Queensryche - Roads To Madness Lyrics






Most of this is memory now
I've gone too far to turn back now
I'm not quite what I thought I was but
Then again I'm maybe more
The blood-words promised, I've spoken
Releasing the names from the circle
Maybe I can leave here now and, o
Transcend the boundaries

For now I'm standing here
I'm awaiting this grand transition
The future is but past forgotten
On the road to madness

Times measure rusts as it crawls
I see its face in the looking glass - stop
This screaming laughter hides, the pain of its reality
Black, the door was locked I opened
And now I've paid that price ten-fold over
Knowledge - was it worth such torment, oh
To see the far side of shadow

And still I'm standing here
I'm awaiting this grand transition
I'm a fool in search of wisdom
And I'm on the road to madness
Yes, I'm on the road to madness

I'm awaiting endlessly
Pounding rhythms echo me
Won't you take me somewhere far beyond the void

And still I'm standing here
I'm awaiting this grand transition
Maybe one day, oh I'll meet you, and we'll
Walk the roads to madness
Yes, we're on the road to madness

Oh, I think they've come to take me
I hear the voice, but there's no-one to see
I can't scream, too late it's time

Stay on the course to pass
You'll never find the answer
To a place where darkened angels
Seemed lost and never found
Scream to see the light of
Forming figures fast behind you
Lay the past in the wind to spin
And your fate will sail beyond the open plains
Sail with angels onward
Live or die for the chosen one said
Saber sights cast a spell behind you
And they lock in all around

Free the scene insider
Never looking back to find why
Ride a course till the end of time
And you'll stand atop the gate
Laying waste in a path recited
Fighting force won't avenge the guided black wing
Oh, electric might poses fright inside me
Seeing light at the end of sight reminds me
I've passed away





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Queensryche Roads To Madness Comments
  1. L.... H....

    35 yrs later This music still holds its own to any band now these guys are that good epic songs

  2. J.... S....

    Saw the Mindcrime show.Awesome.I did get them after Empire.

  3. D.... S....

    I'm looking for something a little more in depth..maybe Cardi B...
    Just joking

  4. K.... B....

    Then again I might be more.

  5. R.... B....

    I remember first listing to Queensryche when they first came out I was 11years old and now I am 50 years of age. Geoff and the band just blew away my young mind out of this world. I was fortunate to meet the band twice what an honor that was. I was just lisining to the song Road To Madness WOW!!! What a powerful voice. Love you guys as a band much missed for sure. Greetings form Albuquerque New Mexico.

  6. R.... H....

    I am 14 years old and me and the guys from the neighborhood just got back from The Flipside Record Shop. We all pitched in and bought this album and a water bong. We slap this on the record player and start passing around the bong and this album took us on an awesome trip

  7. M.... K....

    Queensryche was the first band that I saw live, in concert. 1984, Dayton Hara Arena. I was 15 years old and was absolutely amazed. Geoff Tate's voice was insane. They opened up for Kiss. 36 years later, still amazing.

  8. s.... ....

    QUEENSRYCHE -
    THE WARNING
    RAGE FOR ORDER
    OPERATION MINDCRIME
    As well as so many others. People can say whatever they want about the stand in singer , but really to try and compare him to GEOFF TATE !? NO!... Geoff created these vocals and Absolutely was a driving force in the creation and architecture of QUEENSRYCHE.
    It is easy to copy another person. It is exponentially inexquivitally impossible to even try to compare one who copies or steps into an established structured architectured band that has been through decades of Heaven and Hell, Learning Curves, creating processes , and an endless list of Spinal Tap Insanity and Methodical Educations , Approaches, on and on.. I should wait to be awake but...
    Geoff becomes each song, Pouring out his SOUL in each song being that entity of which each song is born and lives from..
    Every nuance, phrase , note , breathe , feeling , intent , pushing right to the edge in shear abandonment yet in absolute control , totally in control while letting all control go at the same time and just being the Soul of The Song Pouring out to the World...
    Very few singers truly ever come close to the Feeling , Awareness , Sureal Zone , like a level of meditation that is inclusive of every experience you've ever had in your life and have never had but fully achieved as well. From one emotional extreme to the other... Happy , Sad , Angry , are the most basic emotions in a sense but try and describe the feeling of someone who spent decades on the street.. family Moms a dead prostitute beaten on her whole life , sister died of an over dose , Dad... a man with a Heart of gold who may not be your father but raised you as his own and loved and tried to save your mother but he's off alone now because mom got back on smack and left then you were so torn up in so many ways that you did something horrible and then you ran away because deep inside you feel horrific along with a million other feelings for letting your Dad down. You know he would take you back with open arms but you can't and you feel bad for letting him be alone because you feel you deserve to be tormented for hurting him and that in the back of your mind , if you follow in your mom's foot steps, that somehow makes her not a bad person for what she's done and doing..
    So then you get mixed up with a prostitute and fall in love with her but one night while your running the streets trying to cop some brown for you two.. She loses it and runs off into the city losing her mind and passed out in on the steps of a church where a priest finds her and begins the long task of cleaning her up yet twisting everything and making her believe she must trade her body for her soul...
    Months go by and you find her and learn her story as the priest walks in... He works his same twisted mojo on you tho... instead of your body for your soul.. he keeps you supplied and has you do battle for " his God"... and his friends.. ... Add in tons more back story and emotional value .....
    Now at the end of this verse , where you find Mary Dead.... you are worn out, totally numb but beginning to explode inside .. I Let's capture that line of emotion through the last verse and then build it into the last line building up intob screaming out the lyrics..

    Now try and learn to sing to the best of your ability and you better realize that you have to be able to Act just as well to truly catch it all and put out true Vocals to the point you control the emotional state of the listener and have them on their feet hair on their arms coming up , atmosphere electric , total suspense in anticipation of every note , inflection , where the story takes you ... or have them up in absolute total physical and mental release just Rocking out With you, giving you back every bit of energy, you give them..
    My God I'm not even touching on the tip of this iceberg...
    To copy a song and hit the notes and get some inflections maybe is nothing compared to creating it especially on the level Tate does...
    Even in a night where he sings and has a bad cold. He sounds amazing partially because no matter what ... he pours his Soul out and it is real, it is honest , people can feel what he is singing and empathize with the emotional connection or the message or the fantasy or the politics or the.....
    Anyway... I hope I got something across..
    One last thing... Doesn't Tate look like ELVIS ?.... Not the 70s Vegas Elvis .. but ELVIS ! Leather jacket cool as any car can be ELVIS...
    I really wondered when Ryche first came out, if Tate and Elvis were related... Then again I thought he pronounced his name GeeOff Instead of Jeff/Jeoff.. lol
    I think the comment below me one or two nailed it about Tate too..

  9. c.... g....

    i,m 67 and eard this on wnc 88fm in 1996,love it
    wknc is in raleigh,nc and they played this friday night

  10. C.... C....

    Scott Rockenfield on drums

  11. J.... B....

    Still one of the best albums I own. Just as powerful now as it was in 1984 when I bought it

  12. L.... C....

    MY CHOICE FOR THREE TREMORS WOULD BE GEOFF TATE// ROB HALFORD// KING DIAMOND// OR ( GEOFF TATE// ROB HALFORD// AND TIM" RIPPER" OWENS// AND THE OTHER TWO SINGERS IN THE THREE TREMORS ARE FANTASTIC/ I CAN'T REMEMBER THE NAMES OF THE TWO SINGERS WHO ALONGSIDE TIM OWENS MAKE UP THE THREE TREMORS( GREAT STUFF) ALSO I WOULD HAVE ADDED DIO( RIP) WOW: DIO// HALFORD// TATE// OMG!!!!

  13. L.... C....

    The three Tremors are great// I believe the original Idea for the Three Tremors was( Geoff Tate// Rob Halford// and Bruce Dickinson// Does ANYONE KNOW IF THOSE THREE EVER COLLABORATED?

  14. D.... R....

    Seeing light at the end of sight reminds me...I've passed away. Fuckin Metal God!!

  15. J.... S....

    Circa Rage era I got to hang out with them for a little while during a photo shoot that took place before a record release/meet and greet signing event. This was cool of course, but also kind of a nightmare too, because literally two minutes (or even less maybe) before being put into a room with just them and two people setting up photography gear, I had been outside getting baked out of my mind. In my defense, I thought I would get in to that event maybe an hour later or something, and there would be dozens and dozens of people milling around that I could just blend in with stoned, but nope.. just two photography people, Queensryche and me, and the first thing said was by Scott Rockenfield, which was, "Dude, you should see how red your eyes are! It's crazy!" - All I could do was laugh, and tell them what had happened (That I had just unexpectedly been let it the back door and stuck in the room with them seconds after getting blazed outside). They saw the humor in my predicament, and were totally cool - it was funny (Somewhere there are photos of it too). So I got to asking them questions, one of which was to Tate about what was being spoken real low in the mix during the "interlude section" of this song. He told me that he didn't honestly remember exactly what it was, but that he still had whatever it was written down at home, and as a matter of fact had just come across it again like a few days earlier. To this day I still wonder what it is.

    J.... S....

    COOL SHIT \,,,/ I WAS IN A SIMILAR PREDICAMENT// DIFFERENT FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT// I KIND OF WALKED INTO THE ( EXTREME CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING: E.C.W. LOUNGE AT A SMALL VENUE AND I WAS HANGING OUT WITH SOME OF THEIR TALENT// THEY HAD A BAR THERE// ONLY FOR THEM AND I KEPT MY COOL AND SPOKE TO THE SANDMAN AND NO ONE TOLD ME TO GET OUT// YOU WERE SO LUCKY TO MEET QUEENSRYCHE LIKE THAT// I WAS PRETTY BAKED MYSELF AND BY BEING COMFORTABLE, DIDN'T ATTRACT ANY NEGATIVE ATTENTION \,,,/

  16. L.... C....

    I would Live. ( KING DIAMOND)( GEOFF TATE COLLABORATION) \,,,/ \,,,/

  17. L.... C....

    07:33 is where this song becomes IMMORTAL \,,,/

  18. L.... C....

    TATE'S BEST WORK!!!!

  19. L.... C....

    BEST BAND EVER FROM SEATTLE// ( QUEENSRYCHE)

  20. L.... C....

    YOU KNOW WHY THIS DOES NOT HAVE 1 BILLION VIEWS? BECAUSE IT'S QUALITY OVER QUANTITY \,,,/

  21. L.... C....

    CARYL AVE. THE FIRST FIELD// PRIEST// QUEENSRYCHE// UFO// SCORPS// OLD AC/DC BONN SCOTT( RIP) MALCOLM YOUNG( RIP)

  22. L.... C....

    TATE'S BEST VOCAL WORK \,,,/

    L.... C....

    \,,,/ TATE IS A VOCAL GOD!!!

  23. S.... t....

    8:52 I've passed awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa








    Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay

  24. S.... t....

    Unbelievable.

  25. A.... ....

    Opened for these guys in Lockport n.y toward the end when Geoff was still in the band. Talked to him for a bit about the band & the wine they came out with. Very nice guy. First time I saw them they were opening for Twisted Sister at a club in Buffalo N.Y they were touring for the e.p. Great show saw them many times after Promised Land tour one of the best I’ve ever seen.

    A.... ....

    My friend's band opened for them out in new jersey \,,,/

  26. I.... k....

    Masterpiece ever!

    I.... k....

    IGOR// 100% MASTERPIECE// BEST VOCAL JOB EVER BY MR. GEOFF TATE!!

  27. L.... M....

    Still a main stop while on Youtube

  28. D.... U....

    La mejor interpretación de todos los tiempos, Tate, por lejos, el mejor vocalista...

  29. D.... S....

    Seeing light at the end of sight

  30. D.... Z....

    Geoff stated they disliked this album where they went over budget by 300k when the label took away direction and assigned producing staff who they thought wiped the spirit away. It wasn't mixed as they envisaged and they hated the album, though they enjoyed several tracks live: Roads, Warning, Take Hold, and my fav Child. A testament to the incredible writing is that it came out like this given the mixing bullshit they endured.

    D.... Z....

    Nothing could of kept the Warning out of my top 10 favorite metal albums in all genres!!!!

  31. L.... C....

    I HAVE BEEN ON THIS ROAD// GEOFF SANG IT FOR ME// MY VOICE SUCKS// THANKS GEOFF AND THE ONCE ( ONLY QUEENSRYCHE)

  32. R.... T....

    Still my favorite song of ALL time. What special memories with this band and this song. THANKU Geoff Tate for making queensryche - QUEENSRYCHE!

  33. H.... P....

    I think that this song is Tate's finest moment.
    His expression and vocal power here is unmatched.

    H.... P....

    AGREED HOCUS POCUS FOCUS - Only wish he could yoddle like you 😆 Couldn't resist.

    H.... P....

    @Roads ToMadness 😁

    H.... P....

    100% BEST VOCAL JOB BY GEOFF TATE OUT OF ALL OF THEIR SONGS!!!!

  34. K.... M....

    The first time I ever heard a metal band rub against the Pink Floyd and make it sound amazing!

  35. Z.... ....

    This was required listening from about 1987 to present

  36. P.... ....

    Seeing this song played on the Empire Tour was fucking brilliant! Almost 30 years later, I still remember the chills i got

  37. d.... w....

    love this killer long song.

  38. d.... w....

    yes im on the road.

  39. S.... E....

    NO ONE AND I MEAN NO ONE SCREAMS MADNESS LIKE OUR FRIEND GEOFF!!!!!!!!!!!

    S.... E....

    Damn straight! Toad 🐸 can't even come close.

  40. A.... P....

    Cresci com os queensrÿche adoro esta música pah!

  41. T.... A....

    100 % Queensyryche!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  42. R.... N....

    I agree THE WARNING. Is second to none !! He sounds like NO ONE ELSE ON EARTH. NOT EVEN THE METAL GOD COULD TOU CH THIS WITH HIS ROCKA ROLLA. JP DEBUT!!

    R.... N....

    GOT TO GET MY OPINION IN HERE!! ROCA- ROLLA WAS A DEMO COMPARED TO SAD WINGS OF DESTINY// STAINED CLASS ETC... THE METAL GOD TAKES NO BACK SEAT TO ANYONE INCLUDING GEOFF!!! THEY ARE BOTH PHENOMS// BUT NO BACK SEATS FOR ROB HALFORD!!!

  43. s.... l....

    What a fucking voice!!!

  44. I.... ....

    Tate's best vocal.

  45. M.... C....

    That Voice

    M.... C....

    I'm over 60. I watched the Beatles on Ed Sullivan as a little kid and was hooked on rock from then onward. I've never heard a voice to match Tate's in all this time. Pure power and magic.

  46. L.... C....

    TRY DOING THIS AT KARAOKE NIGHT!!!!!!!

  47. L.... C....

    THE BEST SINGING EVER BY MR. TATE// A MASTERPIECE*

  48. J.... F....

    Nobody...and I mean nobody....writes lyrics like this any more...even the new queensryche or Geoff Tate...sad

  49. R.... R....

    GT is bad ass his singing is amazing

  50. M.... T....

    Most of this is memory now....

    M.... T....

    Every thing we see and do becomes memory in a matter of seconds.

    M.... T....

    @Louis Csanko That's because NOW, is ETERNAL. NOW, never ends.

  51. k.... d....

    If anyone is awake from this so called reality they would understand this authentic album

  52. M.... ....

    The Mighty Mighty Queensrÿche!
    🤘🏼🤘🏼

  53. R.... S....

    I love this album , kind of numbing that its been 35 years .

  54. K.... M....

    Pure gold

  55. B.... M....

    "Knowledge wasn't worth such torment, to see the dark side of shadow.....I'm a fool in search of wisdom"....sigh....so very beautiful 💓💓💓

  56. J.... A....

    Queensryche is the opera of heavy metal. Geoff sings every song as an opera singer would. I'm sure he's trained.

    J.... A....

    He was trained by master voice teacher Maestro David Kyle up in Seattle.

    J.... A....

    And his aunt was an opera singer.

    J.... A....

    @Jordan Kowalski I BELIEVE HALFORD MAY HAVE ALSO HAD CLASSIC BACKGROUND// I KNOW FREDDY MERCURY HAD OPERA BACKGROUND// NOW I WISH MR. MERCURY WOULD HAVE GONE THE METAL ROUTE!!!!

  57. P.... ....

    This has been my all-time favorite Ryche song since 1984. Bought their 1st EP when it came out before this full album. Thank God I saw them before DeGarmo left

  58. A.... P....

    Melhor banda de todos os tempos pra mi é lindo pah néh!

  59. L.... E....

    Tate has the voice NOBODY can fuck with! A truly talented man.

  60. S.... F....

    I’m still a fool in search of wisdom

  61. F.... M....

    The song of my funeral.

    F.... M....

    Same here, u posted first but my screen name shows it. Lol. This was always my favorite QUEENSRYCHE song.

  62. I.... D....

    BOC's Imaginos meets Lovecraftian horrors in opera form from Geoff Tate.

  63. C.... C....

    They say operation was their first conceptual LP but I say this was ....
    ..more deeper and realy, this LP and the two ( rage 4 order , mindcrime ) kinda have a deep concept with one another .......kinda......with empire ......being the final msg

  64. R.... M....

    This might be my favourite Queensryche song of all time ,,,, and there's a tonne of great songs in their catalogue! Haven't heard this in years, it was like discovering a long lost family member, playing this very loudly tonight.

  65. m.... ....

    The end of any song should have finality.....does it get anymore final than "I've passed away"??  This song, this album, and the 2 albums that followed, were all pure genius in their own unique ways.  Early Queensryche was the most underrated music in rock history.

  66. L.... C....

    THE TOUGHEST SONG TO SING****

    L.... C....

    Any song off this album would be tough to sing.

  67. S.... B....

    Knowledge, was it worth such torment?

  68. J.... G....

    This EP was there launch into this world we call music ..i was lucky to see them with AC/DC..in 1986 in Bismarck,ND. What concert..:)

    J.... G....

    CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG// THIS SONG WAS OT ON THE EP// THIS SONG WAS ON THE FIRST FULL LENGTH ALBUM( THE WARNING ) I REMEMBER (THE LADY WORE BLACK/ QUEEN OF THE RYCHE/ WERE ON THE EP. PARDON MY SPELLING// IT WAS NOT ON THE EP!!!

    J.... G....

    @Louis Csanko i couldn't be positive but i know i had it back then .lol we are old well i am .lol

    J.... G....

    @Joseph Gruver OH, I AM A DINOSAUR.LOL!!!!

    J.... G....

    @Joseph Gruver THIS WAS ON THE WARNING// THE FIRST FULL LENGTH// ( THE WARNING) I THINK THE BEST ALBUM TIED WITH OPERATION MINDCRIME**

  69. L.... O....

    All of this is memory now.

  70. T.... ....

    Great job on the lyrics! I remember the first time I saw Queensryche live. Way back in 84 at Reunion Arena in Dallas, they opened for KISS on their Animalize tour. And they damn near stole the show. Saw em 3 times and the best was Building Empires tour coz they performed Operation: Livecrime in its entirety. I was 50 feet from stage and about 15 feet from dead center on the floor. My mouth was agape the entire Livecrime show. Twas AMAAAAAAAAAZIIIIIING!!!

    T.... ....

    I saw them in Portland Oregon! Same tour, they were the better band...just sayin'

  71. M.... D....

    think this is my favorite song

    M.... D....

    I BELIEVE THIS IS THE HARDEST SONG TO SING// GEOFF HAS THE LEVEL OF TALENT REQUIRED FOR THIS SONG// A MASTERPIECE OF METAL VOCALS****

  72. D.... L....

    Just 1 word EPIC...

  73. T.... ....

    I first heard this album around the same time I watched the anime Warriors of the Wind, around 84. Always loved the feeling each other gave me.

  74. K.... M....

    5:37 is when I kinda forget life and disappear in that string section

  75. T.... G....

    They were a musical geniuses all together. They were and are worth millions, but from what I've read they broke up still b/c of money issues. If I'm wrong please let me know, I just know from what I read. Thanks for posting.

  76. E.... B....

    Dopeness ❤️😎😎😎🔥🙏

  77. M.... Y....

    saw in 1988. love I dream in infrared and surgical strike as well of all the others too. sorry they could not get along.

    M.... Y....

    TRAGIC WHAT MONEY DOES TO PEOPLE/// THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL BROKE ONE OF MY FAVORITE BANDS INTO FACTIONS!!!!!

  78. S.... T....

    Unbelievable song, unbelievable album. Have owned it for years.

  79. G.... M....

    All i can tell you is that someone made a bad decision for Kiss to let these guys open on The "Animalize"Tour in Cleveland(Richfield)...This is the material we were privy to that night..Compared to Kiss and such classics as "Burn Bitch Burn"....Although Kiss would never admit it,they had their shit handed to them by the Ryche.....

    G.... M....

    KISS ARE LEGENDS// QUEENSRYCHE ARE LEGENDARY// OF COURSE QUEENSRYCHE BLEW THEM AWAY// BUT KISS GET CREDIT FOR BEING OUT THERE IN THE 1970'S// ALICE COOPER WAS THE LINCHPIN OF MAKEUP GLAM METAL***

  80. T.... M....

    Simply EPIC

  81. K.... A....

    Round table

  82. J.... M....

    If Ryche spoke to you and you understood it there is no way somebody could ever describe the absolute rush you were on, what a fucking ride😎

  83. R.... s....

    The most AMAZING note I ever heard ! Is when Geoff sings the verse I can't scream,too late, it's TIME .WHEN GEOFF SANG THE WORD "TIME" WAS THE MOST AMAZING NOTE I EVER HEARD! A TRUE VOCAL GOD! P.s Also when he sang the word VOID was insane!! THE ENDING WHEN HE SINGS "PASSED AWAY" IS LEGENDARY! GEOFF TATE WILL AND ALWAYS BE THE ONLY VOICE OF "QUEENSRYCHE" THE END!!

  84. p.... y....

    As I saw them Nov. 1984 just turned 15 they were with kids & they just kicked the doors in at the old Buffalo Memorial auditorium, The Aud. as we called it. Geoff Chris Eddie Michael & Scott were all in sync. Kiss was Kiss but QR out did them over all.

    p.... y....

    KISS ARE LEGENDARY// BUT QUEENSRYCHE BACK IN THE DAY WERE( SUPER LEGENDS) \,,,/

  85. m.... ....

    0:16 'Heaven and hell' anyone? Those two match up, if you're into Rock mixes. The Sabbath song is a bit faster, so you would have to end one then start the other instead of trying to mix up parts other than the start. You follow me? lol.

  86. Y.... ....

    I was 14. Times measure rusts as it crawls. Who thinks of this stuff? Only Tate. Wow

    Y.... ....

    GENIUS AT WRITING STUFF/// BUT SINGING IN HIS PRIME ONLY ROB HALFORD WAS ON THAT LEVEL\,,,/ imho*

  87. J.... B....

    1/29/19

  88. c.... g....

    two thirds of americans are already brainwashed and ceazy due to our politicians

  89. C.... R....

    Can halford sing this? Ill wait. ??? Tate is king

    C.... R....

    Tate WAS king, he hasn't been in about 15 years now

    C.... R....

    Larry Mccarty Now who cares if he did this he can drop the mic! King

  90. R.... M....

    Favorite album of all the time, band lyrics and singer hands down !!!!!!!!!!!!

  91. k.... ....

    the road is long and beautiful thank you for this life we live

  92. m.... ....

    LEGENDARY HIS POWER ON LAST VERSES. BEYOND THE VOID, IVE PASSED AWAY, TOO LATE, IT'S TIME . SUPERB!!!

  93. R.... M....

    Pendejo

  94. R.... M....

    Te quest pendejo con geoff y queensryche

  95. R.... M....

    Maestro tate the throne its yours since 1984!!!

  96. R.... M....

    This music it's to deep for the web

  97. R.... M....

    This it's my favorite album, I mean of any album I ever hear!