| Endless Sacrifice | |
| Train of Thought | |
| Length | 11:23 |
| Working title | |
| Release date | November 11th, 2003 |
| Lyrics | John Petrucci |
| Music | Dream Theater |
| First live performance | Carling Apollo Manchester. Manchester, England, on Jan. 16, 2004 |
| Total live plays | 201 |
| Recorded | Cove City Sound Studios, Pie Studios NY |
| Other appearances | Live at Budokan |
| Previous song | This Dying Soul |
| Next song | Honor Thy Father |
Endless Sacrifice is the third song on Dream Theater's seventh album Train of Thought.
John Petrucci recorded this song using a 6-string guitar tuned 1 whole step down (D-G-C-F-A-D).
Personnel[]
- Mike Portnoy - Drums, co-producer
- John Petrucci - Guitar, co-producer, lyrics
- John Myung - Bass
- James LaBrie - Lead vocals
- Jordan Rudess - Keyboards
Lyrics[]
Cold Lying in my bed Staring into darkness Lost I hear footsteps overhead And my thoughts return again Like a child who's run away And won't be coming back Time keeps passing by As night turns into day I'm so far away And so alone I need to see your face To keep me sane To make we whole Try To stay alive Until I hear your voice I'm Gonna lose my mind Someone tell me Why I chose this life This superficial lie Constant compromise Endless sacrifice Pain It saddens me to know The helplessness you feel Your light shines on my soul While a thousand candles burn Outside this barren room The rain is pouring down The emptiness inside Is growing deeper still You're so far away And so alone You long for love's embrace To keep you sane To make you whole Try To stay alive Until I hear your voice I'm Gonna lose my mind Someone tell me Why I chose this life This superficial lie Constant compromise Endless sacrifice Moments wasted Isolated Time escaping Endless sacrifice Moments wasted Isolated Time escaping Endless sacrifice Over the distance We try to make sense Of surviving together While living apart Striving for balance We rise to the challenge Of staying connected In spite of circumstance All you've forsaken And all that you've done So that I could live out This undying dream Won't be forgotten Or taken for granted I'll always remember Your endless sacrifice Moments wasted Isolated Time escaping Endless sacrifice Moments wasted Isolated Time escaping Endless sacrifice
Analysis[]
The intro is very similar to the intro to In the Name of God. The band have not commented on the resemblance. The lyrics were written by John Petrucci. It is a love song to his wife where he talks about how he misses her and he also speaks of the sacrifices she makes for him as he is a traveling musician. The first verse and first chorus is written from his wife's point of view whilst the second verse and second chorus is written from Petrucci's point of view. When the song really kicks in, it is Petrucci again where he mentions his "Undying Dream" (being a musician and not being able to see her). Some of the lines in this part are shared by he and his wife: 'WE try to make sense of..."