Starblind

I really think that it's about someone who died and saw that most conventional religions are wrong. As he says, "We're one with the goddess of the Sun tonight" or, "Look into our face reflected in the moon glow in your eyes", the moon merely reflects the light of the Sun, which confirms my thesis that the lyric self of the poem is with a bunch of other spirits in the Sun, having, thus, become one with the goddess.

However, it's also about breaking religion's hold over you, "Remember you can choose whatever, life to live or life to lose", I see the verb "to lose" here as a synonym of the verb "to waste". Waste how? "Empty flesh and hollow bones make pacts of love, but die alone". You devote yourself to a deity or to a spouse and forget yourself, but it makes no difference because everyone dies alone, anyway. Besides, you can't fool your deity with devotion for "Whatever god you know, he knows you better than you believe". I see this verse as a "cut the bullcrap" if you are a good person, you don't need this, and if you aren't, your god knows it. Going to church every sunday morning doesn't make you a better person. Doesn't buy you a place by the side of your god.

Anyway, that's how I see it.

This is my favorite on the album followed closely by Talisman. Lyrically it is very complex. Bruce has sung similar themes on his solo work. The Sun is a common subject for him which relates to the giver of life and Sun worship historically. The Sun is the source of our life so stars are the source of all life because all elements in the physical universe are derived from hydrogen which is what the Sun burns in a fusion reaction. Without the photons from the Sun we would all be dead. I don't view it as anti-religious or rather I would like to make the distinction between religion and organized religion. If you look at Christmas it is a pagan holiday celebrating the rebirth of the unconquered Sun after the winter solstice. Easter is the same type of holiday. The 12 disciples are the 12 astrological ages of our solar system as it rotates around the galactic center of the milky-way galaxy. The perspective of the song basically explains that there are other dimensions of existence outside our own that intersect with our world. If you look at physics at the sub-atomic level you'd see that reality is inter-dimensional in nature and there is much more to the universe than anyone can imagine.

We need comments. NOW. This is such an amazing song, I can listen to it over and over and over and not get tired of it. The instrumentation is amazing, and Bruce's voice sounds epic. This is way too much awesomeness for 7:48, but Maiden pulls it off, as they do with every song on this amazing-as-hell album!

My personal interpretation; Someone of strong faith dies, but what they find beyond is not the promised afterlife but just a cosmic journey as their energy fades. They come to realise all of their life devoted to a particular faith was a life they could have spent living for themselves. Meaning: Have faith in whatever, but live for yourself not for some organisation or it's leaders.

I honestly am still puzzled about what this song is really about. The lyrics are remarkably good, even for Maidens standard. This song is easily my favorite song on the album. My guess is that this song has something to do about religion and how you can't always rely on it. But I'm not entirely sure

My number 2 favourite song off the record. :D

I think the song's not necessarily anti-religion, but anti-taking-religion-to-extremes. Mentions of the "Virgins" and whatnot lead me to believe that the narrator, telling a story on his deathbed, is telling the listener that he's seen people give up their lives for religion, for something that's not even necessarily guaranteed.

Best set of lyrics in my opinion. Just stunning.

I'd love to say that this is one of the best tracks on the album, but I can't make my mind. The WHOLE album is the best song on the album.

Absolutely Stunning composition from Iron Maiden. THis song proves that they still have whatever it is that motivates them to create great music and lyrics...which I think that motivation is impressing the fans...Well this sure as hell impressed me. I have read, and re-read, the lyrics to song and I'm still very unsure. But I love what I understand.

"The Preacher loses face with Christ, religion's cruel device is gone" That is referring to a preacher who loses their faith, obviously. THe hold they had on followers drops, thus the "cruel device is gone." "Empty flesh and hollow bones make pacts of love but die alone" I believe this to mean that many people who don't know who they are themselves, thus they are empty flesh and hollow bones. They have no substance because they have refused to live for themselves, but instead for someone or something else, such as God. They make pacts of love- marriage, whatever- but die alone. When one doesn't live for themself, they cannot be happy, thus their pacts of love fail and they die alone. "The crucible of pain will forge, the blanks of sin begin again" The stuggle of pain causes us to "sin" again...it's a cycle? and then the last lovable, Randian line, "You are free to choose a life to live, or one that's left to lose!" oh so sweet! This is my favorite song on the album....but they are all fantastic. Up the Irons!

I think you guys are all right, but here's my view. I think in the beginning of the song their is a man who dies and as he dies his spirit is freed to travel among the stars. Ok, but here's the thing, he is the inventor of a new drug.

So what does the drug do? Well all the people in this song live in cities so bright, none of them have ever seen the stars or hardly even knows what one is. The drug blocks out the close light and illuminates the stars. Imagine the sky lit by all the stars, not only that but enhanced even more by the drug, which probably also makes one feel very high and gives them some slight hallucinations.

After he dies, his spirit travels to a group of kids that are "startripping". He picks one of them and together their spirits travel through space, the ultimate trip, while he lectures the young man. About the cities, God, religion, power, and the freedom of their spirits. I figure anyone that experienced something like this would choose to be freed of their body and live on as a spirit. So together they gather more spirits and bring sort of a new world into being.