this is indeed a detailed deep analysis!
i havent thought about how the time signatures and the flow of music conveyed the meaning. but i super loved the literary metaphors Petrucci used. i think instead of the 2 characters perspective its probably one person being both seeking and realizing.
"Long before the colors start to bleed
I can see the painting come alive" - since the song title is The Bigger Picture, it started off from an artistic perspective portraying life using a painting. i think Petrucci is just using the painting as a metaphor to convey the lyrics aesthetically, not necessarily written from an artists' perspective. the main components of a painting are its various colors. when u applied that to life its like long before all the experiences (colors) of life starts to fall apart (bleed), he/she could already grasp or envision the frustrations and struggles of life (see the painting come alive).
"Clever like an angel in disguise
Moving in and out of reach" - of coarse this person is clever but is concealed, overlooked or unnoticed by the majority.
"If the candle lights this crooked path
Like a lighthouse peering through the haze" - a clever/great person always bears a more-than-usual responsibility hence the crooked path, like a test from god to make u stronger. with only a light as dim as candle can also be attributed to the test from god or the unsupportive environment around this clever person since nobody is able to relate to the same level.
"I will find the river through the rain
And I’ll reach the water’s edge" - the person is very determined to struggle towards the end.
"Shed your light on me
Be my eyes when I can’t see
Shed your light on me
Be my guide so I can see
The bigger picture" - basically seeking guidance from a higher being or someone who have the capability to provide the support needed when this person strays away.
"Like a moth burned by the fire
and driven to the flame" - through the course of struggling, the instinctual desires are driving the person towards destruction like moth driven to the flame.
(Prophecies’ a blessing and a curse)
I must bare this cross alone
There’s no one else to blame - the person has come to understand no matter the consequences he/she suffered the only person who can provide the guidance is himself/herself.
"With each treasure found
Another shipwreck’s washed ashore
I am carried by the current
On a slow and steady course" - when one side gains something another loses - the vicious cycle of life, carried by this conventional human nature (the current), but patiently moving on just so not to lose oneself.
"What if caught in a moment
I get lost and can't find my way
What if all along i was wrong
In every turn, in every way
Would you talk me off the ledge
Or let me take the fall
Better to try and fail
then to never try at all" - another level of frustration phase.
"You look but cannot see
Talk but never speak
You live but cannot breathe
See but don’t believe" - basically calls upon the ignorant people or possibly himself/herself who doesnt see the bigger picture of life.
"Wounds that never heal
A heart that cannot feel
A dream that’s all too real
A stare as cold as steel" - again the calling upon those with a scarred life to a realization.
"I’ve listened to the stories of resentment and disdain
I’ve looked into the empty eyes of anger, fear, and shame
I’ve taken blood from every stone
And traveled every road" - the person has witnessed all the bitter experiences/ordeals of others' lives as well as his own.
"When I see the distant lights illuminate the night
Then I will know I am home" - the end of the struggles of life.
i also feel this song is somehow connected to the Illumination Theory; break free from ignorance, seeing the bigger picture of life.