Another Day
Dream Theater Lyrics


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(Mhm)
(Oh oh)

Live another day
Climb a little higher
Find another reason to stay
Ashes in your hands
Mercy in your eyes
If you're searching for a silent sky

You won't find it here
Look another way
You won't find it here
So die another day

The coldness of his words
The message in his silence
Face the candle to the wind
This distance in my voice
Isn't leaving you a choice
So if you're looking for a time to run away

You won't find it here
Look another way
You won't find it here
So try another day

They took pictures of our dreams
Ran to hide behind the stairs
And said, "Maybe when it's right for you, they'll fall"

But if they don't come down
Resist the need to pull them in
And throw them away
Better to save the mystery
Than surrender to the secret
Whoa oh

You won't find it here
Look another way




You won't find it here
So try another day

Overall Meaning

The song Another Day by Dream Theater is about the struggle to find a reason to continue living and to stay in the present moment. The opening lines encourage the listener to continue fighting, to climb a little higher and to find another reason to stay. The idea of ashes in your hands and mercy in your eyes suggest a past filled with pain and suffering, but a hopeful future that is just out of reach. The lyrics seem to suggest that if the listener is searching for a sense of peace, they won't find it in the present moment - indicating that the search needs to continue.


The second verse seems to suggest that the singer is urging someone else to keep fighting. The use of the metaphor of facing the candle to the wind suggests that it's difficult to keep the flame burning, but it's possible. The distance in the singer's voice isn't leaving the person they are addressing a choice - perhaps suggesting that sometimes we need others to be firm with us when we can't be firm with ourselves. The idea of looking for a time to run away is again mentioned, but the singer seems to be urging the listener to keep searching and to try another day instead of giving up.


Line by Line Meaning

(Mhm)
A sound indicating the start of the song


(Oh oh)
A sound indicating the start of the first verse


Live another day
Keep going, don't give up, and don't take your own life


Climb a little higher
Strive for improvement and aim to do better


Find another reason to stay
Look for a reason to keep living and not give up


Ashes in your hands
The remnants of something once alive are now held by you


Mercy in your eyes
You have compassion in your eyes, showing that you are a good person


If you’re searching for a silent sky
If you want peace and solitude


You won't find it here
You won't find that kind of escape or serenity in this place


Look another way
Try another direction


So die another day
Don't give up today; give yourself a chance to live another day


The coldness of his words
His words lack warmth and caring


The message in his silence
His lack of words speaks volumes


Face the candle to the wind
Confront your challenges head on, with determination


This distance in my voice
I'm purposely maintaining some emotional distance


Isn't leaving you a choice
You are compelled to make a difficult decision


So if you’re looking for a time to run away
If you're considering giving up or escaping


They took pictures of our dreams
People are often curious about our aspirations


Ran to hide behind the stairs
They retreated and avoided a direct confrontation


And said, 'Maybe when it's right for you, they'll fall'
Maybe when the time is right, things will align for you to achieve your dreams


But if they don't come down
If things don't go as planned


Resist the need to pull them in
Don't force things or overexert yourself to achieve your dreams if it isn't necessary


And throw them away
Don't discard your dreams simply because they aren't coming to fruition


Better to save the mystery
It's better to preserve some of the mystery and wonder of life


Than surrender to the secret
Than to give up and lose out on something that would have been amazing


You won't find it here
You won't find inner peace and fulfilment here


Look another way
Try another route or perspective


You won't find it here
You won't find what you are looking for if you continue down this path


So try another day
Keep striving for your dreams and goals another day




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kevin James Labrie, Kevin F. Moore, John Myung, John Petrucci, Michael Portnoy

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

bibash gurung

Live another day
Climb a little higher
Find another reason to stay
Ashes in your hands
Mercy in your eyes
If you're searching for a silent sky
You won't find it here
Look another way
You won't find it here
So die another day
The coldness of his words
The message in his silence
I face the candle to the wind
This distance in my voice
Isn't leaving you a choice
So if you're looking for a time to run away
You won't find it here
Look another way
You won't find it here
So try another day
They took pictures of our dreams
Ran to hide behind the stairs
And said, "Maybe when it's right for you, they'll fall"
But if they don't come down
Resist the need to pull them in
And throw them away
Better to save the mystery
Than surrender to the secret
You won't find it here
Look another way
You won't find it here
So try another day



All comments from YouTube:

Tomoharu Yara

30 years since this song was released... It is still a masterpiece.

Trippin' Truth

Masterpiece is the exact word.

Fibre

31

Christopher Andreola

Not many bands could incorporate a saxophone like that into a song.
Wonderfully created song.

Dries V.

pretty sure that's not a sax in the video :D

Christopher Andreola

@Dries V.
I always thought it was Kenny G, but the sax is credited to Jay Beckenstein of Spyro Gyra for Another Day.

Dries V.

@Christopher Andreola I don't know... I always thought it was a sax until I saw this video. Anyway, whatever it is, it sounds awesome!

moiserien

@Dries V. It is a soprano Saxophone, which looks like a clarinet/oboe in its form but is still made out of brass. So yeah its indeed a Sax :)

Jeffrey Pritchard

@Dries V. It's a sax. There are different kinds of saxophones. The one in the video happens to be a soprano.

7 More Replies...

Natz Juanani

The sax part is really awesome! Play this song on repeat. Their musicality is advanced considering this song was a decades ago. I just discovered this song tru reels.

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