| Iron Maiden – For the Greater Good of God Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| FellowRanger: Iron Maiden is a 5-member band, and they all differ. The only one I know for sure about is Nicko McBrain, who is a Christian. From what I have heard in interviews with Dickinson and Harris, it seems they believe in God and are not anti-religious, but they are not likely Christians. But again, McBrain is the only one I can say for certain. | |
| Iron Maiden – The Prisoner Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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The Song "Alexander the Great" is about Alexander the Great. Corey Taylor and his gimmick band are not authorities on actual artists like Iron Maiden. I used to watch "The Prisoner" when it came on some odd TV station; I forget which. I knew the song before the show, and when the show opened up with the longer version of the song's opening statement, it was such a surprise! It's actually what got me to watch the show, when I was just casually flipping channels. My first impression was, "Ah, some old sci-fi crap." Then the opening dialogue and I was hooked! |
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| Iron Maiden – Rime of the Ancient Mariner Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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This song is an absolutely remarkable paraphrase of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's epic poem by the same name. It is the song that got me hooked on Iron Maiden! I was in 9th grade English class in (gulp!) 1988, when we were studying the poem. Another student asked the teacher (an amazing and truly brilliant teacher who could keep an entire class captivated day after day) if he could bring in his Iron Maiden tape, which had the song. The teacher said he would review the lyrics first, and then we would listen the next day. I was floored by both the lyrics and the music. I became a fan that day. Anyhow, the teacher, who I might add again was a great mind IMHO, was thoroughly impressed with Steve Harris's job paraphrasing of the poem. JASGripen: The Simpsons is a show that truly does throw pearls at swine! For what it's worth, Maiden does, too. |
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| Iron Maiden – Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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One of the most amazing things about Iron Maiden is their tremendous appreciation for history and literature. By the way, about who the greatest general ever was: there isn't one. History is full of remarkable military minds. Alexander the Great was a great conquering general. Robert E. Lee was a brilliant military strategist in defense of his homeland. The point is, the greatness of generals is more connected to their objectives, their successes and even the circumstances they fought under. I would tend to think, too, that a great general is summed up by his character. Alexander the Great was a great conqueror, an impressive figure in history—but hardly a person to admire. Others, like Lee, embodied virtues that outshine even their successes on the battlefield. |
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| Iron Maiden – Infinite Dreams Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| Astrodanz hit this one right on the head. You have to know the story to truly grasp the song and the intense emotion and anguish being expressed in it. | |
| Iron Maiden – For the Greater Good of God Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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Ddadutta: Trying to make this a political thing is really lame and childish. There is no religious war being waged by Bush nor Blair, so an attempt to relate this is feeble and small-minded. In reality, it shows how the beauty of faith has been perverted by many. Whether it be the Crusades, bin-Laden or countless other bloody acts in the name of religion, it is all contrary to what a loving Go would want from us. The final lines (they bear repeating): "He gave his life for us He fell upon the cross To die for all of those who never mourn his loss It wasn’t meant for us to feel the pain again Tell me why, tell me why" In other words, Jesus paid the price for all the evil in this world. He destroyed the finality of evil. He won the ultimate battle against it, so why do we, in the name of God, continue to start it all again? This is similar in spirit to the line from U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday": "And the battle's yet begun to claim the victory Jesus won." |
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| Manchester Orchestra – Where Have You Been Lyrics | 19 years ago |
| PunkRock64—thanks for the insider view. They are a great band, with brilliant lyrics. The spirituality in their music is intense, honest and refreshing. This song is no exception. Check deathway.com for an interview with them. ;-) | |
| Iron Maiden – The Evil That Men Do Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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Kristaps is almost right. It is based on the concept album story in Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. I know the story very well, as I bought this—tape—when it first came out. I was a teen at the time and very into it. It's still one of the greatest albums ever, iMHO. Anyhow, the concept is about a boy who is born with certain mystical powers—clairvoyance being the most prominent one. For reasons that are not clear, both God and Satan want him for their own, so to speak. Initially, Satan wants him killed in the womb (see "Moonchild"): "Be the mother of a birth-strangled babe." Apparently God sees potential for good in him, and Satan wants that stopped. When the "hero's" mother turns down Lucifer's request and the boy is born, it becomes a sort of cosmic struggle for the child's life on earth, and ultimately his eternity. One way the devil seeks to accomplish is goal is for his beautiful daughter to seduce the boy (who at this point is a young man): "Slept in the dust with his daughter, her eyes red with the slaughter of innocents." (above lyrics inaccurately say "innocence." The plan works double, because she more than seduces him; he falls in love with her. Hence, the actually pretty touching lyrics: "I will pray for her; I will call her name out loud." It seems he believes that even the devil's daughter is not beyond redemption. The song concludes intentionally ambiguous (Bruce Dickinson confirms this intent). The seventh lamb who is slain is the "hero" himself. For reasons that are unclear, it appears the "hero" has been murdered (perhaps in a trap set by Satan's daughter), and he is standing before God, as the Book of Life (a Biblical image confirmation of one's redemption or lack thereof by God) opens before him. He states that he will pray for—someone. The devil's daughter, perhaps? Again, maybe he hopes that she can still shed the ways of her father. He states, "Beyond is where I learn." This is the closest to suggesting that he overcame the tricks of the devil and will move on to Heaven, which is where he will learn, and perhaps he may even return from someday. If it were hell, neither would be an option. But all in all, it is a song about his falling in love with the devil's daughter, his agony over the effects of the evil schemes against him as well as his own failings, and his quest for redemption and the road that remains ahead after his death. |
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