| Wither | |
| Black Clouds & Silver Linings | |
| Length | 5:26 |
| Working title | Unknown |
| Release date | {{{Release}}} |
| Lyrics | John Petrucci |
| Music | John Petrucci |
| First live performance | Hovet, Stockholm, Sweden, on Sept. 25, 2009 |
| Total live plays | 43 |
| Recorded | Avatar Studios |
| Other appearances | Wither (EP) |
| Previous song | A Rite of Passage |
| Next song | The Shattered Fortress |
Wither is the second single from Dream Theater's album Black Clouds & Silver Linings. The lyrics deal with the difficulty of starting a new piece of music from scratch. It's the first piece of music to be solely composed by a single band member since Scenes from a Memory, and the first piece of music not to be written by the whole band since Vacant, on Train of Thought.
The music video was recorded over the second European leg on the 2009 world tour, and has yet to be released.
Wither was released as a digital EP on September 14, 2009, with the following tracklisting.
- 1. Wither (Album version)
- 2. Wither (Piano version)
- 3. Wither (JP vocal demo)
- 4. The Best of Times (MP vocal demo)
The piano version was a specially recorded new arrangement, featuring only James LaBrie and Jordan Rudess. The only instruments on the track are piano and violin. It is unconfirmed whether the violin was synthesised by Jordan Rudess or recorded by Jerry Goodman.
John Petrucci recorded this song using a 6-string baritone guitar tuned to B♭-E♭-A♭-D♭-F-B♭.
Lyrics[]
Let it out, let it out Fill the empty space So insecure Find the words And let it out Staring down, staring down Nothing comes to mind Find the place Turn the water into wine But I feel I'm getting nowhere And I'll never see the end So I wither And render myself helpless I give in And everything is clear I break down And let the story guide me Turn it on, turn it on Let the feelings flow Close your eyes See the ones you used to know Open up, open up Don't struggle to relate Lure it out Help the memory escape Still this barrenness consumes me And I feel like giving up So I wither And render myself helpless I give in And everything is clear I break down And let the story guide me I wither And give myself away Like reflections on the page The world's what you create I drown in hesitation My words come crashing down And all my best creations Burn into the ground The thought of starting over Leaves me paralyzed Tear it out again Another one that got away I wither And render myself helpless I give in And everything is clear I wither And render myself helpless I give in And everything is clear I break down And let the story guide me I wither And give myself away Like reflections on the page The world's what you create The world's what you create Let it out, let it out