Learning to Live (11:30)
512,176 plays (84,967 listeners)
“
Learning to Live” is the eighth and final track from Dream Theater’s 1992 album Images and Words.
The opening lines from the song are a direct lift from the book Atlas Shrugged by noted author Ayn Rand. The first phrase, “There was no time for pain, no energy for anger. Sightlessness of hatred slips away.” is paraphrase from the exact quote “He had no time for pain, no energy for anger. Within a few weeks, it was over; the blinding stabs of hatred ceased and did not return.” (p. 211 of the Centennial Edition) The next phrase in the song, “Walking through winter streets alone, he stops and takes a breath, with confidence and self-control,” is similar to the next few sentences in the book. Dream Theater is known for using movie sound clips in their songs to make a point. However, this inclusion was actually in the lyrics with no reference given to Rand or the book itself. The song itself does not seem to hold any other parallels to Atlas Shrugged and it is unknown what significance this inclusion has.
The rest of John Myung’s lyrics of the song touch on a theme regarding the AIDS virus and epidemic. Live performances of the song have been dedicated to Arthur Ashe, an early casualty of AIDS.
Like many epic progressive rock songs, Learning to Live has a somewhat unusual structure. Starting at 4:45, James LaBrie stops singing, allowing the instrumentation to continue.
Learning to Live” is the eighth and final track from Dream Theater’s 1992 album Images and Words.The opening lines from the song are a direct lift from the book Atlas Shrugged by noted author Ayn Rand. The first phrase, “There was no time for pain, no energy for anger. Sightlessness of hatred slips away.” is paraphrase from the exact quote “He had no time for pain, no energy for anger. Within a few weeks, it was over; the blinding stabs of hatred ceased and did not return.” (p. 211 of the Centennial Edition) The next phrase in the song, “Walking through winter streets alone, he stops and takes a breath, with confidence and self-control,” is similar to the next few sentences in the book. Dream Theater is known for using movie sound clips in their songs to make a point. However, this inclusion was actually in the lyrics with no reference given to Rand or the book itself. The song itself does not seem to hold any other parallels to Atlas Shrugged and it is unknown what significance this inclusion has.
The rest of John Myung’s lyrics of the song touch on a theme regarding the AIDS virus and epidemic. Live performances of the song have been dedicated to Arthur Ashe, an early casualty of AIDS.
Like many epic progressive rock songs, Learning to Live has a somewhat unusual structure. Starting at 4:45, James LaBrie stops singing, allowing the instrumentation to continue.
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Shouts
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FluffyUnderwear wrote:
I never get tired of this song. [3]
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LordofSword wrote:
portnoy used drum triggers (though only for the snare, apparently) on this album which might explain why some people don't like the drums.
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Moderndaycowboy wrote:
the outro is amazing
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PerSemb wrote:
"Too bad they didn't play it live in Oslo". Hell yeah! I was hoping that they're gonna play it.. Hopefully I will experience it live someday. LaBrie's F# part is actually enough for me.
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Razor745 wrote:
I never get tired of this song [2] Drums are fine but the snare is a bit annoying. Nevertheless this song is fantastic!
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PabloBC wrote:
Amazing song! :)
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L-Zep wrote:
The drums sounds awful, but the song itself is amazing. Too bad they didn't play it live in Oslo
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hkon05 wrote:
I never get tired of this song
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elciscokid wrote:
inspiring...i think of it as heavenly metal
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Kipex wrote:
Quite possibly the best song, breathtaking stuff.
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mhunke wrote:
better after every listen, just unbelievably amazing
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Razor745 wrote:
Obviously I wasn't serious, but this is a truly great song. One of their best songs and one of the best metal songs of all time in my opinion. Of course, but they're still great compared to other bands, James hasn't changed much but he used to be better.
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MetalheadBen wrote:
Don't agree with razor, but: Beats everything they've written so far and everything they will ever write (2) DT were better back in the day, don't like their new sound at all, especially LaBrie's new vocals.
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robv73 wrote:
Brilliant music !!!
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mocool13 wrote:
One of my favorites for sure
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subhumanmaster wrote:
what's with the synthpop
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diegofio wrote:
quanto bella è porca zozza
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Razor745 wrote:
More like: Beats everything any band has written and everything any band will ever write =)
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crosskip wrote:
Beats everything they've written so far and everything they will ever write _0_
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Razor745 wrote:
"I look at the world and see no understanding..." "I need to live life like some people never will" This song is PERFECT!
Dream Theater
Learning to Live
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