As the sun breaks, above the ground
An old man stands on the hill
As the ground warms, to the first rays of light
A birdsong shatters the still

His eyes are ablaze
See the madman in his gaze

Fly on your way, like an eagle
Fly as high as the sun
On your way, like an eagle
Fly and touch the sun (yeah)

Now the crowd breaks and a young boy appears
Looks the old man in the eye
As he spreads his wings and shouts at the crowd
In the name of God, my father I'll fly

His eyes seem so glazed
As he flies on the wings of a dream
Now he knows his father betrayed
Now his wings turn to ashes to ashes his grave

Fly on your way, like an eagle
Fly as high as the sun
On your way, like an eagle
Fly, touch the sun

Yeah

Fly, on your way, like an eagle
Fly as high as the sun
On your way, like an eagle
Fly as high as the sun
On your way, like an eagle
Fly, touch the sun
On your way, like an eagle
Fly

Fly as high as the sun


Lyrics submitted by numb

Flight of Icarus Lyrics as written by Bruce Dickinson Adrian Frederick Smith

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group

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Flight Of Icarus song meanings
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30 Comments

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  • +2
    General Comment
    Anybody else think this song was written for Ronnie James Dio's voice? I think it became evident, especially the little hum that Bruce did after the first chorus. It's an awesome song, and I'd LOVE to hear Dio cover it.
    TheJoeInMeon May 12, 2004   Link
  • +2
    General Comment
    The song is about more than the Greek myth. It is also about a heroin overdose. Old Man was a term used for heroin when the song was written(as in GNR's mr. brownstone), in the lyrics it mentions the boys eyes as being glazed, and he flys to high is another obvious referance.
    rorodogon July 14, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment
    yea i knew what the song was about when i heard the name and first verse its a pretty funny story and im gonna tell it to my kids so they listen to me or else they will DIE!!! lol
    JSmith122on June 05, 2007   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation
    The song doesn't follow the myth strictly because Maiden changed it slightly to be about teenage rebellion. In Maiden's version of the myth, Daedalus tells Icarus to "fly as high as the sun", so Icarus, in the song being obedient, does what his father told him, only to realize as he's falling to his death his father betrayed him. It's basically saying sometimes Mommy and Daddy don't know best, and a little rebellion isn't a bad thing...
    weathergirl123on February 13, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment
    i think iron maiden have seen things from a different perspective altogether.. i know the legend of icarus and daedalus but the meaning of this particular song as i see it is : daedalus invents the wax wings and i standing on the hill to show them off to the crowd... his eyes are ablaze and he seems like a madman.. he challenges the crowd.. use these wings and fly as high as the sun... like an eagle etc. he does not want to fly himself but first test the wings on someone else... so he assure the crowd the wings are safe.. then icarus steps forth willing to fly (he is the guinea pig for daedalus) he flies as high as the sun but realizes his father has betrayed him (i dunno why but the song says so) he dies. now i know iron maiden dont goof up history but then maybe theyve used the song to convey how elders enforce their opinions on youngsters and the young ones suffer the 'plight of icarus'
    narakon November 07, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    I love the way Maiden take old stories and myths and turn them into kickass songs.
    UpTheIronson May 28, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    this song is awesome. there was a king and his wife in greek mythology. for some reason the gods made the wife have sex with a bull and she became pregant and gave birth to the minotaur. The king wanted the minotaur sealed away forever so he had his most brilliant advisor built a labrynth (maze) to keep the minotaur in. Once it was completed the advisor and his son Icarus were sealed inside with the minotaur so that nobody would ever know the way out or in. The advisor builts wings out of feathers, held together by wax. Icarus puts them on and flies out of the labyrinth. Once he flies out he become excited and continues to fly higher, to the horror of his father and the onlookers at the nearby town his wings melt and he drops into the sea and dies. Like I said, its a great song.
    Superunknownon August 28, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    i origionally thought that this song was a bout icarus, but now i'm not so sure, the line 'in the name of God my father i'll fly' doesnt fit - the greeks were Polytheistic, not monothiestic and the line sounds very christian to me. 'he knows his father betrayed' doesnt fit either because daedalus did not betray icarus at all. i think it may be more to do with a heroine overdose that the story of icarus
    iamafishon April 02, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    Not sure on all of what you said, iamafish, but "now he knows his father betrayed" goes with the myth as Icarus betrayed the promise to not fly too high or low he made with his father.
    Chemical Alion April 22, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    Wow, I can tell you love kids. Maybe you should start a day care ;) just kidding =D
    denialisdeathon June 09, 2007   Link

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