Lines in the Sand is the best song by Dream Theater

[Dublagent66]

I wouldn't call it the best on FII either.  Hollow Years already has that spot.   

Yeees.... 

Couldn't agree more with that! 

I would probably tend to agree if you meant the L@B version of HY.  Not necessarily the studio version.

[Kotowboy]

Falling Into Infinity is better than Awake.



.

[hefdaddy42]

Falling Into Infinity is better than Awake.



.

https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=35056.0

[TheGreatPretender]

I do have to say though, as much as I love this song, I feel like some of these are among the most pretentious lyrics JP has ever written. Particularly "In the stream of consciousness, there is a river crying". Unless someone can explain to me what it means and how it relates to the rest of the passage, "Living comes much easier once we admit we're dying."

[hefdaddy42]

It rhymes.

But just because you don't get it doesn't make it pretentious.

[TheGreatPretender]

It rhymes.

But just because you don't get it doesn't make it pretentious.

The wording makes it sound pretentious. In the stream of consciousness alone is a very artsy fartsy line, but along with a river crying, it just... I can't think of too many JP lyrics more artsy than that.

[hefdaddy42]

I see nothing "artsy fartsy" about it.  Again, the fact that it doesn't work for you doesn't make it pretentious.  It just doesn't work for YOU.

[adamack]

Possibly my least favorite of their 10+ min songs.   The chorus just never worked for me...at all.

This X100.  LitS is incredibly overrated imo.  The "Swept away with the tide" part sounds so un-DT to me, and completely out of place.  It disrupts the flow of the song.

The "swept away with the tide part" is one of the reasons that I DO love this song.

It gives DT a rare chance to be soulful and bluesy (vocally). Something they could not accomplish without the help of a guest vocalist.

It's a one-of-a-kind moment, and I definitely understand why it is hit-or-miss for people. It is so unlike DT, as you said, so I totally get how one wouldn't like it. I think it's awesome though.

[hefdaddy42]

So do I.  Definitely adds to the song.

[TheGreatPretender]

I see nothing "artsy fartsy" about it.  Again, the fact that it doesn't work for you doesn't make it pretentious.  It just doesn't work for YOU.

Well, that can be said about every lyrics in the world. Does that mean that pretentious lyrics don't exist at all?

[hefdaddy42]

I see nothing "artsy fartsy" about it.  Again, the fact that it doesn't work for you doesn't make it pretentious.  It just doesn't work for YOU.

Well, that can be said about every lyrics in the world. Does that mean that pretentious lyrics don't exist at all?

No, but I've never seen these accused of being pretentious.  I see nothing remotely pretentious in them or in JP.

From your own statements, it sounds like you are applying the label "pretentious" to lyrics you don't understand.  I'm just saying that that isn't a good enough reason to call them pretentious.

[TheGreatPretender]

No, but I've never seen these accused of being pretentious.  I see nothing remotely pretentious in them or in JP.

From your own statements, it sounds like you are applying the label "pretentious" to lyrics you don't understand.  I'm just saying that that isn't a good enough reason to call them pretentious.

Do you understand them? Is it a metaphor? It make no sense to me because it just makes no sense.  Like, even if I try to come up with a metaphor that has nothing to do with anything in the song, the imagery makes no sense.
So unless someone can give me some kind of an interpretation on what it might mean, I can't think anything other than that it's just there for the sake of sounding poetic.

[mikeyd23]

I've always loved the lyrics to LitS. Never really looked too terribly close at them, but they have always struck me as really cool.

[TheGreatPretender]

I've always loved the lyrics to LitS. Never really looked too terribly close at them, but they have always struck me as really cool.

Oh yeah, I'm not saying they're not. I much prefer JP's poetic lyrics to his "Let me introduce my brotha" lyrics. I just feel like some of them are nonsensical, and are just there to seem poetic. It's pretentious, but I don't really have a problem with that, as I don't usually care about the subject matter of a song anyway.

[hefdaddy42]

No, but I've never seen these accused of being pretentious.  I see nothing remotely pretentious in them or in JP.

From your own statements, it sounds like you are applying the label "pretentious" to lyrics you don't understand.  I'm just saying that that isn't a good enough reason to call them pretentious.

Do you understand them? Is it a metaphor? It make no sense to me because it just makes no sense.  Like, even if I try to come up with a metaphor that has nothing to do with anything in the song, the imagery makes no sense.
So unless someone can give me some kind of an interpretation on what it might mean, I can't think anything other than that it's just there for the sake of sounding poetic.

I've never spent much time trying to analyze them.  But they don't sound pretentious to me at all.

I'm sure they mean something to JP.  As long as they aren't otherwise hokey or pretentious (which I don't find them to be), they are fine with me.

You think whatever you want.

[TheGreatPretender]

You think whatever you want.

I shall, thank you.

[hefdaddy42]

Good, good.

[Mr. Ister]

The song should end at 9:45.  I really have no idea why they tack on an additional 2+ minutes that it simple rehashing of the song with no new ideas.  The part leading up to that would serve as a great outro too.  The first 9:45 is one of their best for sure, though.

[Kotowboy]

Falling Into Infinity is better than Awake.



.

https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=35056.0

k

[Woodworker1]

Is LITS the song where they endlessly drone on and on about it raining?

[TheGreatPretender]

Is LITS the song where they endlessly drone on and on about it raining?

FTFY???

[Kotowboy]

Is LITS the song where they endlessly drone on and on about it raining?

Maybe you're thinking about Trial Of Tears ?

[Woodworker1]

Is LITS the song where they endlessly drone on and on about it raining?

Maybe you're thinking about Trial Of Tears ?

Yep, I think that is the one.  In that case, I like LITS!  Falling Into Infinity is the only DT album I don't own.  I refuse to buy it.  I love the rest of their albums.

[TheGreatPretender]

Is LITS the song where they endlessly drone on and on about it raining?

Maybe you're thinking about Trial Of Tears ?

Yep, I think that is the one.  In that case, I like LITS!  Falling Into Infinity is the only DT album I don't own.  I refuse to buy it.  I love the rest of their albums.

Why would you refuse to buy it? 

[Crow]

chorus drags it down a bit but i'd put it at #8 myself

[Woodworker1]

Is LITS the song where they endlessly drone on and on about it raining?

Maybe you're thinking about Trial Of Tears ?

Yep, I think that is the one.  In that case, I like LITS!  Falling Into Infinity is the only DT album I don't own.  I refuse to buy it.  I love the rest of their albums.

Why would you refuse to buy it? 

I listened to the album on YouTube and didn't like it.  Some parts of some of the songs were very good, but I couldn't find a song I liked all the way through, so FII is the only DT studio album missing from my collection.

[TheGreatPretender]

I listened to the album on YouTube and didn't like it.  Some parts of some of the songs were very good, but I couldn't find a song I liked all the way through, so FII is the only DT studio album missing from my collection.

Well, that's your opinion of course, and you're entitled to it, but I wouldn't judge any of DT's music based on first impressions. Some of my favorite DT songs now were the ones that I didn't like all that much at the beginning.

[orphaeusest]

Great song, of course. But the real masterpiece is Learning to Live. I think we'll never see it again live...

[TheGreatPretender]

Great song, of course. But the real masterpiece is Learning to Live. I think we'll never see it again live...

Why would you think that? People love it, and they played it last tour, so it's certainly not out of their rotation.

[fischermasamune]

Did they play LTL in this tour? I thought they were playng the same set over and over.

[TheGreatPretender]

Did they play LTL in this tour? I thought they were playng the same set over and over.

No, no, I mean the ADTOE tour.

[hefdaddy42]

Great song, of course. But the real masterpiece is Learning to Live. I think we'll never see it again live...

It's been in more-or-less regular rotation forever.  No reason whatsoever to think we'll never see it again.  Not sure where that's coming from.

[orphaeusest]

Great song, of course. But the real masterpiece is Learning to Live. I think we'll never see it again live...

Why would you think that? People love it, and they played it last tour, so it's certainly not out of their rotation.

Yes, they played it for the A Dramatic Tour of Events world tour. But if you notice, few shows had Learning to Live in the setlist and only in the summer leg. I was really lucky because I saw the song twice in two days (Rome and Villafranca). Maybe the last two times in my life...

[TheGreatPretender]

Yes, they played it for the A Dramatic Tour of Events world tour. But if you notice, few shows had Learning to Live in the setlist and only in the summer leg. I was really lucky because I saw the song twice in two days (Rome and Villafranca). Maybe the last two times in my life...

So what? It's not like once fall hit they started changing the setlist every show the way MP used to do, and still left it off the setlists. They had 2 (later 3) constant setlists that they stuck to, with songs that they felt were appropriate to those setlists. There's absolutely no reason to believe they'll eliminate it from their rotation.

Let me put it this way, last tour and this tour, they did not play Take The Time at all, so are we to assume that we'll never hear them play it again live? It's kind of a baseless assumption, if you ask me.

[TAC]

Great song, of course. But the real masterpiece is Learning to Live. I think we'll never see it again live...

It's been in more-or-less regular rotation forever.  No reason whatsoever to think we'll never see it again.  Not sure where that's coming from.

Zaccaly!