Was many years ago that I left home and came this way
I was a young man full of hope and dreams
But now it seems to me that all is lost and nothing gained
Sometimes things ain't what they seem

No brave new world
No brave new world
No brave new world
No brave new world

Night and day I scan horizon, sea and sky
My spirit wanders endlessly
Until the day will dawn and friends from home discover why
Hear me calling, rescue me

Set me free
Set me free
Lost in this place
And leave no trace

Stranger in a strange land
Land of ice and snow
Trapped into this prison, yeah
Lost and far from home

One hundred years have gone and many came
They came that way
To find the answer to the mystery
They found his body lying where it fell on that day
Preserved in time for all to see

No brave new world
No brave new world
Lost in this place
And leave no trace

What became of a man that started?
All are gone and their souls departed
Left me here in this place
So all alone

Stranger in a strange land
Land of ice and snow
Trapped inside this prison
Lost and far from home

What became of a man that started?
All are gone and their souls departed
Left me here in this place
So all alone

Stranger in a strange land
Land of ice and snow
Trapped inside this prison
Lost and far from home

Stranger in a strange land
Land of ice and snow
Trapped inside this prison
Lost and far from home

Stranger in a strange land
Land of ice and snow
Trapped inside this prison
Lost and far from home

Stranger in a strange land
Land of ice and snow


Lyrics submitted by numb, edited by zidders, lockstock

Stranger in a Strange Land Lyrics as written by Adrian Frederick Smith

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group

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Stranger In A Strange Land song meanings
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10 Comments

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  • +4
    General Comment
    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.
    ecstasy*of* goldon October 26, 2006   Link
  • +3
    General Comment
    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.
    Teufelon September 01, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    It's based on a 1800's explorer that got lost in the North Pole
    JoshPRon September 26, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    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 =])
    Fortheloveofon May 09, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    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
    69eron May 19, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    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.
    orangeglacieron July 09, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    @orangeglacier: check out the single's cover :)
    jesterbasson August 01, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    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
    slipperon August 03, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    One of my favourites from "Somewhere in Time" album, the explorer getting lost in North Pole makes sense to me.
    Blackenedon December 15, 2007   Link
  • -1
    General Comment
    Read about Iron Maiden songs and what they mean at this website
    Marco88on August 21, 2009   Link

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