Over the course of various lineup changes, Petrucci and Myung have been the only two constant members, and Portnoy remained with the band until 2010, when he left to pursue other musical endeavors and he has since been replaced by Mangini. After a brief stint with Chris Collins, followed by Charlie Dominici (who was dismissed from Dream Theater not long after the release of their first album), LaBrie was hired as the band's singer in 1991. Dream Theater's first keyboardist, Kevin Moore, left the band after three albums and was replaced by Derek Sherinian in 1995 after a period of touring. After just one album with Sherinian, they replaced him with current keyboardist Jordan Rudess in 1999.
To date, Dream Theater has released fifteen studio albums. The band's highest-selling release is their second album Images and Words (1992), which reached No. 61 on the Billboard 200 chart. Both the albums Awake (1994) and Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (2002) also entered the charts at No. 32 and No. 46, respectively, and received critical acclaim. Their fifth album, Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (1999), was ranked number 95 on the October 2006 issue of Guitar World magazine's list of the greatest 100 guitar albums of all time. It was also ranked as the 15th Greatest Concept Album in March 2003 by Classic Rock Magazine.
As of 2018, Dream Theater has sold over 12 million records worldwide and has received three Grammy Award nominations (including one win in 2022). Along with Queensrÿche and Fates Warning, the band has been referred to as one of the "big three" of the progressive metal genre, responsible for its development and popularization.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Theater
Studio albums
When Dream and Day Unite (1989)
Images and Words (1992)
Awake (1994)
Falling into Infinity (1997)
Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (1999)
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (2002)
Train of Thought (2003)
Octavarium (2005)
Systematic Chaos (2007)
Black Clouds & Silver Linings (2009)
A Dramatic Turn of Events (2011)
Dream Theater (2013)
The Astonishing (2016)
Distance over Time (2019)
A View from the Top of the World (2021)
6:00
Dream Theater Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And for what?
Well, isn't it for the honor of god,
Aunt Kate?
I know all about the honor of god,
Mary Jane.
Six o'clock the siren kicks him from a dream
Can't find the strength but he's got promises to keep
And wood to chop before he sleeps
I may never get over
But never's better than now
I've got bases to cover
He's in the parking lot and he's just sitting in his car
It's nine o'clock but he can't get out
He lights a cigarette
And turns the music down
But just can't seem to shake that sound
Once I thought I'd get over
But it's too late for me now
I've got bases to cover
Melody walks through the door
And memory flies out the window
And nobody knows what they want
'til they finally let it all go
The pain inside
Coming outside
So many ways to drown a man
So many ways to drag him down
Some are fast and some take years and years
Can't hear what he's saying when he's talking in his sleep
He finally found the sound but he's in too deep
I could never get over
Is it too late for me now?
Feel like blowing my cover
Melody walks through the door
And memory flies out the window
And nobody knows what they want
'til they finally let it all go
But don't cut your losses too soon
'cause you'll only be cutting your throat
And answer a call while you still hear at all
'cause nobody will if you won't
Six o'clock on a christmas morning,
I know all about the honor of god,
Mary,
I know all about the honor of god,
Mary Jane.
The lyrics to "6:00" by Dream Theater present a story of a man's struggles with his inner demons and attempt to find purpose in life. The song begins with the man waking up early on Christmas morning and questioning the significance of his actions. He is then interrupted by Aunt Kate who speaks of the honor of God, but he already knows about it from Mary Jane. The man then tries to shake off his dreams and fulfill his commitments for the day, including chopping wood before he sleeps.
As the song progresses, the man realizes that he may never overcome his problems, but he chooses to focus on the present instead of dwelling on the past. The man finds solace in his love for music, but is still troubled by the sounds in his head. Eventually, he meets someone named Melody who helps him forget about his problems temporarily. However, he knows that he cannot cut his losses too soon or he will only hurt himself. The song ends with the repetition of Aunt Kate and Mary Jane's lines, showing that the man still struggles with finding meaning in his life.
Overall, "6:00" is a poignant reflection of the human struggle with inner turmoil and the search for purpose in life. The lyrics, combined with the band's powerful instrumentation and vocalist James LaBrie's emotive delivery, create a profound and memorable experience for the listener.
Line by Line Meaning
Six o'clock on a Christmas morning,
It's early in the day, a Christmas morning specifically.
And for what?
The purpose of this early moment is ambiguous.
Well, isn't it for the honor of god,
Aunt Kate asks if they are doing this for god's honor.
I know all about the honor of god,
Mary Jane knows this as a common ploy to evoke guilt or motivation.
Six o'clock the siren kicks him from a dream
The sound of a siren wakes him from a dream at 6 AM.
Tries to shake it off but it just won't stop
The sound continues to linger and it's difficult to ignore.
Can't find the strength but he's got promises to keep
Despite feeling tired and weak, he has things he needs to fulfill.
And wood to chop before he sleeps
One of the things on his to-do list is chopping wood.
I may never get over
He's struggling to move past something.
But never's better than now
Ignoring an issue in the present is better than never addressing it at all.
I've got bases to cover
He has things to take care of, tasks or duties to fulfill.
He's in the parking lot and he's just sitting in his car
He's in a car, possibly feeling stuck or uncertain.
It's nine o'clock but he can't get out
Despite the time at which he arrived, he's struggling to leave the parking lot.
He lights a cigarette
He takes a break to smoke a cigarette.
And turns the music down
He reduces the volume of the music playing in his car.
But just can't seem to shake that sound
He still can't get the sound from earlier out of his head.
Once I thought I'd get over
This struggle wasn't always this hard, he thought he'd be past it by now.
But it's too late for me now
But now he's concerned that it's too late to overcome it.
I've got bases to cover
Regardless of his struggles, he still has tasks to fulfill.
Melody walks through the door
A new melody is introduced at this point.
And memory flies out the window
His old memories are pushed out of his mind.
And nobody knows what they want
No one is certain about their desires.
'til they finally let it all go
Only once they release their perceptions can they determine what they truly desire.
The pain inside
He has an internal pain he's having trouble dealing with.
Coming outside
This internal pain becomes more obvious and is coming out.
So many ways to drown a man
There are many avenues in which an individual can be drowned under the weight of their struggles.
So many ways to drag him down
Numerous factors can lead him down further into the struggles he's facing.
Some are fast and some take years and years
There are different ways one's struggle can feel and last depending on their circumstances.
Can't hear what he's saying when he's talking in his sleep
He's struggling to communicate something important even in his slumber state.
He finally found the sound but he's in too deep
He's finally identified the trouble but it's become all-consuming.
I could never get over
Getting over his troubles is not feasible for him at this point.
Is it too late for me now?
He's concerned he's past the point of moving on from his struggles.
Feel like blowing my cover
He's considering exposing himself and his troubles.
But don't cut your losses too soon
Despite struggling, it's important not to give up too easily.
'cause you'll only be cutting your throat
Doing so can have dire consequences.
And answer a call while you still hear at all
It's important to act on opportunities while still able to do so.
'cause nobody will if you won't
If he doesn't take advantage of opportunities, no one else will.
Six o'clock on a Christmas morning,
The song ends with the same line it started with.
I know all about the honor of god,
Mary Jane reflects back on the guilt strategy mentioned earlier in the song.
Mary,
The song comes to an end.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN MYUNG, JOHN PETRUCCI, JOHN RO MYUNG, KEVIN F. MOORE, KEVIN JAMES LABRIE, KEVIN JAMES LA BRIE, MICHAEL PORTNOY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind