| Scarred | |
| Awake | |
| Length | 11:00 |
| Working title | Keymaster |
| Release date | October 4, 1994 |
| Lyrics | John Petrucci |
| Music | Dream Theater |
| First live performance | Malibu Night Club, Lido Beach, NY, USA, on Dec. 28, 1995 |
| Total live plays | 194 |
| Recorded | One On One Studios and Devonshire Studios |
| Other appearances | |
| Previous song | Lifting Shadows Off a Dream |
| Next song | Space-Dye Vest |
Scarred is the 10th track on Dream Theater's 3rd album Awake. The lyrics to "Scarred" were initially inspired by a mishearing of the lyrics to The Clash's "Rock the Casbah". The lines inspired by "Rock the Casbah", while present on the working demo, were removed entirely for the final release.
John Petrucci recorded this song using a 6-string guitar in standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E).
Personnel[]
- John Petrucci - Guitars
- James LaBrie - Vocals
- John Myung - Bass
- Kevin Moore - Keyboards
- Mike Portnoy - Drums
Lyrics[]
To Rise. To Fall. To Hurt. To Hate. To Want. To Wait. To Heal. To Save. Can't hear it we fear it awareness won't come near it Distractive Reactive Disguised in spite of time I never bared my emotions My passion always strong I never lost my devotion but somewhere fate went wrong Can't let them rape me again Your venom's not family here won't let them fill me with fatalistic remedies What if the rest of the world was hopelessly blinded by fear Where would my sanctity live? Suddenly nobody cares. It's never enough You're wasting your time Isn't there something I could say? You don't understand You're closing me out How can we live our lives this way? You tell me I'm wrong I'm risking my life Still, I have nothing in return I show you my hands You don't see the scars Maybe you'll leave me here to burn. What if the rest of the world was hopelessly drowning in vain? Where would our self pity run? Suddenly everyone cares. Blood…Heal me Fear…Change me Belief will always save me Blood…Swearing Fear…Staring Conviction made aware Give up on misery Turn your back on dissent Leave their distrust behind Wash your hands of regret Do you feel you don't know me anymore? And do you feel I'm afraid of your love? And how come you don't want me asking? And how come my heart's not invited? You say you want everyone happy Well, we're not laughing. And how come you don't understand me? And how come I don't understand you? Thirty years say we're in this together so open your eyes. People in prayer for me everyone there for me Sometimes I feel I should face this alone My soul exposed It calms me to know I won't Blood…Heal me Fear…Change me Belief will always save me Blood…Swearing Fear…Staring Conviction made aware Give up on misery Turn your back on dissent Leave their distrust behind Wash your hands of regret Blood…Heal me Fear…Change me Belief will always save me Blood…Swearing Fear…Staring Conviction made aware Learning from misery Staring back at dissent Leaving distrust behind I'm inspired and content
Tone[]
The song starts off very quiet and tranquil before picking up in aggression and speed in the verses, without sacrificing any of its ambience, before reverting to a melodic and tranquil chorus. It is also heralded as perhaps LaBrie's best performance on the album, as he shows off the dynamics of his range most prominently in this song.
Analysis[]
The lyrics seem to be about someone with depression, but could also be interpreted to by about God and religion.
Appearances[]
- Awake - Original recorded version
- Once in a LIVEtime - Live version
- Chaos in Motion: 2007-2008 - Live version
- Breaking the Fourth Wall - Live version
- Awake Demos - Demo version
- Los Angeles, California 5/18/98 - Live version
- Bucharest, Romania 7/4/02 - Live version