Dream Theater – Octavarium

• 0
  General Comment:THE FUCKIN' BEST SONG IN THE WORLD.
  just fantastic music and awesome lyrics
  it makes you get trapped inside this octavarium
  Best album

  Flag achomegrelon April 08, 2013   Link

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  My Opinion:This is the greatest song I have ever heard, I will never get tired of listening to it. They should play this song at my funeral. I believe the song is about someone trying to change something but always fails and ends up in the same situation as before, an endless cycle.

  Flag zaijacobson March 12, 2013   Link

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• +1
  Song Meaning:Someone already nailed, it's about how everything moves in circles. From what I've heard and determined the first section is Petrucci, writing about how he wanted to be his own person, and not a musician, but was inspired to become one, and now has become an inspiration for others, bringing everything full circle.
  
  The second part is by LaBrie, it's just a fictional story, but the man starts out in a state of catatonic sleep, awakens, then ultimately falls back into his state of catatonic sleep. AKA it ended like it began, with him in a state of catatonic sleep.
  
  The Third part is by Portnoy, similar to the first one about how they didn't want to be like their idols and role models. Ultimately they couldn't help it and no matter how much they tried they did become like them and he mentions at the end how they've come full circle.
  
  The fourth, also by Portnoy emphasizes how every song on the album was all part of one big theme. Every song on the album goes up a note in key, and Octavarium, being the eighth song, is the Octave, which is the same note as the root (Root of All Evil). Then ends with LaBrie saying "Trapped inside this Octavarium" which is about how they're trapped in the cycle.
  
  The Fifth part, which is written by Petrucci, who also wrote the first in order to emphasize how the song is ending like it began, is just blatantly saying we move in circles and that everything is cyclic.
  
  There's much more to it, but it would be even longer to type out.

  Flag troy5117on March 11, 2013   Link

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• -3
  General Comment:This about a man with a drug overdose, suffers, crashes and dies in his car.

  Flag topeeornoton March 09, 2013   Link

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  My Interpretation:It's easy to relate to the feeling that you try to go about your life somehow over the years there are still patterns and themes that you can't escape from, no matter how many different ways you go about it. Octave is the same note, but at a higher pitch. I think a synonym for "octavarium" would be "decade treadmill".
  
  This is the most immediate interpretation of the song, but by all means it's not the only one...

  Flag spacedyeon August 05, 2012   Link

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• +4
  General Comment:Got this from a forum and I think he pretty much hit the nail on the head.
  
  The song is about Dream Theater and their influence on progressive rock. The first 13 and a half minutes of that song sound very similar to pink floyd, yes, genesis, the beatles, and many other progressive rock pioneers. This is done on purpose, considering that they started the genre, so Dream Theater started the song by playing their music very much like their influences - "i never wanted to become someone like him" basically means Dream Theater, when they were young, never wanted to be like their influences because they wanted to be independent. However no matter how hard they try they will end up being just like them in some way, although still original - "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."
  
  The next part of the song is sort of a metaphoric explanation of how Dream Theater became like them, other than that there is not much i can explain.
  
  At about 14 minutes into the song, a strong, very progressive metalish riff comes into play, and that is where the line "Isn't this where we came in?" (sample from Pink Floyd The Wall) is heard. The basic reason for this quote is to explain that at this point in time (around 1989), Dream Theater opened the door to a new genre (Progmetal, for those of you who dont know). Now Dream Theater realizes that they will always be like their fathers, and yet original, so they pay homage to their influences in this section.
  
  - Sailing on the seven seize the day tripper, diem's ready
  ...sailing on the seven seas: OMD song
  ...seize the day: famous DT line from A Change of Seasons
  ...day tripper: Beatles song
  ...diem's ready: Carpe Diem from A Change of Seasons
  
  -Jack the ripper, Owen's Wilson Phillips and my supper's ready
  ...jack the ripper: Judas Priest song
  ...owen wilson: if you dont know this youre retarded
  ...phillips and my: not sure lol
  ...supper's ready: Genesis song
  
  -Lucy in the sky with diamond, Dave's not here ive come to save the day
  ...lucy in the sky with diamonds: Beatles song
  ...daves not here: Yes song
  
  -For nightmare cinema show me the way to get back home again
  ...nightmare cinema: antonym to Dream Theater, and also a joke band they made with Derek Sherinian (former DT keyboardist)
  ...home: Dream Theater song
  
  -Eugene Gene the dance machine messiah, light my fire, gabba gabba hey hey
  ...gene gene the dance machine: TV character from the 70-80s
  ...machine messiah: Yes song
  ...light my fire: Doors song
  ...gabba gabba hey: Ramones song
  
  -Hey hey my my generation's home again
  ...hey hey my my: Neill Young song
  ...my generation: The Who song
  ...home again: Dream Theater song again
  
  The next part, Intervals, is about the songs on the album Octavarium itself.
  I need not explain, just read this:
  
  The Root of All Evil
  Root
  Our deadly sins feel his mortal wrath
  Remove all obstacles from our path
  
  The Answer Lies Within
  Second
  Asking questions
  Search for clues
  The answer's been right in front of you
  
  These Walls
  Third
  We try to break free
  Long to connect
  Fall on deaf ears with failed muted breath
  
  I Walk Beside You
  Fourth
  Loyalty, trust, faith and desire
  Carries love through each darkest fire
  
  Panic Attack
  Fifth
  Tortured insanity
  A smothering hell
  Try to escape but to no avail
  
  Never Enough
  Sixth
  The calls of admirers
  Who claim they adore
  Drain all your lifeblood while begging for more
  
  Sacrificed Sons
  Seventh
  Innocent victims for merciless crimes
  Fall prey to some madman's impulsive designs
  
  Octavarium
  Octave
  Step after step
  We try controlling our fate
  When we finally start living it's become too late
  
  Root second third fourth fifth sixth seventh and octave are musical intervals, thus the name of the section. And all the songs on Octavarium are on different scales spaced interavally: Root of all evil is in F, Answer lies within is in G, These walls is in A, I walk beside you is in B, Panic attack is in C, Never enough is in D, Sacrificed sons is in E, and Octavarium is in F, therefore making that album a full circle.
  
  TRAPPED INSIDE THIS OCTAVARIUM basically means that the band cannot be different or independent anymore because they have already defined themselves.
  
  A perfect sphere
  Colliding with our fate
  The story ends where it began
  
  Notice the first note in The Root Of All Evil is an F, well the last note in Octavarium is the same F, making it a full circle and saying that the story ends where it began musically as well.
  
  This song = pure genius

  Flag jonpyleon August 01, 2012   Link

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• 0
  My Opinion:It would take forever to try and decipher all the hidden meanings behind this song. I say we call up sparknotes to attempt to analyze the song.
  Personally, I think the whole song is breathtaking.

  Flag sixdegreesofinnerturbulenceon June 02, 2012   Link

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• 0
  My Interpretation:I'm probably WAY off, but here's my interpretation:
  
  Someone Like Him:The main charecter didn't want to be "Someone Like Him," or a person who...well, I don't know.
  
  Medicate(Awakening):Basically, he realises the he wants to be "Someone like Him," but it's too late.So the doctor is really a therapist(Or something-of-that-sort)
  
  Full Circle:He is totally FREAKING OUT that he wasted his life,and his thoughts are chopped up and he can't keep a single,straight train of thought. He went full circle because he didn't want to be someone like him,then he was,then he didn't want to again.
  
  Intervals:(I guess) He's basically reviewing what led-up to his realization. He then realises (and makes up a new word) that he's trapped inside an Octavarium.
  
  Razors Edge: Basically the summary of the song,and overview,the point,his realization, or whatever you want to call it.
  
  
  But,That's just my interpretation. :)

  Flagged NightmareCinemaShowon January 31, 2012   Link

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  General Comment:This guy explains it very well: boards.ign.com/progressive_music_board/b8310/129953463/p2/

  Flag milciadeson January 29, 2012   Link

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  Song Comparison:I love the full circle concept on this album, and I think they did too. The sounds at the ending (and beginning) of the album is referenced in Black Clouds and Silver Linings, in the end of The Shattered Fortress!
  
  I wonder if they have referenced earlier albums in the same way...

  Flag Bwnedon May 22, 2011   Link

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