23 November 2018

(SMS) Dream Theater - Metropolis pt. 1: The Miracle and The Sleeper

The smile of dawn
Arrived early May
She carried a gift from her home
The night shed a tear
To tell her of fear
And of sorrow and pain
She'll never outgrow

Death is the first dance, eternal

There's no more freedom
The both of you will be confined to this mind

I was told there's a miracle for each day that I try
I was told there's a new love that's born for each one that has died
I was told there'd be no one to call on when I feel alone and afraid
I was told if you dream of the next world
You'll find yourself swimming in a lake of fire

As a child, I thought I could live without pain without sorrow
But as a man I've found it's all caught up with me
I'm asleep yet I'm so afraid

Somewhere like a scene from a memory
There's a picture worth a thousand words
Eluding stares from faces before me
It hides away and will never be heard of again

Deceit is the second without end

The city's cold blood teaches us to survive
Just keep my heart in your eyes and we'll stay alive

The third arrives...

Before the leaves have fallen
Before we lock the doors
There must be a third and last dance
This one will last forever
Metropolis watches and thoughtfully smiles
She's taken you to your home

It can only take place
When the struggle between our children has ended
Now the Miracle and the Sleeper know that the third is love

Love is the Dance of Eternity
________________________

Take a sit and prepare for a long story. To start with, it is 9 minutes and half of song, and even the instrumental part has something to tell. It is funny that this song, as a joke by the band, got in its name "part 1" and, because of this, later it made into an album's name as "part 2". It was the first Dream Theater's song I've ever listened to, nearly 2006-2007, showed by my brother. At that time I had not even a single clue of what it could mean.

A metropolis, according to the Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa da Porto Editora (app), it is the main city of a country (free translation). In our lives, our main city is the emotional. Our lives are moved by three main dances. Dances which, in a certain way, shape who we are, how we think and act. The working title before release was "Crumbling Metropolis". In its release we have the "Metropolis part 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper".

The first dance, as presented by the song, is Death, this which changes directly who we are. We get fond of people and don't want to lose them. Never! It is painful and creates disillusion, though it makes us stronger.

The second dance is Deceit. As children, and sometimes as adults, we are deceived. People lie. They make us suffer for things that, sometimes, are insignificant. E by deceit, we are turned into more critical beings. In this moment, the song prepares us to the third dance, and it enters in its instrumental part, which shows our fight, criticism, uncomfortableness and maturing. It evens seems our metropolis is almost crumbling, as the working title suggested.

Finally, the last dance, which is eternal: Love! Even though all problems we fight, each in a manner, in different ways, because we all are different, love pierces all and any pain. All and any suffer. And, if well nurtured, even after death, love makes people remember us. 

'But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. ' Titus 3:4-7 NIV