This Dying Soul

This Dying Soul
Train of Thought
Length	11:28
Working title
Release date	November 11th, 2003
Lyrics	Mike Portnoy
Music	Dream Theater
First live performance
Total live plays
Recorded	Cove City Sound Studios, Pie Studios NY
Other appearances	Live at Budokan, Train of Thought Instrumental Demos
Previous song	As I Am
Next song	Endless Sacrifice

This Dying Soul is the second song on Dream Theater's seventh studio album, Train of Thought. It is the second installment of the twelve-step suite, which spans 5 songs on 5 albums, and tells of Mike Portnoy's alcohol addiction. The first two notes are identical to the last two notes from The Glass Prison, and it was occasionally played live adjacent to The Glass Prison during the Octavarium world tour.

Personnel

• Mike Portnoy - Drums, percussion, backing vocals
• John Petrucci - Guitar
• John Myung - Bass
• James LaBrie - Vocals
• Jordan Rudess - Keyboard

Lyrics

IV. REFLECTIONS OF REALITY (REVISITED)

Hello 
Mirror
So glad to see you my friend
It's been a while
Searching
Fearless
Where do I begin to heal this wound 
Of self-denial

Face yourself man!
Brace yourself and 
Trace your hell back!

You've been 
Blinded, 
Living life a one way cold existence
All the while

Now it's 
Time to 
Stare the problem right between the eyes 
You long lost child

I wanna feel your body breaking
Wanna feel your body breaking 
And shaking and left in the cold
I want to heal your conscience making 
A change to fix this dying soul
This dying soul

This dying soul

Born into this world a broken home
Surrounded by love, yet all alone
Forced into a life that's split in two
A mother and a father both pulling you
Then you had to deal with loss and death
Everybody thinking they know best
Coping with this shit at such an age
Can only fill a kid with pain and rage

Family disease pumped through your blood
Never had the chance you thought you could
Running all the while with no escape
Turning all that pain into blame and hate
Living on your own by 21
Not a single care and having fun
Consuming all the life in front of you
Burning out the fuse and smoking the residue

Possessive obsessions 
Selfish childish games
Vengeful resentments
Passing all the blame

Living out a life of decadence
Acting without thought of consequence
Spreading all your lies from coast to coast
Spitting on the ones that matter most
Running power mad with no control
Fighting for the credit they once stole
No one can ever tell you what to do
Ruling other's lives while they can't stand the thought of you

A living reflection seen from miles away
A hopeless affliction having run astray

I wanna feel your body breaking
Wanna feel your body breaking 
And shaking and left in the cold
I want to heal your conscience making 
A change to fix this dying soul
This dying soul

This dying soul

Now that you can see all you have done
(Now that you can see all you have done)
It's time to take that step into the kingdom
All your sins will only make you strong
(All your sins will help to make you strong)
And help you break right through the prison wall

V. RELEASE

Come to me my friend
(Listen to me)
I'll help this torture end
(Help to set me free)
Let your ego go 
(I can't carry this load)
You can't go through this alone 
(I feel so hopeless and exposed)
You'll find your peace of mind 
(Give me some direction)
You can no longer hide 
(Break out of this isolation)
Let humility 
(Openness, honesty)
And become what you can be 
(A healing tranquility)

Help me
Save me
Heal me
I can't break out of this prison all alone

These tormenting ghosts of yesterday
Will vanish when exposed
You can't hold onto your secrets
They'll only send you back alone

Your fearless admissions
Will help expel your destructive obsessions
With my help I know you can
Be at one with God and man

Hear me
Believe me
Take me
I'm ready to break through this prison wall

Tone

Like most songs on Train of Thought, This Dying Soul has an incredible heavy and dark tone. It is set apart from many other songs on Train of Thought in that there is no clean intro, or slow beginning - the song is fast, loud and heavy from the word 'go'. This is perhaps because it leads on immediately from the previous song, As I Am.

Appearances

• Train of Thought - Original recorded version
• Live at Budokan - Live version
• Train of Thought Instrumental Demos - Demo version