| The Mirror | |
| Awake | |
| Length | 6:45 |
| Working title | Puppies on Acid |
| Release date | October 4, 1994 |
| Lyrics | Mike Portnoy |
| Music | Dream Theater |
| First live performance | Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, Providence, RI, USA, on Oct. 20, 1994 |
| Total live plays | 359 |
| Recorded | One On One Studios and Devonshire Studios |
| Other appearances | Live Scenes from New York, Graspop Festival 2002, Awake Demos, Tokyo, Japan 10/28/95, Old Bridge, New Jersey 12/14/96, Breaking the Fourth Wall |
| Previous song | The Silent Man |
| Next song | Lie |
The Mirror is a song by Dream Theater. It is the seventh song on their third album, Awake. The Mirror has retroactively been labelled as a prelude to The Twelve-Step Suite as it deals with the same themes and is referenced several times during that suite.
John Petrucci recorded this song using a 7-string guitar in standard tuning (B-E-A-D-G-B-E).
Personnel[]
- Mike Portnoy - Drums, background vocals, lyrics
- John Petrucci - Guitar
- John Myung - Bass
- Kevin Moore - Keyboards
- James LaBrie - Vocals
Lyrics[]
Temptation- Why won't you leave me alone? Lurking Every Corner, everywhere I go Self Control- Don't turn your back on me now When I need you the most Constant pressure tests my will My will or my won't My Self Control escapes from me still... Hypocrite- How could you be so cruel and expect my faith in return? Resistance- Is not as hard as it seems When you close the door I spent so long trusting in you I trust you forgot Just when I thought I believed in you... [Sample is Meryl Streep from the film "Falling In Love".] "What're you doing? What're you doing?" It's time for me to deal Becoming all too real living in fear- Why did you lie and pretend? This has to come to an end I'll never trust you again It's time you made your amends Look in the mirror my friend [Sample is Jeremy Irons from the film "Damage".] "That I haven't behaved as I should" [Sample is Mary Beth Hurt from the film "Light Sleeper".] "Everything you need is around you. The only danger is inside you." [Sample is Jeremy Irons from the film "Damage".] "I thought you could control life, but it's not like that. There are things you can't control." Let's stare the problem right in the eye It's plagued me from coast to coast Racing the clock to please everyone All but the one who matters the most Reflections of reality are slowly coming into view How in the hell could you possibly forgive me? After all the hell I put you through It's time for me to deal Becoming all too real living in fear- Why'd I betray my friend? Lying until the end Living life so pretend It's time to make my amends I'll never hurt you again
Analysis[]
Though it was not known at the time it was released, The Mirror was written by Portnoy about his struggles with Alcoholism, something he wouldn't address directly until 2000. Later on, The Twelve-Step Suite would further delve into the subject, and songs such as This Dying Soul, Repentance and The Shattered Fortress would directly reference The Mirror. This has caused many fans to retroactively label the song as a precursor to the suite.
Notes[]
The Mirror flows into the next song on the album Lie and the pair share many musical and lyrical themes, despite Lie being written by Moore. There are also some musical quotes and references to another Moore song, Space-Dye Vest. The connection to Lie goes back to the original demo version, as the two songs were originally one song. Later they were split up and given the names "Puppies on Acid" and "Kittens on Crack". The band still refers to the intro of The Mirror as "Puppies on Acid" and this first part was played live under that name during the tour to support Images and Words. Beginning with the 1994 Waking Up the World Tour in support of Awake, the band also created a short jam based on the ending riff of the song, titling it "A Crack in the Mirror." By 1998, they were performing this backed by "Puppies on Acid" but without the song proper, often leading out of "Puppies on Acid" into another song like "Voices" or "Just Let Me Breathe."
Live Performances[]
The Mirror is one of the most frequently performed songs from Awake. Though the song is occasionally followed by "Lie," this is not always the case. As the song has no proper ending on the album, live versions that are not followed by "Lie" skip to its ending reprising the main riff, leading many setlists to refer to it as "The Mirror/The Mirror (reprise)." This arrangement is used on Live Scenes From New York.
Appearances[]
| Year | Recording Type | Release | Release Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Studio | Awake | Studio Album |
| 2001 | Live | Live Scenes from New York | Live Album |
| 2003 | Live | Graspop Festival 2002 | Fanclub |
| 2004 | Live | Tokyo, Japan 10/28/1995 | Official Bootleg |
| 2006 | Demo | Awake Demos 1994 | Official Bootleg |
| 2006 | Live | Old Bridge, New Jersey 12/14/96 | Official Bootleg |
| 2014 | Live | Breaking the Fourth Wall | Live Album |
| 2022 | Demo | Awake Demos (1994) | Official Bootleg |
| 2022 | Live | Old Bridge, New Jersey (1996) | Official Bootleg |