This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Take a look in the pool and what do you see
In the dark depths there faces beckoning me
Can't you see them it's plain for all to see
They were there oh I know you don't believe me
Oh, I've never felt so strange
But, I'm not going insane
I've no doubt that you think I'm off of my head
You don't say but it's in your eyes instead
Hours I spend out just gazing into that pool
Something draws me there I don't know what to do
Oh, they drain my strength away
Oh, they're asking me to stay
Nightmares, spirits calling me
Nightmares, they won't leave me be
All my life's blood is slowly draining away
And I feel that I'm weaker every day
Somehow I know I haven't long to go
Joining them at the bottom of the pool
Now, I feel they are so near
I, begin to see them clear
Nightmares, coming all the time
Nightmares, will give me peace of mind
Now it's clear and I know what I have to do
I must take you down there to look at them too
Hand in hand then we'll jump right into the pool
Can't you see not just me they want you too
Oh, we'll drown together
It, will be forever
Nightmares, forever calling me
Nightmares, now we rest in peace
In the dark depths there faces beckoning me
Can't you see them it's plain for all to see
They were there oh I know you don't believe me
Oh, I've never felt so strange
But, I'm not going insane
I've no doubt that you think I'm off of my head
You don't say but it's in your eyes instead
Hours I spend out just gazing into that pool
Something draws me there I don't know what to do
Oh, they drain my strength away
Oh, they're asking me to stay
Nightmares, spirits calling me
Nightmares, they won't leave me be
All my life's blood is slowly draining away
And I feel that I'm weaker every day
Somehow I know I haven't long to go
Joining them at the bottom of the pool
Now, I feel they are so near
I, begin to see them clear
Nightmares, coming all the time
Nightmares, will give me peace of mind
Now it's clear and I know what I have to do
I must take you down there to look at them too
Hand in hand then we'll jump right into the pool
Can't you see not just me they want you too
Oh, we'll drown together
It, will be forever
Nightmares, forever calling me
Nightmares, now we rest in peace
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Anyone else think of Lord of the Rings. I always thought it was about the dead marshes.
"Take a look in the pool and what do you see In the dark depths there faces beckoning me" -Well that's obvious if you've read/seen LOTR. The dead people in the marshes.
"And I feel that I'm weaker every day" -The Ring was constantly making Frodo weaker.
"I must take you down there to look at them too Hand in hand then we'll jump right into the pool Can't you see not just me they want you too" -Frodo ends up falling in the marsh and I always thought that the "you" the song was talking about was the ring.
By the way I'm not saying this is right it's just what I've always thought. Also I'm pretty sure Steve said the song was just about fear of drowning but I think that's bullshit.
Whenever I hear this song I always see the faces of the dead marshes in the LOTR movie. I always figured it was about LOTR as well.
Whenever I hear this song I always see the faces of the dead marshes in the LOTR movie. I always figured it was about LOTR as well.
Im surprised by how overlooked this song is for Iron Maiden being so popular. I see this as among their best.
@Chard121 I don't think it's overlooked, but it's basically the Infinite Dreams of the Piece of Mind album.
Ya, its a shame this song doesnt get the attention id deservs, probaly one of may all time favs, but I understand why. How many songs did you hear during this part of the eighties about a guy going nuts and drowning himself? The tone and content wasnt what was "in" during the time it came out. More modern metal fans need to take a break from what they're hearing on the radio and go back and revisit what made metal what it is today, that way songs like these will get what they deserve!
This song reminds me pretty heavily of The Call of C'thulu by HP Lovecraft, even though it is a song in response to all those media anti-Christ claims (even though the song freaking quotes the Bible...-_-). Methinks maybe it was influenced a bit by The Call of C'thulu or something?
Any who listens to Maiden knows this is not about alcohol. That just isn't their style. The entire Piece of Mind album is derived from films or literary words. Still Life is from the short story Genius Loci. A Genius Loci is a guardian spirit of a specific place, not a drink, haha. If you want to read the entire short story, here you go:
eldritchdark.com/writings/short-stories/78/
@Mandrus1 You are totally correct. Very few people recognize this b/c they don't read enough. Clark Ashton Smith. It is clearly the source of this song. The story is about an artist who paints a scene again and again, like a still life from art. He eventually is drawn to drown himself in the horrid pool, along with his fiancé.
I think this is about a serious trip.
or maybe a book. is it about a book?
@moophisto <br /> <br /> I'm not so sure it's about a trip. Maiden were never into drugs and so I can't see where they would draw inspiration from if it were about tripping. Still I can see were your coming from.
yeah about a book, what book?
hmmm nice,
Petruccism is probably right... But I always thought it simply to be a story of a guy he began to see things that were there and eventually went insane and drowned himself trying to get to them.
Of course, not dissing 3rd generation metal or anything, just saying people need to take a retrospective on where it all came from.