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Vacant
Train of Thought
Length 2:58
Working title
Release date November 11, 2003
Lyrics James LaBrie
Music John Myung, Jordan Rudess
First live performance Carling Apollo Manchester, Manchester, England, on Jan. 16, 2004
Total live plays 20
Recorded Cove City Sound Studios, Pie Studios NY
Other appearances Score
Previous song Honor Thy Father
Next song Stream of Consciousness

Vacant is the fifth song on Dream Theater's seventh album Train of Thought. The end of the song segues into Stream of Consciousness.

Created in a late night session when Myung and Rudess were jamming over the Stream of Consciousness chord progression. They submitted it to the rest of the band and it was used on the final album.

LaBrie's lyrics deal with witnessing his daughter in a coma.

"Vacant is a very personal lyric. 3 days before my daughter's 7th birthday she had a seizure and went into a coma for 3 and half hours. The Doctors told my wife and I she might have had a stroke. While they were about to do a Catscan Chloe came out of it. It was a miracle and never again did she have incident with this type of situation. The Doctors never did give us a full diagnosis as to what really happened. Quite honestly I think they were just as baffled as us. Nothing before or since has ever left me feeling as distraught or helpless. Good news, she is a perfectly healthy girl and singing her ass off."
- from LaBrie's Songs Meanings... on the James LaBrie message board.

Lyrics[]

Hey you 
Hey you
I'm right here
Conscience fading
Can't get through

Oh Lord
Helpless
Confused
Head swayed,
Eyes glazed,
And mine teared

She's losing control
What can I do?
Her vacant eyes
Black holes

Am I losing you?

Variations[]

At Radio City Music Hall on April 1st 2006, the song was performed by a full symphony orchestra. This performance can be seen on Score.

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