22 Acacia Avenue

Iron Maiden

If you're feeling down depressed and lonely
I know a place where we can go
22 Acacia Avenue
Meet a lady that I know
So if you're looking for a good time
And you're prepared to pay the price
Fifteen quid is all she asks for
Everybody's got their vice

If you're waiting for a long time
For the rest to do their piece
You can tell her that you know me
And you might even get it free
So any time you're down the East End
Don't you hesitate to go
You can take my honest word for it
She'll teach you more than you can know

Charlotte can't you get out from all this madness
Can't you see it only brings you sadness
When you entertain your men don't know the risk of getting disease

Some day when you're reaching the age of forty
I bet you'll regret the days when you were laying
Nobody then will want to know
You won't have any beautiful wares to show any more

22, the avenue
That's the place where we all go
You will find it's warm inside the red light's burning bright tonight

Charlotte isn't it time you stopped this mad life
Don't you ever think about the bad times
Why do you have to live this way
Do you enjoy your lay or is it the pay

Sometimes when your strolling down the avenue
The way you walk it make men think of having you
When you're walking down the street
Everybody stops and turns to stare at you

22, the avenue
That's the place where we all go
You will find it's warm inside the red light's burning bright tonight

Beat her mistreat her do anything that you please
Bite her excite her make her get down on her knees
Abuse her misuse her she can take all that you've got
Caress her molest her she always does what you want

You're running away don't you know what you're doing
Can't you see it'll lead you to ruin
Charlotte you've taken your life and you've thrown it away
You believe that because what you're earning
Your life's good don't you know that you're hurting
All the people that love you don't cast them aside
All the men that are constantly drooling
It's no life for you stop all that screwing
You're packing your bags and you're coming with me


Lyrics submitted by Novartza

22 Acacia Avenue Lyrics as written by Adrian Frederick Smith Stephen Percy Harris

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

22 Acacia Avenue song meanings
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38 Comments

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  • +2
    General Comment
    para1= introduces charlotte, para2= tells you shes no ordinary prostitute, (leave the rest to your imagination!) para3= its saying to charlotte "you hate what you do, so why do it, you could get AIDS" para4= saying to charlotte "by the time your forty, you will be hated or disgusted by everyone, no-one will see your a good person" para5= saying to charlotte "why are you a prostitute! is it worth it! para6= saying to charlotte "everyone stares at you in disgust, is that what you want?" para7= saying to everyone "she might be a prostitute, but she takes far worse things than what you think, shes a tough ol girl" para8= saying to charlotte "this life will destroy you, you can still turn back because people still care for you, your ganna a plaything for the rest of your life, so you coming with me to start over" its a great song about the dark side of prostitution, (like theres any light), its using charlotte as a symbol to people saying "you think that all prostitutes love what they are doing, well actually they hate it and it ruins them, so dont see them as sick people but victims" because thats what all prostition is like. to all the above comments, 22 acacia avenue is a great song (its on live after death, no crap songs are played live), blaze bayley did really well, in order of best maiden singers its- Bruce then Dianno then Blaze, and besides the only REALLY bad album of maidens is virtual xi but x-factor is great. P.S= heavy metal is not satanic!!
    crossed gunson February 24, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment
    It's the sequal to "Charlote the Harlet" song from the self titled debut. It's obvisouly about a hooker who cannot escape the profression
    Naliamegodon April 16, 2004   Link
  • +1
    My Opinion
    This song is amazing, as well as the whole album! I love every single song on that album...it's amazing. Even when they put on "Total Eclipse", I love that song too. This is obviously about Charlotte the Harlot (and songs after this to come) and about how she stops her prostitution...I believe - basically the song, the person telling the story (I imagine it as Bruce always, which makes me have a bit of a laugh!) of Charlotte is telling her it's not worth it to be a prostitute because of the diseases she could get (STDs) and how people would look at her and think low of her...you know...that's the basic overall gist. Great song...I love it.
    RRForeveron October 26, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment
    Its definetly about a hooker, its very obvious. A great album, i think this is the worst song on it tho, other then gangland of course. Not to take anything away from maiden, but that song is terrible
    SonOfPlunder17on February 20, 2010   Link
  • +1
    My Opinion
    This song is particularly interesting in light of the sheer numbers of rock and metal songs that deal with women, especially the songs dealing with sex with women. Most of them are written by men who take it as a given (rightly or wrongly) that these women will want to have sex with them, or were perfectly happy to make men of them if it's a song about the past, or whatever. Then you have a song like this that's pointing out, look, this prostitute, who has lots of sex with lots of men (including, presumably, people like the band members) has feelings too and is actually ill-used by the men in her life--the song goes out of its way to point out in that one section ("Beat her, mistreat her" thru to "She always does what you want") that most of the men who visit Charlotte don't consider her thoughts or feelings at all, but are just using her for whatever it is THEY want. It seems like an admonishment that actually, that kind of attitude toward women, which a sizable chunk of rock was promoting or does promote, is really, really fucked up!
    alchanon December 24, 2014   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    The weakest song on "The Number Of The Beast" is Gangland - what were they thinking? As for the 22 Acacia Avenue lyrics, they are not gay or depressing, the song is just not as memorable as Run To The Hills or Hallowed Be Thy Name. And by the way, Dickinson's voice is one of the best ever so dont make fun of it.
    widgetoneon June 06, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    the world's oldest profession, but great song
    TabuuDi26on June 18, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    theres no weak link in The Number Of The Beast, 22 acacia avenue is a great song, great lyrics, cool solo :) i love to sing it :)
    dusk8on June 05, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    I'm sorry, but saying that you hate Bruce Dickinson is sacriledge. He's the greatest singer of all time ever and no one will even come close to being as good as him. Blaze was a great singer too, and the only reason that lots of people don't like him much was that he was always being compared to Bruce (obviously, as he replaced him) and therefore always seems bad in comparison. But everyone's bad in comparison. Bruce is the coolest singer ever, and that's the way it's gonnna be for the rest of all time.
    UpTheIronson September 23, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    Bananaman lived at 23 Acacia Avenue. Apart from that its a damn good song, and Bruce Dickinson absoulutely ROCKS. Like me... nope...im lying to myself.
    Lord Matton September 23, 2004   Link

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