Dream Theater – Octavarium lyrics

Dream Theater – Octavarium lyrics

I never wanted to become
Someone like him
So secure
Content to live each day
Just like the last
I was sure I knew that
This was not for me
And I wanted so much more
Far beyond what I could see
So I swore that I'd
Never be someone like him

So many years have passed
Since I proclaimed
My independence
My mission
My aim
And my vision
So secure
Content to live each day
Like it's my last
It's wonderful to know
That I could be
Something more than what I dreamed
Far beyond what I could see
Still I swear that I'm
Missing out this time

As far as I could tell
There's nothing more I need
But still I ask myself
Could this be everything
Then all I swore
That I would never be was now
So suddenly
The only thing
I wanted
To become
To be someone just like him

Ii. Medicate (Awakening) (8: 45-12: 15) Lyrics by James Labrie

A Doctor sitting next to me
He asked me how I feel
Not sure I understand his questioning
He says I've been away a while
But thinks he has cured me
From a state of catatonic sleep

For 30 years
Where have I been
Eyes open
But not getting through to me

Medicate me
Infiltrate me
Side effects appear
As my conscience slips away

Medicate me
Science failing
Conscience fading fast
Can't you stop what's happening

A higher dosage he prescribes
But there's no guarantee
I feel it starting to take over me
I tell him not to be ashamed
There's no one who's to blame
A second shot
A brief awakening

I feel the relapse
Can't break free
Eyes open
But not getting through to me

Medicate me
Infiltrate me
Side effects appear
As my conscience slips away
Medicate me
Science failing
Conscience fading fast
Can't you stop what's happening?

Iii. Full Circle (12: 15-18: 27) Lyrics by Mike Portnoy

[Isn't this is where we came in] [from Pink Floyd - The Wall]
Sailing on the seven seize the day tripper diem's ready
Jack the ripper Owen Wilson Phillips and my supper's ready
Lucy in the sky with diamond daves not here I come to save the
Day for nightmare cinema show me the way to get back home
Again

[Running forward
Falling back]
Spinning round and round
[Looking outward
Reaching in]
Scream without a sound

[Leaning over
Crawling up]
Stumbling all around
[Losing my place
Only to]
Find I've come full circle

Flying off the handle with careful with
That axe eugene gene the dance machine
Messiah light my fire gabba gabba
Hey hey my my generation's home
Again

[Running forward
Falling back]
Spinning round and round
[Looking outward
Reaching in]
Scream without a sound

[Leaning over
Crawling up]
Stumbling all around
[Losing my place
Only to]
Find I've come full circle

Iv. Intervals (18: 28-19: 56) Lyrics by Mike Portnoy

[Root]
Our deadly sins feel his mortal wrath
Remove all obstacles from our path

[Second]
Asking questions
Search for clues
The answer's been right in front of you

[Third]
We try to break through
Long to connect
Fall on deaf ears with failed muted breath

[Fourth]
Loyalty, trust, faith and desire
Carries love through each darkest fire

[Fifth]
Tortured insanity
A smothering hell
Try to escape but to no avail

[Sixth]
The calls of admirers
Who claim they adore
Drain all your lifeblood while begging for more

[Seventh]
Innocent victims for merciless crimes
Fall prey to some madman's for impulsive designs

[Octave]
Step after step
We try controlling our fate
When we finally start living it's become to late

Trapped inside this Octavarium
Trapped inside this Octavarium
Trapped inside this Octavarium
Trapped inside this Octavarium

V. Razor's Edge (19: 56-24: 00) Lyrics by John Petrucci

We move in circles
Balanced all the while
On a gleaming razor's edge

A perfect sphere
Colliding with our fate
This story ends where it began

Lyrics taken from /lyrics/d/dream_theater/octavarium.html

Songwriters: John Myung, John Petrucci, John Ro Myung, Jordan Charles Rudess, Jordan Rudess, Kevin James La Brie, Kevin James Labrie, Michael Portnoy

Octavarium lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

hot lyrics

Octavarium meanings Post my meaning

Best
Recent
7 meanings

U

+ 7
Unregistered 2012-03-30 01:29:36

Well nobody put it concisely so i'll do it. Someone like him is about a guy living each day like it was his last, then realizing that was a bad idea. Medicate is the movie awakenings. That's it. Full circle is a bunch of prog bands that influenced dt, as well as nightmare cinema, their old parody group. Interval is the album octavarium. Only razor's edge is up to interpretation. But I did notice something: the song is structured like an awesome day. I mean it's 24 minutes long, with a 5 minute instrumental intro (sleep), then a blurry, quiet segment for 3 more minutes (tired until 8 am), followed by a great riff with brillant, clear lyrics until like 12 minutes in (kind of getting into a good mood till noon), then there's a solo until 13: 45 (the rest of the day is speeding past, then you go do stuff), then up to 15: 45 there's a lot of talking (i imagine it's finishing up the work day until he comes 'full circle', eg ends work) with a solo following and swiftly speeding up into a full-on instrumental until 18: 30 (readying for a big party or some such), then there's a true dream theater song in all its badassness up till 21: 30 (party) then at "the story ends where it began" he's probably at the height of the party, with an epic instrumental, whereupon at 23: 00 he finally goes to sleep as it slows down.

Add your reply
m

+ 7
muzach 2009-05-11 19:03:20

This song isn't about a story, I don't think.
I think it's about a concept, the idea that everything ends where it begins. The opening storyline is about a man trying to be like people of the past. Then it continues to the storyline of a man waking from catatonic sleep, then falling back into it. It continues with similar ideas, of the end being the beginning (or the beginning being the end).
It's about the album, about life, not about a continuous storyline (at least in my opinion).

Add your reply
U

+ 4
Unregistered 2012-08-10 08:09:10

This song is about life. Everyone born lives and dies. There's nothng that any one can do about the flow of time and predictable happenings. We're compelled to live our fate. Theres no end. No beginning. Everything goes round and round like in circle. We just pretend 'life' is beautiful. Its just an ugly truth that happens again and again to us. In same fashion. Born, grow, work, smile, suffer, pain, grow old. Die. , everything we've dicovered or done new will be extinct and rediscovered again with the tides of time. As ages pass>>end of civilization, beginning, flourishing and end again. The waves of time rewind everything on earth. The universe contracts and expands again and again. Our every work, sentiments, relations are only till we live. We die and our soul begins a new journey. With earth and universe too moving in its cycle. We are all trapped inside this octavarium.

Add your reply
j

+ 2
John Philip Dadia 2013-11-22 15:19:21

To me, I think this song is about a cycle of something, well other than life of course. Other than an endless cycle, well, it can be about the power of our minds, the things they can do in our life, be it the right decisions, the wrong decisions, or your own decisions.
I don't know about you but, if you noticed this, the song has three instrumental parts/sections. It also has five parts, adding the three other sections, having a total of eight sections. Another is, "octa" means eight, right? It just so happens that it is the eighth track of the album of the same name. Lastly, the full length of octavarium is 24 minutes, right? Kinda funny, 8 x 3 is 24. In time, 24 hours is equivalent to a day, meaning a new cycle, which is what I mentioned at the top. This is just something I just noticed, and what I read about it on Wikipedia.

Add your reply
g

+ 2
Gourry 2009-09-05 11:01:45

In interviews, dt have stated that the "Medicate" section of the song was inspired by the Robin Williams film "Awakenings," which in turn was based on real-life events. The common thread between all 3 stories is that they feature a doctor using a drug to bring a patient out of a longstanding coma, only to have the patient relapse shortly thereafter.
And yes, in the end, it ties back to the overlying Octavarium theme: "The story ends where it began;" in this case, the story ends with the patient relapsing into the coma they had been pulled from.

Add your reply
s

+ 1
Syracidh 2018-01-13 06:28:00

"Trapped inside this Octavarium"

I suppose there's a link with Gates of tomorrow from Iron Maiden: we can see four occurrences of the word "trapped" in the chorus of this song just as well as here.
Besides, if you observe the other terms of the chorus, you notice the phrase "Trapped in the web" that could have influenced the song "Caught in a web" from Dream Theater, but as well as my first idea, it's just a conjecture. In the event I find any clue, I'll come back to justify my waffle ^^ (but in the end I'll just defy it ;) (cf As I am, Dream Theater).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GInN6I4gWSc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgSiTNJKUr0.

Add your reply
v

0
vulturer 2008-11-23 07:02:25

Labrie wanted to not be a jock and not live each day just like the last. Then he must have realized that partying everyday like its the last is better. Then we wakes up from catatonic sleep, which he slept in for 30 years. Then he is falling back into sleep. During sleep, he has a bunch of visions, realizing that you must do righteous things and have a sense of guilt, and that the world always works how it did in the past, good things are rewarded, bad are punished. And he probably goes to hell for the stuff he did while he was alive. That's my interpretation.

Add your reply

Write about your feelings and thoughts about Octavarium

Know what this song is about? Does it mean anything special hidden between the lines to you? Share your meaning with community, make it interesting and valuable. Make sure you've read our simple .

U

or log in with

Min 50 words

Not bad

Good

Awesome!

View 10 more explanations

Add your explanation

Write an explanation

20 words

Good

Cool

Awesome!

Explanation guidelines:

Describe what artist is trying to say in a certain line, whether it's personal feelings, strong statement or something else.
Provide song facts, names, places and other worthy info that may give readers a perfect insight on the song's meaning.
Add links, pictures and videos to make your explanation more appealing. Provide quotes to support the facts you mention.

Before you get started, be sure to check out these explanations created by our users: good, very good, great.

Request explanation

Ask us or our community about the part of the song that interests you
We will try to respond as soon as possible

0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z