On The Backs Of Angels lyrics by Dream Theater, 8 meanings. On The Backs Of Angels explained, official 2024 song lyrics | LyricsMode.com
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Dream Theater – On The Backs Of Angels lyrics
Standing on the backs of angels
Destined to create
Mounting the attack
While heroes carry your weight

We spiral towards disaster
Survival fading faster

Riding out the wave
Content to feed off the machine
Bleeding us to death
The new American dream


You're blinded by your hunger
Beware your days are numbered

Tears fall from the shameless
Shelter me, guide me to the edge of the water
Selfless are the righteous
Burden me, lead me like a lamb to the slaughter

Blurring lines drawn in between
What is right and what is wrong
Victims on the radar string us along

We're on to your agenda
The dead end road to nowhere

Tears fall from the shameless
Shelter me, guide me to the edge of the water
Selfless are the righteous
Burden me, lead me like a lamb to the slaughter

Tears fall from the shameless
Shelter me, guide me to the edge of the water
Selfless are the righteous
Burden me, lead me like a lamb to the slaughter
Selfless are the righteous
Burden me, lead me like a lamb to the slaughter
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Lyrics taken from /lyrics/d/dream_theater/on_the_backs_of_angels.html

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Songwriters: JOHN MYUNG, JOHN PETRUCCI, JOHN RO MYUNG, JORDAN CHARLES RUDESS, JORDAN RUDESS
On The Backs Of Angels lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Corrected by biondream

On The Backs Of Angels meanings Post my meaning

  • U
    + 5
    Unregistered
    You fail to see it was a building up of money through the slaves the people. That's why they gave land for free in the west to work and progress but more importantly to give a percentage of their earnings to the owners. Their leader who is Satan has had this long standing plan since he was dethrown on the tower of Babal. All the wars had the incentive of monitery profit but were more about ridding their countries of the lowest level of their population. Consider almost all the wars if not all were false flag initiated wars! All and I mean all 44 prsidents are related to each other. D*k Chenys wife did the geneology, d*k Cheney admited in an interview and so did Obama, go ahead and look it up. Obama and Bush Jr. Are 11th cousins, Barabra Bush and Cheney are 6th cousins, Kerry and Bush jr. Are 6th cousins and all are related to the Queen of England.
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  • U
    + 4
    Unregistered
    I think that the beauty of music, as with literature, is that it is always open-ended for interpretation. We all have different worldviews that allow us to see the meaning uniquely, and that is one thing I really admire about dt; they really leave a lot of room for interpretation to allow their fans to explore and decide for themselves what these things mean.
    This is turning into one of my favorite albums. I will miss Portnoy but the new drummer was a good choice.
    Add your reply
  • l
    + 3
    lewstherin
    This song is similar in subject to Rite of Passage on the last album. It is about the New World Order which is a global fascist agenda by the corporate banking elite to form a one world government and from that point carry out the mass extermination of most of humanity. From a biblical point of view is was spoken of in Revelations. The New World Order is Lucifer's kingdom on Earth whose aim is nothing short of the mass destruction of all life on the planet. By the way, this agenda really exists and has been progressing rather quickly over the last 20 years. The song has nothing to do with Portnoy leaving.
    1 reply
  • j
    + 3
    jimjam2112
    This is clearly political. It is most likely (in the beginning) a reference to one specific politician. The first line is about job creators and innovators not able to utilize the freedom to do so. The second is about a decision to use further military force in the middle east. Next verse, riding the 2008 election wave, feeding off of the corporate entity. Next line, hope and change. Next line, blinded by the desire to destroy they fore-mentioned entity, with a reference to the 2012 election. The refrain speaks for itself. Next half of the song is most likely about ideology and about the twisting of reality by the media and the heavy burden of entitlement that currently is spotlighted by the media. The next line is about both sides of the political spectrum believing whole-heartedly that the other is wrong. The last line describes that regardless of who is right we are being led to slaughter.
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  • U
    + 2
    Unregistered
    Wow there sure are some cracked out wacked out, meanings on here. Your all conspiracy theorist freaks, turn off the history channel and YouTube videos. The level of paranoia in people like you is alarming. All but one of these comments are ridiculous. I think the meaning is pretty straight forward. No one is plotting a course for this country that will lead to any real progression. The meaning is a question what is our destinations and future goals for our selves. Who will help lead us to a better future, because now we are headed down a dead end road. The meaning of this song is having meaning in life.
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  • U
    + 2
    Unregistered
    There are videos showing how the symbol for dream theater is a masonic symbol. There are many bands initiated into the entertainment side of this Kabal. See John Todd on YouTube. Maybe cause Mike Portnoy was the head of this masonic band and was always at the forefront of control the band seeing the state of the future decided to fall out of favor from the masonic oath. Mike being the diehard mason droped out of the band knowing how dangerous it is to depose the nwo for fear of retrabution left. It is a thought.
    1 reply
  • f
    + 2
    FCGITS
    This may just be the delicious Sam Adams Imperial White brew talking, but I'm getting the feeling that there is, like most dt songs, several things going on here.
    Dtfan1 isn't entirely incorrect in the interpretation presented, and neither is Nilatir.
    But (and that's a big butt) there is something else going on here that is not evident on first analysis.
    If you look at the artwork that's presented on the YouTube still, you can see there is some heavy symbolism going on with the image of the unicyclist riding off in to apparent infinity (or nowhere) on a rope that is about to break behind him. That appears to be symbolic of the whole "forgetting you past will doom you" trope. I also think that has something to do with the lyric "we spiral towards disaster" in that the rope itself is obviously a spiral and the unicyclist is heading to destruction. I'm still working out what exactly the colors of his outfit mean, other than maybe it has something to do with "McDonald's" which has been for a while a representation of everything that is wrong with American consumerism.
    But anyway, feel free to pick apart this analysis as much as you want as it is fueled by high abv beer.
    Add your reply
  • n
    + 2
    Nilatir
    "You're blinded by your hunger
    Beware, your days are numbered"
    --
    Could it be a Mike Portnoy reference?
    Advising him to slow down, and don't pursue the A7x thing - the hunger being lust for money and fame (Rudess and Petrucci said he talked about a 5 year break, and returning with dt then, and Portnoy should have said 'we are going to be bigger than ever' about the return).
    --
    "We're on to your agenda
    The dead end road to no where"
    --
    This could be another Mike Portnoy reference if one were willing to see the guys as angry with him, and sending a message that is 'don't let your ego run wild, Mike'.
    Portnoy on his parting in his press release made a big number of telling how hard he had always worked, and signed himself 'your fearless x-leader'. Well - I actually love Portnoy, I love dt, I would have liked them to stick together - but dt clearly contains 5 very intelligent men, both then with Portnoy and now with Mangini.
    Portnoy should know better than _anyone_ just how capable the other guys are. When reading interviews with Petrucci it is clear that he is a very determined man, and he will not tolerate anything to disturb his work. He loves to play, but he also wants people who listen to his music - if someone or something gets in the way of his ambitions he will instantly react to it and do damage control.
    Obviously at least some nasty words must have been said behind closed doors, first with him leaving, and then wanting to come back, after they hired Mangini.
    Portnoy himself wrote on his forum that the guys wouldn't even return his calls, which of course is only his version of the story, but it makes the other guys look bad.
    It's basic politics: Make yourself look like the victim. Gain sympathy from the masses. That could be the 'agenda'. And the guys responds 'it's a dead end, Mike. You will not be able to make us take that fight with you in public'.
    The other guys have acted extremely well co-ordinated as a team, in terms of press coverage. They are almost quoted for saying the same exact phrases. They are on to the agenda of divide and conquer, and they will not act on it.
    Well - it could be that - it could be nothing: D.
    But I will be listening very closely for hints about Portnoy in the lyrics on the other tracks.
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    • U
      + 5
      Unregistered
      You fail to see it was a building up of money through the slaves the people. That's why they gave... Read more →
    • U
      + 4
      Unregistered
      I think that the beauty of music, as with literature, is that it is always open-ended for... Read more →

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