Kill for gain or shoot to maim
But we don't need a reason
The Golden Goose is on the loose
And never out of season
Blackened pride still burns inside
This shell of bloody treason
Here's my gun for a barrel of fun
For the love of living death

The killer's breed or the demon's seed
The glamour, the fortune, the pain
Go to war again, blood is freedom's stain
Don't you pray for my soul anymore

Two minutes to midnight
The hands that threaten doom
Two minutes to midnight
To kill the unborn in the womb

The blind men shout, "Let the creatures out
We'll show the unbelievers"
Napalm screams of human flames
For a prime time Belsen feast, yeah!
As the reasons for the carnage cut their meat and lick the gravy
We oil the jaws of the war machine and feed it with our babies

The killer's breed or the demon's seed
The glamour, the fortune, the pain
Go to war again, blood is freedom's stain
Don't you pray for my soul anymore

Two minutes to midnight
The hands that threaten doom
Two minutes to midnight
To kill the unborn in the womb

The body bags and little rags of children torn in two
And the jellied brains of those who remain to put the finger right on you
As the madmen play on words and make us all dance to their song
To the tune of starving millions to make a better kind of gun

The killer's breed or the demon's seed
The glamour, the fortune, the pain
Go to war again, blood is freedom's stain
Don't you pray for my soul anymore

Two minutes to midnight
The hands that threaten doom
Two minutes to midnight
To kill the unborn in the womb

Midnight
Midnight
Midnight
It's all night
Midnight
Midnight
Midnight
It's all night
Midnight, all night


Lyrics submitted by numb

2 Minutes To Midnight Lyrics as written by Bruce Dickinson Adrian Frederick Smith

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

2 Minutes To Midnight song meanings
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  • +4
    General Comment

    It's about the Doomsday Clock, which as has been previously mentioned, refers to a system used to determine how close the world is to nuclear war.

    thebulletin.org/doomsday_clock/history.htm

    crinoson December 08, 2004   Link

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