# Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. As pioneers of the new wave of British heavy metal movement, Iron Maiden achieved initial success during the early 1980s. The band's discography has grown to 41 albums, including 17 studio albums, 13 live albums, four EPs, and seven compilations.

## Song lyrics
### Iron Maiden (1980)

* Iron Maiden can't be fought, Iron Maiden can't be sought.
** Iron Maiden, written by Steve Harris

### Killers (1981)

* Over clouds my mind will fly, forever now I can't think why. My body tries to leave my soul. Or is it me, I just don't know. Mem'ries rising from the past, the future's shadow overcast. Something's clutching at my head, through the darkness I'll be led.
** Purgatory, written by Steve Harris

### The Number of the Beast (1982)

* Night was black, was no use holding back, 'Cause I just had to see, was someone watching me. In the mist, dark figures move and twist, Was all this for real, or just some kind of hell. 666 the number of the beast. Hell and fire was born to be released.
** The Number of the Beast, written by Steve Harris
* White man came across the sea, He brought us pain and misery. He killed our tribes, he killed our creed, He took our game for his own need.
** Run to the Hills, written by Steve Harris
* Run to the hills, run for your lives.
** Run to the Hills
* Around the world the nations wait, For some wise word from their leading light. You know it's not only madmen who listen to fools. Is this the end, the millions cried, Clutching their riches as they died. Those who survive must weather the storm.
** Total Eclipse, written by Steve Harris, Dave Murray and Clive Burr
* The sands of time for me are running low.
** Hallowed Be Thy Name, written by Steve Harris

### Piece of Mind (1983)

* Just a babe in a black abyss, No reason for a place like this. The walls are cold and souls cry out in pain. An easy way for the blind to go, A clever path for the fools who know The Secret of the Hangman ­ the smile on his lips. The light of the Blind you'll see, The venom that tears my spine, The Eyes of the Nile are opening you'll see.
** Revelations, written by Bruce Dickinson
* She came to me with a serpents kiss, As the Eye of the Sun rose on her lips. Moonlight catches silver tears I cry.
** Revelations
* Bind us all together, Ablaze with Hope and Free. No storm or heavy weather, Will rock the boat you'll see.
** Revelations
* 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
** Flight of Icarus, written by Adrian Smith and Bruce Dickinson
* Fly, on your way, like an eagle Fly as high as the Sun On your way, like an eagle Fly, touch the Sun
** Flight of Icarus
* 13 the Beast is Rising, The Frenchman did surmise, Through earthquakes and starvation, The Warlord will arise, Terror, Death, Destruction, Pour from the Eastern sands, But the truth of all predictions, Is always in your hands.
** Die with Your Boots On, written by Adrian Smith, Bruce Dickinson and Steve Harris
* You take my life but I'll take yours too You fire your musket but I run you through So when you're waiting for the next attack You'd better stand there's no turning back.
** The Trooper, written by Steve Harris
* The bugle sounds and the charge begins But on this battlefield no one wins The smell of acrid smoke and horses breath As I plunge on into certain death.
** The Trooper

### Powerslave (1984)

* Running, scrambling, flying Rolling, turning, diving
** Aces High, written by Steve Harris
* Run, Live to fly, fly to live, do or die Won't you Run, live to fly, fly to live Aces high
** Aces High
* The killer's breed or the Demon's seed, The glamour, the fortune, the pain, Go to war again, blood is freedom's stain, Don't you pray for my soul anymore.
** 2 Minutes to Midnight, written by Adrian Smith and Bruce Dickinson
* 2 minutes to midnight, The hands that threaten doom. 2 minutes to midnight, To kill the unborn in the womb.
** 2 Minutes to Midnight
* Tell me why I had to be a Powerslave I don't wanna die, I'm a God, Why can't I live on? When the Life Giver dies, All around is laid waste, And in my last hour, I'm a Slave to the Power of Death.
** Powerslave, Written by Bruce Dickinson

### Somewhere in Time (1986)

* Too much time on my hands I got you on my mind Can't ease this pain, so easily When you can't find the words to say It's hard to make it through another day And it makes me want to cry And throw my hands up to the sky
** Wasted Years, written by Adrian Smith
* So understand Don't waste your time Always searching for those wasted years Face up... make your stand And realize you're living in the golden years
** Wasted Years

### Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988)

* Infinite dreams, I can't deny them Infinity is hard to comprehend I couldn't hear those screams Even in my wildest dream
** Infinite Dreams, written by Steve Harris
* It can't be all coincidence Too many things are evident You tell me you're an unbeliever Spiritualist? Well me I'm neither But wouldn't you like to know The truth Of what's out there to have the proof And find out just which side You're on Where would you end in Heaven or In hell?
** Infinite Dreams
* There's got to be just more to it Than this Or tell me why do we exist I'd like to think that when I die I'd get a chance, another time And to return and live again Reincarnate, play the game Again and again and again
** Infinite Dreams
* Can I play with Madness? The prophet stared at his crystal ball, Can I play with Madness? There's no vision there at all. Can I play with Madness? The prophet looked and he laughed at me! Can I play with Madness? He said you're blind, too blind to see!
** Can I Play with Madness, written by Adrian Smith, Bruce Dickinson and Steve Harris
* Living on the razor's edge Balancing on the ledge You know, you know!
** The Evil That Men Do, written by Adrian Smith, Bruce Dickinson and Steve Harris
* Circle of fire my baptism of joy And an end it seems The seventh lamb slain The book of life opens before me
** The Evil That Men Do
* And I will pray for you Some day I may return Don't you cry for me Beyond is where I learn
** The Evil That Men Do
* The evil that men do lives on and on!
** The Evil That Men Do
* There's a time to live but isn't it strange That as soon as you're born you're dying
** The Claivoyant, written by Steve Harris

### No Prayer for the Dying (1990)

* I've lived in filth I've lived in sin And I still smell cleaner than the shit you're in
** Holy Smoke, written by Steve Harris and Bruce Dickinson
* A million network slaves In an advertising new age I don't need a crystal ball to sell ya Your children have more brains Than your drug infested remains California dreaming as the Earth dies screaming
** Public Enema Number One, written by Dave Murray and Bruce Dickinson
* Bring your daughter, bring your daughter to the slaughter Let her go, let her go, let her go
** Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter, written by Bruce Dickinson
* Mother Russia Dance of the Csars Hold up your heads Remember who you are Can you release The anger the grief Can you be happy Now your people are free
** Mother Russia, written by Steve Harris

### Fear of the Dark (1992)

* The serpent is crawling inside of your ear He says you must vote for what you want to hear Don't matter what's wrong as long as you're alright So pull yourself stupid and rob yourself blind.
** Be Quick or Be Dead, written by Bruce Dickinson and Janick Gers
* Now we live, in a world of uncertainty Fear is the key - to what you want to be You don't get a say the majority gets its way You're outnumbered by the bastards till the day you die...
** Fear Is the Key, written by Bruce Dickinson and Janick Gers
* Maybe one day I'll be an honest man Up 'till now I'm doing the best I can Long roads, long days, of sunrise, to sunset Sunrise to sunset
** Wasting Love, written by Bruce Dickinson and Janick Gers
* Dream on brothers, while you can Dream on sisters, I hope you find the one All of our lives, covered up quickly By the tides of time
** Wasting Love
* Sands are flowing and the lines Are in your hand In your eyes I see the hunger, and the Desperate cry that tears the night
** Wasting Love
* Spend your days full of emptiness Spend your years full of loneliness Wasting love, in a desperate caress Rolling shadows of nights
** Wasting Love
* You can make your own luck You create your destiny I believe you have the power if you want to ..........it's true
** The Apparition, written by Steve Harris and Janick Gers
* When the light begins to change I sometimes feel a little strange A little anxious when it's dark
** Fear of the Dark, written by Steve Harris
* Have you ever been alone at night Thought you heard footsteps behind And turned around and no one's there? And as you quicken up your pace You'll find it hard to look again Because you're sure that someone's there
** Fear of the Dark
* Fear of the dark, fear of the dark I have constant fear that something's always near Fear of the dark, fear of the dark I have a phobia that someone's always there
** Fear of the Dark

### The X Factor (1995)

* I don't care for this world anymore I just want to live my own fantasy Fate has brought us to these shores What was meant to be is now happening
** Lord of the Flies, written by Steve Harris and Janick Gers
* I've found that I like this living in danger Living on edge it feels, it makes me feel as one Who cares now what's right or wrong, it's reality
** Lord of the Flies
* We don't need a code of morality I like all the mixed emotion and anger It brings out the animal, the power you can feel And feeling so high on this much adrenalin Excited but scary to believe what we've become
** Lord of the Flies
* Saints and sinners Something within us To be lord of the flies
** Lord of the Flies
* Try to release the anger from within Forgive yourself a few immortal sins Do you really care what people think Are you strong enough to release the guilt
** The Unbeliever, written by Steve Harris and Janick Gers

### Virtual XI (1998)

* I want to live my life on my own I want to lift the unturned stone I want to walk right into the fire I want to live out all my desires I want to go and see the fire burn I want to see and feel my world turn I want to know what more there's to learn I want to pass the point of no return
** The Educated Fool, written by Steve Harris

### Brave New World (2000)

* You watch the world exploding every single night Dancing in the sun a newborn in the light Say goodbye to gravity and say goodbye to death Hello to eternity and live for every breath
** The Wicker Man, written by Adrian Smith, Steve Harris and Bruce Dickinson
* Your time will come, your time will come
** The Wicker Man
* The ferryman wants his money you ain't going to give it back He can push his own boat as you set up off the track Nothing you can contemplate will ever be the same Every second is a new spark, sets the universe aflame
** The Wicker Man
* Withered hands, withered bodies begging for salvation Deserted by the hand of gods of their own creation Nations cry underneath decaying skies above You are guilty
** Out of the Silent Planet, written by Janick Gers, Bruce Dickinson and Steve Harris
* The punishment is death for all who live
** Out of the Silent Planet
* The killing fields, the grinding wheels crushed by equilibrium Separate lives no more disguise, no more second chances Haggard wisdom spitting out the bitter taste of hate I accuse youBefore you know the crime it's all too late
** Out of the Silent Planet
* Out of the silent planet Dreams of desolation Out of the silent planet Come the demons of creation
** Out of the Silent Planet
* There's a thin line between love and hate Wider divide that you can see between good and bad There's a grey place between black and white But everyone does have the right to choose the path that he takes
** The Thin Line Between Love and Hate, written by Dave Murray and Steve Harris

### Dance of Death (2003)

* When I'm feeling down and low I vow I'll never be the same again I just remember what I am And visualize just what I'm gonna be
** Wildest Dreams, written by Adrian Smith and Steve Harris
* When I was wandering in the desert and was searching for the truth I heard a choir of angels calling out my name. I had the feeling that my life would never be the same again I turned my face towards the barren sun.
** Rainmaker, written by Dave Murray, Steve Harris and Bruce Dickinson
* And I know, of the pain, that you feel the same as me. And I dream, of the rain, as it falls upon the leaves. And the cracks, in our lives, like the cracks upon the ground. They are sealed, and are now, washed away.
** Rainmaker
* You tell me we can start the rain. You tell me that we all can change. You tell me we can find something to wash the tears away. You tell me we can start the rain. You tell me that we all can change. You tell me we can find something to wash the tears.
** Rainmaker
* So we can only get one chance can we take it And we only get one life can't exchange it Can we hold on to what we have don't replace it The age of innocence is fading... like an old dream
** Age of Innocence, written by Dave Murray and Steve Harris
* And the fragment remains of our memories And the shadows we made with our hands Deeper grey, come to form all the colors of the dawn Will this Journeyman’s day be his last?
** Journeyman, written by Adrian Smith, Steve Harris and Bruce Dickinson
* In your life you may choose desolation And the shadows you build with your hands If you turn to the light That is burning in the night Then the Journeyman's day has begun
** Journeyman
* I know what I want I'll say what I want And no one can take it away
** Journeyman

### A Matter of Life and Death (2006)

* We are cast out by our bloody fathers hand We are strangers in this lonely promised land We are shadows of the one unholy ghost In our nightmare world the only one we trust
** Lord of Light, written by Adrian Smith, Steve Harris and Bruce Dickinson

### The Final Frontier (2010)

* El Dorado come and play El Dorado step this way Take a ticket for the ride El Dorado streets of gold See my ship is oversold You've got one last chance to try
** El Dorado, written by Adrian Smith, Steve Harris and Bruce Dickinson
* Left the elders to their parley meant to satisfy our lust, Leaving Damocles still hanging over all their promised trust Walk away from freedoms offered by their jailers in their cage Step into the light startripping over mortals in their rage
** Starblind, written by Adrian Smith, Steve Harris and Bruce Dickinson

### Other

* There's an evil virus that's threatening mankind Not state of the art, a serious state of the mind The muggers, the backstabbers, the two faced elite A menace to society, a social disease
** Virus, written by Blaze Bayley, Dave Murray, Janick Gers and Steve Harris, featured in the 1996 compilation album Best of the Beast

## Quotes about Iron Maiden

* Besides one or two other acts, to date there’s still no other metal band that wields the same global popularity as Iron Maiden. The U.K. outfit has long dominated the metal genre with its signature galloping riffs, dueling guitars solos and anthemic choruses, all of which are now tropes found in metal music as a result of Iron Maiden’s massive influence.
** Quentin Thane Singer of Forbes
* There was this chemistry between me and Adrian that went beyond the music.
** Dave Murray of Iron Maiden
* Coming in at No. 2 is Iron Maiden. Theatricality is a huge aspect of metal and no band does this with more success and ceaseless vigor than these Brits. The dueling guitars, Steve Harris’ signature bass gallop, Bruce Dickinson’s operatic delivery and Nicko Mcbrain’s inimitable swing have stood as the core of Maiden’s sound. They created the most iconic mascot in music, Eddie, elevating the music to a realm of pure escape and fantasy either through the artwork alone or when he comes to life onstage, which is truly the best way to take in Iron Maiden.
* Along with Judas Priest’s Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing, who worked a similar twin-lead attack, the duo of Murray and Smith was considered the top British metal guitar tandem of the Eighties. First pairing off for 1981’s blistering Killers, Murray and Smith quickly proved that they could play harmony leads and interlocking riffs as if linked by one brain, and do it with a speed and aggression that put most punk bands of the era to shame.
** Jeff Kitts of Guitar World
* Dave Murray’s and Adrian Smith’s dueling guitar harmonies, galloping riffs and epic guitar solos have influenced nearly every significant band to come out of the metal genre since the mid ‘80s. As the primary guitarists for Iron Maiden, Murray and Smith helped to popularize anthemic lead guitar playing, which has consequently become a staple in metal music for the last 40-plus years.
** Quentin Thane Singer of Forbes
* By and large, Iron Maiden's long and lengthy career can be categorized into two separate eras: "punk Maiden" and "prog Maiden".
* In Gothenburg, there’s one band that rules supreme, and that’s Iron Maiden. Everyone from Gothenburg loves Iron Maiden for some reason, so naturally their version of death metal would be melodic and with a twin guitar harmony attack.
** Patrik Jensen of The Haunted
* Is it blasphemy to call Iron Maiden the heavy metal Beatles? [...] Iron Maiden may be a heavy metal band, but “Run to the Hills” is straight-up pop. Led by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris, Iron Maiden created a marketing behemoth, perhaps rivaled only by Metallica.
** Thom Donovan of American Songwriter

## External links

* Official website