The funny thing is that anyone could say this song is exactly what they were going through, but it's not. This song, while taken out of context, is very poignant and inventive (Let's face it, he doesn't even talk about their relationship until the bridge, and even then it's just him. This whole song is mostly one wordless engagement between the two, with Mike describing physical actions, not words), it's even more powerful considering it's just one part of a concept album. This is everything it's come down to, the antithesis of "Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way", when he realizes that while she's amazing, he lost her and it's the course of the album's fault, from his behavior because of the grand going missing, from the argument in "Get Out of My House", to Scott's confession of Dan's betrayal.
If you sit down and listen to the entire album, and feel this character, you can't help but mist up when you hear "Dry Your Eyes." It's everything he worked for ending.
It's nice that the album doesn't end on that point, though, and goes into the Empty Cans negative-positive what-if, because he finally finds some sort of resolution in the fact that he is truly alone and "no one's really there fighting for you in the last garrison." And it's not cynical, it's hopeful.
The entire album is a transformation of character, and his development.
The funny thing is that anyone could say this song is exactly what they were going through, but it's not. This song, while taken out of context, is very poignant and inventive (Let's face it, he doesn't even talk about their relationship until the bridge, and even then it's just him. This whole song is mostly one wordless engagement between the two, with Mike describing physical actions, not words), it's even more powerful considering it's just one part of a concept album. This is everything it's come down to, the antithesis of "Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way", when he realizes that while she's amazing, he lost her and it's the course of the album's fault, from his behavior because of the grand going missing, from the argument in "Get Out of My House", to Scott's confession of Dan's betrayal.
If you sit down and listen to the entire album, and feel this character, you can't help but mist up when you hear "Dry Your Eyes." It's everything he worked for ending.
It's nice that the album doesn't end on that point, though, and goes into the Empty Cans negative-positive what-if, because he finally finds some sort of resolution in the fact that he is truly alone and "no one's really there fighting for you in the last garrison." And it's not cynical, it's hopeful.
The entire album is a transformation of character, and his development.