sleep
I've missed the rising sun
Wish I could change this
Always the same
With each one, every night
I'd watch as the light
Slowly fades from their eyes

Ohh so long
Long ago
What he took
Then gave to me
There is no end
It's not what I thought it'd be

Left drained felt impaired
The eyes drew me inside
Hypnotic waltz from his stare
Letting go

Ohh I still love
With the night will arrive
The cobblestones
Light misty air
The brief carress
Our sweet affair

Ohh so long
Long ago
I was just like any of you
A Simple Man
There was nothing I could do

But I've grown so tired
There's no need to hold on
If you hear me
Just wanna be
Be the man I was

Please believe
If I could
I would change
One thousand years
And still I am
Looking like the day
This all began

Ohh so long
Long ago
What he took
Then gave to me
Take it back
And give back the man in me

I'm going on my way
I'm going where there's no desire
Goin on where I'll stay higher than now

I want what you have taken
My life has been forsaken
Many nights I lay torn I'm breaking down
Why all this began
What's there to care for
Fade away

Save Me

I think I have lost my mind
I need to find an out
Trippin in my head
All the time
At peace inside this holy place
I wish I could believe
Still I pray this God
Comes to me

Gave me reasons
Gave me ways
To face another day
A place where I could
Just hang out in

Took all that you gave
Cause I
Knew your little schemes
This won't bring me any
Closer to Him

Wanna change all this
Help me see not guess

Save me
Don't let me
Just fall
Help me walk back to You

I want all
You treasure
It's pleasure
All that it can do

Won't You change all this
Ready to confess

Save me
Don't let me
Just fall
Won't You tell me the truth

I've asked
Myself why
Guess it's faith
Giving purpose to You

Save me
Don't let me fall
Show me
The truth that's all

Believe

The way you look at me
Is not the same
I tried so hard to tell you
I'm to blame
So hold on tight
I'll make things right
You'll see
Just Believe in me

Perfect in every way
Is what you are
And what I've done
Has all but left a scar

So just hold on
And please be strong
For me

I will take your heartache
I will take your tears
I will take your sadness
And all your pain
And all your fears

I will take your heartache
I will take your tears
I will take your sadness
And all your pain
And all your fears
All your fears

Why try and run
From who you are
I've watched you come undone
Cause when we run
We don't get far
This world can sometimes tear you
Til your torn

A fairytale this was when it began
More camouflage to hide
All the we can
But this is real
All that you see
In me
Trust me and Believe

You can't control not feeling like it was
While holding her
This memory of us
All that you see
I need you to
Believe

Let me take your heartache
Take away the tears
Let me stop this madness
And all your pain
And all your fears

I will take your heartache
I will take your tears
I will take your sadness
And all your pain
And all your fears

Listening

She can do anything
What does she see in me
I wouldn't change a thing
I no longer feel so empty
So I'm listening
No words that I can hear
But I'm seeing
For the first time things are clear

But I'd still like to know
What do I do for you
Wanna be a part of me
Take all you see
Anything of me

I've been in love
And I held on to it's bliss
Never realized
That this kind of love exists

So I'm listening
Your words are what I hear
You have shown me
It's so simple when your near

I've been in love
And I hold on to it's bliss
Now I realize
That this kind of love exists
I'm listening
For the first, for the first time

Tell Me

Familiar story on my tv screen
Different faces, but it's all the same old thing
I know all the lines to every single scene
And if I stare too long I might even see me
Remote control
Say it isn't so
Get me out of here

I don't want to know
How our story goes
Tell me how it ends
Cause I don't understand
Would you fill me in
Tell me how it ends

Hearing all the words you never said
I'm entertaining fiction in my head
You've caged the bird,
the one that's meant the fly
You're gonna leave him there
and watch him slowly die

I'm not the one
You want in your re-run
Get me out of here

I don't want to know
How our story goes
Tell me how it ends
Cause I don't understand
Would you fill me in
Tell me how it ends

Teardrops
In the doorway
So close to me
But so far away
Thought I knew you
Thought I knew me
Gotta let go
I'm sorry

Lord, be the eyes for me
Cause I can't see
beyond today

Poisoned by the words she wrote
I'm searching for that
Antidote to save me
To save me

I don't want to know
How our story goes
Tell me how it ends
Cause I don't understand
Would you fill me in
Tell me how it ends

I don't want to know
How our story goes
Tell me how it ends
Cause I don't understand
Would you fill me in
Tell me how it ends

Спасибо Дубовику Алексею за присланные им тексты альбома.