Dream Theater – In the Presence of Enemies Pt.1

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I Prelude

II Ressurection
I saw a white light
Shining there before me
And walking to it
I waited for the end
A final vision
Promising salvation
A resurrection
For a fallen man

Do you still wait for your god?
And the symbol of your faith

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

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

Do I still wait for my God?
And the symbol of my 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

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

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Lyrics submitted by Idan, edited by JucaOPastor


In the Presence of Enemies Pt.1 song meanings
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23 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:SOme of the first lines here are wrong. As it is now, the second verse is:

    Do I still wait for your god?
    And the symbol of your faith

    It should be:

    Do YOU still wait for your god?
    And the symbol of your faith
    Flag NorthernLordon July 01, 2010   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:
    i think this song is about A man who died has been given a second chance to live through a devil like figure, who promises him power. the third stanza is what the devil like figure says to the man. the fourth and fifth is that now that he is alive, no one trusts him because he was brought back to life by an evil figure or something and his wife or loved one left him. Especially "tainted by his blood". Now since he is angry the last lines are the devil like figure saying he can get revenge on those who left him if he believes in him. The "Do you still wait for your god?" parts are like what has god done for you, belive in me. It is slightly religious, could even be about jesus but thats what i think
    Flag mikey8972on May 03, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:To me the first part sounds like God or an angel trying to coerce a human soul to come to their side. The second part sounds like the evil side trying their part in taking the soul. Then at the end there's a fight between the two. Basically Good and Evil fighting over a human soul.
    Flag musickfon July 14, 2009   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning:Well, the bulk of the lyrical content comes from a Korean comic (manhwa) called "Priest." Part 1 is mostly the first half of volume one, where we learn of Ivan Isaacs, a priest who falls in love with a woman. The two of them are sentenced to execution by the Church (which is being misled by a fallen angel.) In the final moments of his life, he strikes a deal with another Demon who seeks revenge on the Church. If you doubt this, take a stop into your local Borders, Barnes and Noble, or better yet, Independently Owned Comic Shop with a decent selection of Manga and Manhwa. Find Priest, Volume 1 and read the back cover and the first few pages. It's right there. Plus, I read somewhere that Petrucci admitted to it, which is pretty cool of him, as opposed to other songwriters who might act dodgy about such things.

    Some snobbish types out there might call it plagiarism, but I just call it awesome :D I like it when musicians take inspiration from fiction (a la Rime of the Ancient Mariner.) If a prog metal or power metal group did a song based on Berserk! (a Japanese series,) I think my head would explode (and happily so.)
    Flag Travataron June 09, 2009   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:The one man I think could be Jesus or it could be the preacher as we discover in part IV. Slaughter of the Damned... He only sold half his soul, leaving half of it to fight the evil he has absorbed... I don't know but It's always a thought!
    Flag guardiandevil305on March 16, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I love this song, it's new to me still, if only it was one track with pt.2 I like those epics they do. Anyway I like pt.2 more.

    Hey Idan, what's your opinion on this song?
    Flag Dedicated_D.T._Fanon January 20, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:TomBombadil I think the "one man" is Jesus christ. Well that is in my opinion. But Dream Theater seems to take a lot of their lyrics straight from the bible.
    Flag Dream Theater 105on April 03, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Question to you renowned stalwarts:
    "Through a veil of madness
    With a vicious blade
    One man rises up
    Standing in their way"

    Who is this ONE MAN?
    Flag TomBombadilon February 07, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:From what I have read which I probably wouldn't be able to figure out, it is about a man, who the moment he dies, sells his soul to the devil. The rest is pretty simple, he must fight the soldiers of the fallen who pave the way for the dark master. Not only does he fight for redemption for humanity, but revenge for a loved one (veil of madness).
    Flag TAS37on January 17, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Who has put the 5.1 mix in and had their head explode?
    Flag stoneduneon December 07, 2007   Link

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