21 Meanings
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A
The Talisman Lyrics
When I stand an look about the port
And contemplate my life
Will I ever see my countrymen again
As the captain calls us on the deck
I tak my things and walk to the harbourside
I glance back one last time
Fleeting our nation's problems
We leave behind
Ships by tenfold sail
Out on the tide
We are pleased to be out and
Free from our troubles
And more free from thee
Inheritors unfulfilled reason behind us
We flee from what is, not what will be
We flee the earth and face our harsh reality
Will death be low mist that hangs on the sea
We run from evil toungues
Rash judgements, selfish men
Never to be seen on these shores again
As we sail into oceansize
And lose sight of land
A face of contentment
Around in the air
We're off now to
Seek all our fortunes
To the land of our dreams
Riding the waves and the storm is upon us
The wind lash the sails but the ropes keep them tight
Off in the distance a dark cloud approaching
None could imagine what there was to come
No, there's noone going back
No, there's not a second chance
As we strap onto side
We pray to God that we won't die
As we ride the rough seas
As we soak from the ocean waves
I just hope for all our lives
And pray that I survive
Four ships are lost in the stormy conditions
The spirit of the sunken crews, their phantoms follow us
Spirits sail, they drive us on
Through the all consuming waves
Cold mortality, no weapon
Against these ever raging seas
Four leagues and ten and we hit storms again
We just can't get away from the eye of the storm
The birds outsoar the raging storm
But we cannot escape it
Abandoned earth that we now crave
Is many leagues frome safe
Holding on for our dear lives
And we're praying once again
Rotten luck or just jonahed
The talisman is in my hand
Limbs fatigued trembling with cold
Blinded from the sea spray salt
Casping anything we can hold
Heaven's rain upon us falls
Twenty days without a meal
And ten without fresh water still
Those that didn't die in the storm
The scurvy rest did slaughter
Westward the tide
Westward we sail on
Westward the tide
Sail by the talisman
We approach the other side
Of the ocean with the tide
In our favour just for once
Welcome greeting our new land
The elation in our hearts
The excitement in our veins
As we sail towards the coastline
Of our golden promised land
Weary limbs, fatigued away
I have no life left in me
No more strength and nothing left to give
Must find the will to live
Never thought that we could make it
Truly sight of shores divine
The sickness I am dying from
Never wanted it to end this way
Westward the tide
Westward we sail on
Westward the tide
Sail by the talisman
And contemplate my life
Will I ever see my countrymen again
As the captain calls us on the deck
I tak my things and walk to the harbourside
I glance back one last time
We leave behind
Ships by tenfold sail
Out on the tide
We are pleased to be out and
Free from our troubles
And more free from thee
We flee from what is, not what will be
We flee the earth and face our harsh reality
Will death be low mist that hangs on the sea
Rash judgements, selfish men
Never to be seen on these shores again
And lose sight of land
A face of contentment
Around in the air
We're off now to
Seek all our fortunes
To the land of our dreams
The wind lash the sails but the ropes keep them tight
Off in the distance a dark cloud approaching
None could imagine what there was to come
No, there's not a second chance
As we strap onto side
We pray to God that we won't die
As we soak from the ocean waves
I just hope for all our lives
And pray that I survive
The spirit of the sunken crews, their phantoms follow us
Through the all consuming waves
Cold mortality, no weapon
Against these ever raging seas
We just can't get away from the eye of the storm
But we cannot escape it
Abandoned earth that we now crave
Is many leagues frome safe
And we're praying once again
Rotten luck or just jonahed
The talisman is in my hand
Blinded from the sea spray salt
Casping anything we can hold
Heaven's rain upon us falls
And ten without fresh water still
Those that didn't die in the storm
The scurvy rest did slaughter
Westward we sail on
Westward the tide
Sail by the talisman
Of the ocean with the tide
In our favour just for once
Welcome greeting our new land
The elation in our hearts
The excitement in our veins
As we sail towards the coastline
Of our golden promised land
I have no life left in me
No more strength and nothing left to give
Must find the will to live
Truly sight of shores divine
The sickness I am dying from
Never wanted it to end this way
Westward we sail on
Westward the tide
Sail by the talisman
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
Iron Maiden is a band which is born once in a blue moon. I get inspired by their songs. Most of people around me hate maiden...but i don give a damn Fuck to them. Talisman is a gr8 song ...listening to it i feel nostalgic ...The Final Frontier is a mix of themes from War, Space, Life and Love. Talisman tells of a journey Through ones life analogus to sailing across Seas. We start our life rather comfortably and as we grow up...the sea turns rough and 'when the wild wind blows' we have to rely on our Talisman that is our instinct and our beliefs....these things can get us out of tricky situations in life. Up the Irons!!
I agreed with the deeper meaning about the song describing the human life, but i just found out some more. The talisman was the name of a french ship that sailed west to discover cape verde, morocco, portugal. The ship sailed from the year 1883. I am pretty sure this is why they called the song the talisman.
Man, I don't know where you got that information, but I feel offended by your ignorance! Morocco is a land that is well known and inhabited since before Christ; Portugal exists as a country since 1143 and Cape Verde was discovered by the portuguese in the 1500's! Also, all of those countries are located to the SOUTH of France, not to the west! I'm not saying that ship never existed, I really don't know about that, but to say it set sail from 1883 to discover Cape Verde, Morocco and Portugal is just plain dumb! Sorry for being this harsh, but just get your...
Man, I don't know where you got that information, but I feel offended by your ignorance! Morocco is a land that is well known and inhabited since before Christ; Portugal exists as a country since 1143 and Cape Verde was discovered by the portuguese in the 1500's! Also, all of those countries are located to the SOUTH of France, not to the west! I'm not saying that ship never existed, I really don't know about that, but to say it set sail from 1883 to discover Cape Verde, Morocco and Portugal is just plain dumb! Sorry for being this harsh, but just get your facts straight before posting...
@Thosava "The talisman is in my hand."
@Thosava "The talisman is in my hand."
Those that didn't die in storms The scurvy rest did slaughter.
i'm sorry i guess i'm not that good at english. does that sentence exactly means those survived the storm slaughtered (and maybe ate after 20 days of hunger?) the scurvy (sick) rest, or defining those people's death as a slaughter?
It's saying that the scurvy (the disease) slaughtered (metaphorically) the survivors. So those who didn't die in the storm died of disease.
It's saying that the scurvy (the disease) slaughtered (metaphorically) the survivors. So those who didn't die in the storm died of disease.
Freaking beautiful song. One of the best from the record.
I'll post what I think it's about in a bit. ;)
[Man the other lyrics that I submitted are still awaiting approval.]
I haven't really thought about what this is about, its a great song. By the way, this part: "No, there's noone going back No, there's not a second chance As we strap onto side We pray to God that we won't die"
...is wrong.
It should be: "As we strap onto the side"
It's about going on your final journey (life, last shot at glory), represented by a travel through stormy seas that leads to almost total collapse at the very end.
It's about going on your final journey (life, last shot at glory), represented by a travel through stormy seas that leads to almost total collapse at the very end.
Although thematically similar to Ghost of the Navigator, The Talisman simply never slows down once it gets moving, the continuous ramping up of energy fitting the character's experiences in this version of the tale.
Although thematically similar to Ghost of the Navigator, The Talisman simply never slows down once it gets moving, the continuous ramping up of energy fitting the character's experiences in this version of the tale.
The lyrics are very detailed and tell a story - no way it's just a general metaphor for whatever, this is about an actual story, of a group of people sailing away from their homeland and arriving after a very troubled journey at sea at their destination (with the character that sings the song dying at the end).
The lyrics are very detailed and tell a story - no way it's just a general metaphor for whatever, this is about an actual story, of a group of people sailing away from their homeland and arriving after a very troubled journey at sea at their destination (with the character that sings the song dying at the end).
The Mayflower trip maybe??
The Mayflower trip maybe??
This song is absolutely amazing. It's up there with the very best Maiden tracks. And just listen to Brucie's wails - hasn't lost one bit of energy! I love that riff after he sings 'Sail by the talisman' - it just sounds like epic journey music. Perfect!
Theme-wise, the most prominent one in the album concerns journeying away from home, homesickness etc. The journeys usually involve searching for fame/fortune etc, as in El Dorado. This one's similar to Ghost of the Navigator, but with the homesickness element.
Up the Irons!
"I love that riff after he sings 'Sail by the talisman'"
"I love that riff after he sings 'Sail by the talisman'"
Sorry, I meant after 'golden promised land' and such...
Sorry, I meant after 'golden promised land' and such...
It sort of reminds me of the Ancient Mariner with the whole 'ship in a storm' vibe.
I reckon this song could be somehow linked to "The Pilgrim".
Yeah, it's mostly about a journey across the sea. And one thing I noticed is that the music picks up and becomes a lot faster when the currents become a lot more dangerous in the story.
But this may just be me, but I feel that this is another metaphor for life. Each ship represents a person/friend. The storm represents the hardships of life. When he leaves, that could mean that he starts living on his own, or something on those lines. As to what the land would mean is beyond me. But again, it's just a hunch, I may be wrong. I always look for the meanings behind the what is put before you.
I think its about fleeing oppression and heading out to new lands perhaps those fleeing Europe for america. Maybee the pilgrims.
In the old days crossing the Atlantic was immensely dangerous.
Does anyone know of a voyage that lost four ships that seems oddly specific