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members, and Portnoy remained with the band until 2010, when he left to pursue other musical endeavors and he has since been replaced by Mangini.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)
Surrounded
Dream Theater Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And night time falls too late
And sometimes all I want to do is wait
The shadow I've been hiding in
Has fled from me today
I know it's easier
To walk away
But I will raise a shelter to the sky
And here beneath this star tonight I'll lie
She'll slowly yield the light
As I awaken from the longest night
Dreams are shaking set sirens waking up tired eyes
With the light the memories all rush into his head
By a candle stands a mirror of his heart and soul she dances
She was dancing through the night above his bed
And walking to the window
He throws the shutters out against the wall
And from an ivory tower hears her call
"Let light surround you"
It's been a long, long time
He's had a while to think it over
In the end he only sees the change
Light to dark
Dark to light
Light to dark
Dark to light
Heaven must be more than this
When angels waken with a kiss
Sacred hearts won't take the pain
But mine will never be the same
He stands before the window
His shadow slowly fading from the wall
And from an ivory tower hears her call
"Let the light surround you"
Once lost but I was found
When I heard that stained glass
Shatter all around me
I sent the spirits tumbling down the hill
My whole heart is what I had left me still
She whispers words to clear my mind
I once could see but now at last
I'm blind
I know it's easier
To walk away
Than look it in the eye
But I have given all that I could take
And now I've only habits left to break
Tonight I'll still be lying here surrounded
In all the light
Surrounded by Dream Theater is a song that reflects the theme of loneliness and the longing to escape from it. The song talks about a person who is struggling with loneliness and is trying to find a way out of it. The first verse begins with the assertion that the morning comes too early, and the night time falls too late, which is indicative of the singer's troubled state of mind. He is sleepless and restless, unable to find solace either in the day or the night. He then talks about his desire to wait for something that will take him out of his current predicament. But as he waits, he realizes that something has changed - the shadow that he had been hiding in has fled from him, giving him a glimmer of hope that there might be a way out.
The chorus of the song becomes a personal call to action to the singer. He recognizes that it is easier to walk away than to confront his fears. Still, he is determined to raise a shelter to the sky - a symbol of hope - and lie beneath it. He imagines that the stars above will comfort him, acting as a guiding light in his bleak existence. He then borrows a line from his imaginary muse who whispers to him, "Let light surround you," and he realizes that it is imperative to let go of his past and embrace a brighter future.
The second verse dives deeper into the thoughts of the singer. He sees dreams as sirens that are waking him up from his slumber, and memories flood his mind as he tries to come to terms with his loneliness. In the distance, he sees a candlelit mirror, which represents his heart and soul, and sees himself dancing with his muse above his bed. The singer acknowledges that his habits have left him with no escape and reiterates his pledge to remain surrounded by the light.
Line by Line Meaning
Morning comes too early
The day starts before I am ready
And night time falls too late
The night comes too late for me to sleep
And sometimes all I want to do is wait
Occasionally, I just want to wait and do nothing
The shadow I've been hiding in
I have been hiding something dark and personal from others
Has fled from me today
Today, my secret is out and I am exposed
I know it's easier
I acknowledge that it is simpler
To walk away
To turn your back on your problems
Than look it in the eye
Than to confront them head-on
But I will raise a shelter to the sky
I will build a safe haven for myself
And here beneath this star tonight I'll lie
I will rest under the stars tonight
She'll slowly yield the light
The darkness will give way to the light
As I awaken from the longest night
As I emerge from the darkest time I've experienced
Dreams are shaking set sirens waking up tired eyes
My dreams are disturbing, the sirens awaken me, causing me to lose sleep
With the light the memories all rush into his head
Memories come flooding back with the daylight
By a candle stands a mirror of his heart and soul she dances
There is a metaphorical mirror by the candle, and she dances in front of it, revealing his innermost thoughts and feelings
She was dancing through the night above his bed
She was dancing above his bed during the night
And walking to the window
I walk to the window
He throws the shutters out against the wall
I throw the shutters against the wall
And from an ivory tower hears her call
I hear her call from a place of safety and privilege
"Let light surround you"
She says, "Be surrounded by light"
It's been a long, long time
It has been a very long time
He's had a while to think it over
I have had plenty of time to consider things
In the end he only sees the change
Ultimately, I only see the change that has occurred
Light to dark
Things have gone from light to dark
Dark to light
Things have gone from dark to light
Light to dark
Things have gone from light to dark
Dark to light
Things have gone from dark to light
Heaven must be more than this
There must be more to heaven than just this life
When angels waken with a kiss
Angels awaken through a kiss
Sacred hearts won't take the pain
Those with pure hearts cannot bear the pain
But mine will never be the same
My heart will never be the same
He stands before the window
I stand in front of the window
His shadow slowly fading from the wall
My shadow is slowly disappearing from the wall
And from an ivory tower hears her call
I hear her call from a place of safety and privilege
"Let the light surround you"
She says, "Be surrounded by light"
Once lost but I was found
I was once lost, but I have been found
When I heard that stained glass
When I heard the sound of breaking stained glass
Shatter all around me
Breaking and falling around me
I sent the spirits tumbling down the hill
I caused the spirits to fall down the hill
My whole heart is what I had left me still
All I have left is my heart
She whispers words to clear my mind
She speaks softly to help clarify my thoughts
I once could see but now at last I'm blind
Previously able to see, now I am blind
But I have given all that I could take
I have given everything I could take
And now I've only habits left to break
All that remains are habits I must break
Tonight I'll still be lying here surrounded
Tonight, I will still be lying here, surrounded by everything
In all the light
In the midst of all the light
Lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Michael Portnoy, John Petrucci, Kevin F. Moore, Kevin James Labrie, John Ro Myung
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind