The song peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
The song was composed by lead guitarist Chris DeGarmo.
Queensryche performed the song live at the Grammy awards, with a supporting orchestra.
Because of the lyrical content, and the title of the song, it is assumed to be based on the subject of lucid dreaming.
During the middle eight, a heavily vocoded voice even explains a method for this: "Visualize your dream. Record it in the present tense. Put it into a permanent form. If you persist in your efforts, you can achieve dream control."
The song has been both criticized and praised for sounding much like Pink Floyd's music, in particular the chorus which reminds one of the song "Comfortably Numb."[1]
The song was recorded with sweeping orchestrations.
Often the orchestra is not relegated to the background but instead is very prominent such as during the second half of the instrumental section (timestamp 3:16 - 3:51).
At the end of the song (5:26), a cello or double bass plays the theme from the traditional children's Brahm's Lullaby - the typical English translation words being "Lullaby, and good night, go to sleep little baby".
"Silent Lucidity" is ranked #21 on VH1 Greatest Power Ballads. [2]
Silent Lucidity
Queensrÿche Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wipe away the teardrop from your eye
You're lying safe in bed
It was all a bad dream
Spinning in your head
Your mind tricked you to feel the pain
Of someone close to you leaving the game of life
So here it is, another chance
Your dream is over or has it just begun?
There's a place I like to hide
A doorway that I run through in the night
Relax child, you were there
But only didn't realize and you were scared
It's a place where you will learn
To face your fears, retrace the years
And ride the whims of your mind
Commanding in another world
Suddenly you hear and see
This magic new dimension
I will be watching over you
I am gonna help you see it through
I will protect you in the night
I am smiling next to you, in silent lucidity
(Visualize your dream)
(Record it in the present tense)
(Put it into a permanent form)
(If you persist in your efforts)
(You can achieve dream control)
(Dream control)
(How are we feeling today, better?)
(Dream control, dream control, dream control)
(Help me)
If you open your mind for me
You won't rely on open eyes to see
The walls you built within
Come tumbling down, and a new world will begin
Living twice at once you learn
You're safe from pain in the dream domain
A soul set free to fly
A round trip journey in your head
Master of illusion, can you realize
Your dream's alive, you can be the guide but
I will be watching over you
I am gonna help to see it through
I will protect you in the night
I am smiling next to you
In Queensrÿche's song "Silent Lucidity," the lyrics suggest that the singer is try to comfort someone who has experienced a bad dream. The dreamer is told to wipe away their tears as they were simply experiencing a nightmare, and they are now safely lying in bed. The lyrics reveal that the nightmare was caused by the dreamer's imagination, making them feel the pain of someone they lost in real life. However, the singer tells the dreamer that they have another chance at life, and the dream is over or has just begun.
The song then shifts to the singer describing a secret place they go to in their mind that helps them face their fears and overcome challenges. They encourage the dreamer to open their mind and rely on their imaginations to break down inner walls that have been blocking their growth. The lyrics suggest that within the dream domain, people can essentially live twice, learning and growing without feeling the pain of the real world.
In the end, the singer pledges to watch over and protect the dreamer as they navigate their newfound sense of freedom and possibility. While the lyrics are somewhat ambiguous, it seems clear that the song is about finding hope in difficult times, using the power of imagination to overcome trauma and making the most of the second chance that life offers.
Line by Line Meaning
Hush now, don't you cry
Quiet down and stop crying
Wipe away the teardrop from your eye
Clean your tears away and calm down
You're lying safe in bed
You're in your bed, safe and sound
It was all a bad dream
It was just a nightmare
Spinning in your head
It was just in your imagination
Your mind tricked you to feel the pain
Your mind made you feel the pain
Of someone close to you leaving the game of life
Of someone dying
So here it is, another chance
Here's another opportunity
Wide awake you face the day
You wake up and are ready to face the day
Your dream is over or has it just begun?
Was it just a dream or is it going to happen for real?
There's a place I like to hide
There's a place I go to for escape
A doorway that I run through in the night
A place I go to in my dreams
Relax child, you were there
Relax, you were there with me
But only didn't realize and you were scared
You didn't realize it, and it frightened you
It's a place where you will learn
It's a place where you can learn
To face your fears, retrace the years
To confront your fears and reconcile with your past
And ride the whims of your mind
And follow your imagination
Commanding in another world
In control of a different reality
Suddenly you hear and see
All of a sudden you can hear and see more clearly
This magic new dimension
This new world of possibility
I will be watching over you
I will be looking out for you
I am gonna help you see it through
I will be there to help you finish what you started
I will protect you in the night
I will keep you safe during the night
I am smiling next to you, in silent lucidity
I am happy and calm next to you
(Visualize your dream)
Imagine your dream
(Record it in the present tense)
Write it down as if it's happening now
(Put it into a permanent form)
Make it permanent, write it or record it somehow
(If you persist in your efforts)
If you keep trying
(You can achieve dream control)
You can control your dreams
(Dream control)
Take control of your dreams
(How are we feeling today, better?)
How are you feeling today? Better?
(Dream control, dream control, dream control)
Take control of your dreams
(Help me)
Assist me
If you open your mind for me
If you're open-minded
You won't rely on open eyes to see
You won't just rely on your eyes to see
The walls you built within
The barriers you created for yourself
Come tumbling down, and a new world will begin
Will fall apart, and a new opportunity will arise
Living twice at once you learn
Living in two realities, you can learn
You're safe from pain in the dream domain
You're free from pain in your dreams
A soul set free to fly
A person freed to explore and dream
A round trip journey in your head
Exploring a new reality in your head
Master of illusion, can you realize
Can you understand and control your illusions?
Your dream's alive, you can be the guide but
Your dream is real, but you have to be in control
Lyrics © ONErpm
Written by: Christopher Degarmo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lilmandy09
Hush now, don't you cry
Wipe away the teardrop from your eye
You're lying safe in bed
It was all a bad dream spinning in your head
Your mind tricked you to feel the pain
Of someone close to you leaving the game of life
So here it is, another chance
Wide awake you face the day, your dream is over
Or has it just begun?
There's a place I like to hide
A doorway that I run through in the night
Relax child, you were there
But only didn't realize and you were scared
It's a place where you will learn
To face your fears, retrace the years
And ride the whims of your mind
Commanding in another world
Suddenly you hear and see this magic new dimension
(I) will be watching over you
(I) am gonna help you see it through
(I) will protect you in the night
(I) am smiling next to you, in silent lucidity
I can't do this
Visualize your dream, record it in the present tense
Put it into a permanent form
If you persist in your efforts, you can achieve dream control
How's that then, better?
Dream control, dream control
Help me
If you open your mind for me
You won't rely on open eyes to see
The walls you built within
Come tumbling down, and a new world will begin
Living twice at once, you learn
You're safe from the pain in the dream domain
A soul set free to fly
A round trip journey in your head
Master of illusion, can you realize
Your dream's alive, you can be the guide but
(I) will be watching over you
(I) am gonna help you see it through
(I) will protect you in the night
(I) I'm smiling next to you
@9798wing
Who’s listening in 2024!!
@delldunn7590
Still a great beautiful song
@user-of8hb3fb5c
Me
@JanineDow
Always ❤
@willemwisgerhof585
this is great every time i play it
@michelemcguire8995
My 💔
@aldencharley4875
I lost my wife of almost 20 years to Cancer on 09/12/22.... When we first met I took her to a Queensryche concert in Albuquerque,NM. That was night we both really understand that we were soul mates I guess... And I held her when they started playing this song, and we were inseparable since than. It was early 2020 we found out she had Cancer and because of Covid it was hard to get into a hospital for treatment. Two years went by with very little medical visits till early 2022 and things took a turn for the worse and did my very best to be there for her as much as I could. I even quit my job just to take her to her Chemotherapy treatment and stuff. I could tell by her physical appearance that her body was getting frail but to me she is always that beautiful Navajo woman that I fell with regardless of her physical appearance. She left us ( our kids and I)! in the early morning hours of 09/12/22. And eversince than I would dream of her and till a month later she came to me once again in my dream and told me she is home and gonna go to sleep and eversince than I felt peace and Comfort. Rest easy my love Tawnya I love and miss you tremendously 😭
@lovegun2112
Bless u...
@woodbinemidland
We can only hope to experience such joy in our lives!
@cliffordwoeller8332
I’m sooo very sorry for your loss. I can’t even imagine a loss like that. My gf’s dad passed away in 2022. Her mom and dad had been married for over 40 years (since they were like 16) and this is the first time she’s genuinely lived alone, let alone without her husband. Stories like this break my heart so bad and wish there could be some miracle to bring them back.