A Fool's Paradise
Symphony X Lyrics


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What's become of the world - the colors
unfurl revealing a blackened haze
Conditioned to fear the voice that we
hear - calling an end of days
Millions of souls under control
like pawns to a king, led by a string, to
the final hour
Oh - Empire of the Sea, Lords of
technology that fell into the void
Oh shall it be as it was before - a
tragedy on every shore?

Is this the end of all we know -
Innocence lost so long ago
Woven in dreams - the darkest of
schemes now takes hold of our destiny
Decades of greed, plague, famine and
war - we can't go on like this anymore
living like fools - chaos will rule this
eternal paradise

Death by design, altering birth - trends
of the modern age
the wisdom of life erased from the
Earth - in a reckless rampage

Oh - Empire of the Sea, Lords of
technology that fell into the void
Oh shall it be as it was before - a
tragedy on every shore?

Is this the end of all we know -
Innocence lost so long ago
Woven in dreams - the darkest of
schemes now takes hold of our destiny
Decades of greed, plague, famine and
war - we can't go on like this anymore
living like fools - chaos will rule this
eternal paradise

Dies Irae, Dies Illa, Solvet Saeclum in
favilla

Decades of greed, plague, famine and
war - we can't go on like this anymore
living like fools - chaos will rule this
eternal paradise

Is this the end of all we know -
Innocence lost so long ago
Woven in dreams - the darkest of
schemes now takes hold of our destiny
Decades of greed, plague, famine and
war - we can't go on like this anymore




Lost in the Night - fading from sight - is
this the final setting sun?

Overall Meaning

Symphony X's song "A Fool's Paradise" is a commentary on the current state of the world and an ominous foreshadowing of its end. The opening verse describes how the world has become shrouded in darkness and fear, and how humanity is being controlled and led to their final hour like pawns to a king. The chorus asks if the world will continue on its course of destruction and tragedy, or if there is a chance for redemption. The second verse describes how technology and modern trends have erased the wisdom of life from the earth and set humanity on a path of reckless rampage, leading to death, greed, famine, and war. The chorus repeats, emphasizing the urgent need for change and the consequences of inaction. The song ends with a Latin phrase "Dies Irae, Dies Illa, Solvet Saeclum in favilla" (Day of Wrath, that Day, will dissolve the world in ashes) and the final plea for humanity to change course before it's too late.


Line by Line Meaning

What's become of the world - the colors
The world has changed, and everything is no longer as bright and vivid as it used to be.


unfurl revealing a blackened haze
In the process of changing, the world has become darker and more obscured.


Conditioned to fear the voice that we
As humans, we have been taught to be afraid of a voice that is warning us of the end of days.


hear - calling an end of days
This voice is telling us that the world is coming to an end.


Millions of souls under control
The majority of humanity is under someone else's control.


like pawns to a king, led by a string, to
People are being manipulated and used like pawns for someone else's benefit.


the final hour
This manipulation is leading to the end of the world.


Oh - Empire of the Sea, Lords of
There once was an empire that was powerful and strong, ruling over the sea.


technology that fell into the void
But technology, which was instrumental to their strength, eventually disappeared.


Oh shall it be as it was before - a
Will things go back to how they were before?


tragedy on every shore?
Or will every shore be filled with tragedy and darkness?


Is this the end of all we know -
Has everything we know and love come to an end?


Innocence lost so long ago
We have lost our innocence and naivety a long time ago.


Woven in dreams - the darkest of
The most sinister plot to control destiny has been created in someone's dreams.


schemes now takes hold of our destiny
And now, this plot is controlling our fate.


Decades of greed, plague, famine and
Decades of selfishness, disease, hunger, and war have left us unable to continue living the way we have been.


war - we can't go on like this anymore
We cannot continue to live in a world plagued with war and destruction.


living like fools - chaos will rule this
If we continue to live foolishly, chaos will reign eternally in this paradise that we created for ourselves.


eternal paradise
The paradise that was once here will be lost forever.


Death by design, altering birth - trends
By altering the process of birth and artificially designing life, we are causing death and destruction.


of the modern age
These alterations are a result of modern technology and advancements.


the wisdom of life erased from the
Unfortunately, these advancements have erased the wisdom that comes with living a natural life.


Earth - in a reckless rampage
This recklessness has caused chaos and destruction on the planet.


Dies Irae, Dies Illa, Solvet Saeclum in
The end is near, and everything we know will turn to ash.


favilla


Lost in the Night - fading from sight - is
As the night falls upon us, everything we know is slowly disappearing.


this the final setting sun?
Is this it? Is the sun setting on our world forever?




Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DEBORAH ALLEN, RAFE VAN HOY

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

Charles Viante

Symphony X- A fool's Paradise 🤘🏻❤🎵🎶🎵🎶🍀

What's become of the world - the colors
unfurl revealing a blackened haze
Conditioned to fear the voice that we
hear - calling an end of days
Millions of souls under control
like pawns to a king, led by a string, to
the final hour

Oh - Empire of the Sea, Lords of
technology that fell into the void
Oh shall it be as it was before - a
tragedy on every shore?

Is this the end of all we know -
Innocence lost so long ago
Woven in dreams - the darkest of
schemes now takes hold of our destiny
Decades of greed, plague, famine and
war - we can't go on like this anymore
living like fools - chaos will rule this
eternal paradise

Death by design, altering birth - trends
of the modern age
the wisdom of life erased from the
Earth - in a reckless rampage

Oh - Empire of the Sea…



All comments from YouTube:

J Gimps

One of the best SX songs...they NEED to go back to this type of sound on their next album, the real fans will rejoice!! This sound is superior to the last couple of albums darker and more power metal macho tone. Bring back the neo-classical fire!! 3:34 - 4:26 is sublime artistry

K. Coleman

That part is a note-for-note lift of one of Bach's great keyboard concertos (No. 1 in d minor, BWV 1052). It's an amazing work, and the lift of it to be in this tune is fantastic.

Vincent Weber

Easily one of the most incredible vocal performances I've ever heard. This song is beyond awesome.

Esoteric Schizochad

@Mr. Pocket Freddy Mercury would be impressed by Russell Allen, he has one of the best voices in the world currently.

Mr. Pocket

+Vincent Weber I agree. Easily some impressive shit! That being said, I still don't think he's got anything great and late Freddy Mercury

cs d

Can hardly understand why this band has been so underrated.

Nicolás Bascuñán

This band aged like the best wine.

Sebastiaan van Heck

Could be that the truth is too painfull for most to see.

PSIONIC REVOLUTION

Because popularity is highly overrated? Legends catch on generations later unfortunately.

Stefan Filipov

This song is so deep and so truth to some degree.Its text is related to ancient Atlantis and concerns our sad modern day reality.Kinda crazy stuff

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