Stranger In A Strange Land

Great lyrics relating to a real historic event. Told from the perspective of an explorer who died, about the doomed Franklin Expedition (info below from a couple of websites about it) The Erebus and the Terror set sail from Greenhithe, England, on May 19, 1845. On board were Sir John Franklin, a crew of 129 men, and three years' provisions. Franklin's plan was to find the Northwest Passage, a northern sea route to Asia that had eluded European explorers for hundreds of years. He was never heard from again. When Franklin failed to report back, search expeditions were launched. The search for the remains of the voyage has continued to the present day. Over the years, artifacts, records, and bodies were recovered, offering clues as to what happened to Franklin and his men. The evidence indicates that Franklin died during the journey and the ships became hopelessly trapped in the ice. The expedition's second-in-command, Francis Crozier, abandoned the vessels, then led 105 men on a cold, deadly march southward. But no traces of the Erebus and the Terror have ever been found. The answer to the mystery, a doctor on one of the search trips surmised, might be found by examining the bodies of three crew members that were found; Torrington, Hartnell, and Braine to look for clues to the cause of their deaths. But his idea struck authorities as improper, and it was ignored. The bodies that were found remained frozen in the ice for over one hundred years, untouched. Finally, in 1980, anthropologist Owen Beattie decided to study the remains of the three men to "look for information on health and diet, for indications of disease, for evidence of violence, and information as to each individual's age and stature." Beattie was going to solve the mystery — even if it meant examining three frozen mummies.

I like this song. It's got a great opening mix of drum and guitar. The vocals throughout it are excellent. Not super fast or hard, but still superb. These are some great lyrics as well.

It's based on a 1800's explorer that got lost in the North Pole

Don't know about the 1800's explorer thing, but I would think that like Childhood's end or Brave New World, this song is based on the book of the same name (Robert Heinlein.. Good book =])

i think we all have a little bit of this song in ourselves. yeah i heard its absed on a book too , anyways great song one of my favs from maiden

The book is a story about an alien who lives with humans and starts a cult, then gets killed by an angry mob. I don't think it has any connection to the song.

@orangeglacier: check out the single's cover :)

You're missing the pre-chorus, it goes: What became of mad night stirring; All are gone, and souls departing Left me here in this place so all alone

One of my favourites from "Somewhere in Time" album, the explorer getting lost in North Pole makes sense to me.

Read about Iron Maiden songs and what they mean at this website …