Queensrÿche has sold over 20 million albums worldwide, including over 6 million albums in the United States. They are considered one of the leaders of the progressive metal scene of the mid-to-late 1980s, and often referred to as one of the "Big Three" of the genre, along with Dream Theater and Fates Warning. The band received worldwide acclaim after the release of their 1988 album Operation: Mindcrime, which is often considered one of the greatest heavy metal concept albums of all time. Their follow-up release, Empire, released in 1990, was also very successful and included the hit single "Silent Lucidity". The band has received three Grammy Award nominations for songs from both albums. In 1998, drummer Rockenfield received an individual Grammy nomination.
Also in 1998, guitarist and primary songwriter Chris DeGarmo left the band for personal reasons, returning briefly in 2003 to write and record the Tribe album. Over the years, his replacements have been Kelly Gray, Mike Stone, and Parker Lundgren. Following a highly publicized backstage altercation before a show in São Paulo, Brazil, in April 2012, Tate was fired from the band and replaced with then-Crimson Glory singer Todd La Torre. In response to his dismissal, Tate and his wife Susan (who served as the band's manager from 2005 to 2012) filed a lawsuit in a Washington court, claiming that he was wrongfully terminated. The ruling in the preliminary injunction was that both parties were allowed to use the name Queensrÿche until a court ruling or a settlement decided who would get to use the name. A settlement was reached on April 17, 2014, in which founding members Wilton, Rockenfield and Jackson were awarded the rights to the band trademark, continuing to play with the lineup that additionally includes singer La Torre and guitarist Lundgren.
During the time, both parties could use the name Queensrÿche, Tate created his own lineup featuring former guitarist Gray and musicians from bands including Blue Öyster Cult, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Dio, AC/DC and Quiet Riot. This version of Queensrÿche with Geoff Tate released the album Frequency Unknown on April 23, 2013, while Queensrÿche (with La Torre replacing Tate) released their eponymous album on June 24 and 25, 2013 (European and American release date, respectively). Both bands toured in 2013 and 2014.
Full article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensrÿche
Studio albums
The Warning (1984)
Rage for Order (1986)
Operation: Mindcrime (1988)
Empire (1990)
Promised Land (1994)
Hear in the Now Frontier (1997)
Q2K (1999)
Tribe (2003)
Operation: Mindcrime II (2006)
Take Cover (2007)
American Soldier (2009)
Dedicated to Chaos (2011)
Queensrÿche (2013)
Condition Hüman (2015)
The Verdict (2019)
Digital Noise Alliance (2022)
Geoff Tate's Queensrÿche
Frequency Unknown (2013)
Hard Times
Queensrÿche Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thought that you could walk on water
I thought of questions I'd ask myself
Is there enough of me left to burn?
Thought that you would be mine forever
I'm standing here holding the door wide open
It will always be wide open, stay
I'm just trying to keep my head through all the tears
I'm just trying to make it through another day, hard times
But you've been gone too long and all
The things that I say seem wrong
Hard times will make us strong
Hard times oh these hard times, lead to good times
Just hold on
I jump, as the phone lights up the night
Every time you call I think it's going to be good-bye
What's there left to say?
We've walked down this road before
Looks like time to decide
If your heart is still open, open
Mine will always be open for you
I'll never walk away, I'll never walk away
I'm just trying to hold my head up through hard times
It sometimes feels like we won't find our way through hard times
But you keep holding strong and I'll keep holding on
Hard times
It sometimes feels like I can't breathe so well
With everything around me melting
The walls are beginning to crumble, I feel like I'm in hell
Hard times, oh these hard times
Let all those pictures and letters scatter to the wind
None of that matters 'cause I'll be with you until the end
I'm just trying to understand
How can I go on without you?
The lyrics of "Hard Times," a song by the progressive metal band Queensrÿche, express the struggles of moving on from a broken relationship while enduring some hard times along the way. The first verse shows the vulnerability of the singer, who is grappling with his own feelings and identity after a painful breakup. He still holds onto the hope that he will reunite with his former partner, but then realizes that it's time to let go and move on. The chorus emphasizes the adversity that he faces, but resolves to overcome it and stay open to the possibility of new beginnings.
In the second verse, the singer reflects on the past and the challenges that he and his former partner have faced together. He's torn between his desire to keep their relationship going and his fear that it might not work out. The bridge of the song features the emotional plea of the singer to his partner to stay with him, despite the difficulties that they have experienced. However, he knows that he cannot force his partner to stay, and he has to be willing to let go if necessary.
Overall, "Hard Times" is a poignant song that captures the struggles of a relationship that has gone awry. The lyrics show the power of perseverance through difficult times and the importance of being open to new opportunities.
Line by Line Meaning
I could distract myself for a while
I tried everything to avoid the pain of losing you.
Thought that you could walk on water
I believed you were invincible.
I thought of questions I'd ask myself
I contemplated why we couldn't make it work.
Is there enough of me left to burn?
I wondered if my heart could take any more pain.
Thought that you would be mine forever
I always assumed you'd never leave.
I'm standing here holding the door wide open
I'm waiting for you, no matter how long it takes.
It will always be wide open, stay
I never want to close myself off from the possibility of reconciliation.
I'll never walk away
I will always be here for you.
I'm just trying to keep my head through all the tears
I'm doing my best to remain composed even though I'm grieving.
I'm just trying to make it through another day, hard times
I'm trying to survive the anguish and heartache.
But you've been gone too long and all
It's been a long time since we've been together.
The things that I say seem wrong
I don't know how to communicate with you anymore.
Hard times will make us strong
Maybe our struggles will ultimately make us stronger.
Hard times oh these hard times, lead to good times
Perhaps our challenges now will lead to a better future.
Just hold on
We need to persevere.
I jump, as the phone lights up the night
My heart races every time I hear from you.
Every time you call I think it's going to be good-bye
I'm afraid you'll tell me you're gone for good.
What's there left to say?
We've exhausted all the words and arguments.
We've walked down this road before
We've been down this path many times.
Looks like time to decide
We need to make a choice, one way or another.
If your heart is still open, open
I hope you haven't closed yourself off to me.
Mine will always be open for you
My heart will always be welcoming to you.
I'm just trying to hold my head up through hard times
I'm trying to stay strong despite the challenges.
It sometimes feels like we won't find our way through hard times
Sometimes it feels like we'll never get through this pain.
But you keep holding strong and I'll keep holding on
We need to hold on to hope and keep believing in our love.
It sometimes feels like I can't breathe so well
It feels like I'm suffocating with the pain.
With everything around me melting
Everything around me feels like it's falling apart.
The walls are beginning to crumble, I feel like I'm in hell
Everything feels like it's falling apart and I'm in agony.
Let all those pictures and letters scatter to the wind
The physical mementos don't matter - our feelings are what's important.
None of that matters 'cause I'll be with you until the end
I love you and will always be devoted to you.
I'm just trying to understand
I'm still trying to make sense of everything that's happened between us.
How can I go on without you?
I don't know if I can bear the thought of living without you.
Lyrics © TRI-RYCHE CORPORATION DBA QUEENSRYCHE PUBLISHING COMPANY, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GEOFFERY WAYNE TATE, RANDALL RUTHERFORD GANE, SCOTT DOUGLAS ROCKENFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind