Hello guys, my name's Steve and I got a funny theory of mine to show you.
I was browsing the net the other day, and I saw that everyone is speaking how ItPoE is about God etc.
Well, a thing came to my mind, that changed my view of the whole song.
Let's take a look at the lyrics shall we, and I'll explain what I mean.
Part I
I Prelude (no lyrics)
II Ressurection
I saw a white light
Shining there before me
And walking to it
I waited for the end.
*Hm, let's assume that this man who is telling the story is miserable. A lot of bad things happened to him, and he is suicidal, thus 'waiting for the end'. A 'white light' could probably be a metaphore for cocaine.*
A final vision
Promising salvation
A resurrection
For a fallen man.
*As we all know from the countless lectures, taking drugs makes you happy, shortly said-'promising salvation, resurrection for a fallen man'. Everything fits in place so far.*
Do you still wait for your god?
And the symbol of your faith
*Someone asks the man that question, jepordising his faith in God. That someone is probably a drug dealer or an addict wanting to provoke the man to try drugs.*
I can free you from this hell and misery
You should never be ashamed my son
I can give you power beyond anything
Trust me you will be the chosen one
*These lines probably tell about the 'promising magic' of drugs.*
I was forgotten
A body scorned and broken
My soul rejected
Tainted by his blood
Beyond redemption
A sinner not worth saving
Forever taken
From the one I loved
*The man is falling deeper into addiction, his soul is being rejected, tainted by 'his blood' (drugs).
He no longer cares about the ones he loved, because his only obsession is how to obtain the next dose.*
Do I still wait for my god?
And the symbol of my faith
*Now the man finds himself questioning about his faith.*
I can lead you down the path and back to life
All I ask is that you worship me
I can help you seek revenge and save yourself
Give you life for all eternity
*Here, 'worship' probably means that the man has to be addicted to the drug, because that is what it asks. The other lines are the lies that drugs tend to induce people believing in.*
Servants of the fallen
fight to pave the way
For their savior's calling
On this wicked day
Through a veil of madness
With a vicious blade
One man rises up
Standing in their way
Redemption Redemption for humanity
*These lines do confuse me, probably they depict a man that tries to persuade his friend (who is falling into addiction) to stop before it's too late.*
I assume that you already get the idea, but let's take a look at Part II anyway.
III. Heretic
Welcome tired pilgrim
Into the circle
We have been waiting
*The 'tired pilgrim', as I can see, is a drug dealer. He is welcomed into 'the circle' (those who watched that 70's show need no explanation), a circle of addicts, that are waiting for the cocaine.*
Everyone's gathered
For your arrival
All the believers
*All of the 'believers' (addicts) are gathered for his arrival.*
Angels fall
All for you
Heretic
Demon heart
Bleed for us
*This is a tough one,I can't put this piece of the puzzle anywhere..but let's move on.*
I've been waiting for you
Weary preacher man
You have been expected
Now we can begin
Let this hallowed day of judgment reign
*The addict's been waiting, now that the drugs are there he can 'begin' (no explanation needed).*
I have known you father
And your sacred quest
Blessed soldier fighting
You shall never rest
I have known you but do you know me?
*The 'quest' is probably the drug dealer's mission, to make more and more people addicts.*
Angels fall
All for you
Heretic
Demon heart
Bleed for us
*Again, the confusing line.*
My soul is yours
Dark Master
I will fight for you
*Oh, I absolutely love this one, it really speaks for itself
The man is addicted (My soul is yours). The 'Dark master' are the drugs, haha. The other lines in this movement are similar, so let's move on.*
IV. The Slaughter of the Damned
Don't
Bother trying to find him
He will be coming to you
Fight
Fight and destroy
Until you can't take anymore
*The dealer will come to you, instead of you going out to find one (before you are an addict). By taking drugs you are destroying your body.*
Slay
Spill the blood of the rebels
They are the children of hell
Flesh
Of the undead
Stopping at nothing to kill
*This one is, you guessed it, confusing..
*
Sin
Caught in a moment of weakness
Committed the greatest of all
Sold
Half of my soul
And now it's too late for you
*The man was 'caught in a moment of weakness', and sold half of his soul-started using drugs, but didn't fall completely into addiction.*
I judge as
My eyes see
I judge and I am just
For I speak
Of the beast
That lives in all of us
*'The beast that lives in all of us' is that stupid instinct, that little thing that makes you do bad things, and takes control over you sometimes. It's in this line, probably, that the man starts realising that there is no 'salvation' at the end of the path, and starts working against the 'Dark master'.*
Unwelcome ones
Your time has come
*He got it!
*
Lord
You are my god and my shepherd
Nothing more shall I want
Walk
Through the abyss
Into the shadow of death
*The man turns back to his God, the one that he stopped believing in in part 1.*
Fear
There is no evil to fear now
For I know you are with me
My
Cup overflows
With my enemies blood
*God promises salvation from evil, and thus 'there is no evil to fear now'*
I
Decay in the house of the lord
Forever amen
Death
Will follow me
All the days of my life
*'The house of the lord' is probably rehab or something like that.*
Servants of the fallen
Fight to pave the way
For their savior's calling
On this wicked day.
Through a veil of madness
With a vicious blade
One man rises up
Standing in their way
It's time for your reckoning
*Now, earlier I said that this man was a friend of the guy that was falling into addiction, but here it looks more like a man that wants to pull the guy back into his addiction, and that man is probably an addict too.*
V. The Reckoning (Instrumental)
VI. Salvation
My soul grows weaker
He knows and he waits
He watches over me
Standing at the infernal gates
*The dark master is still waiting for his slave to come to him.*
In the hour of darkness
The moment I feared has passed
The moment I lost my faith
Promising salvation
*The man realises that it was all a lie, and decides to break free.*
My soul is my own now
I do not fight for you
Dark Master
*The most epic ending in DT history!!
The man breaks free. As Petrucci said,in this song the character sold half of his soul to the dark master (when he started using drugs), but realised that it was all a lie and no good, and stopped, escaped from the dark master, call it how you like, he got half of his soul back!*
On the Chaos in Progress DVD, and numerous sites, it is stated that the song is about a man losing and regaining his faith, or battle of good vs. evil. We know that DT have a reputation of encrypting secret messages in their lyrics, and, well, they sure did a good job at this one.
One more thing in favor of my theory:
in the Slaughter of the Damned part, you can hear MP playing a part on the drums that is very very similar, or should I say
same as that part in 'The Glass Prison' (at 6:44). The Glass Prison is about MP's addiction to alcohol, and here it's obviously a reference, ItPoE also deals with addiction.
So, that's my theory
What do you guys and gals think?