Today in Song Lyric Sunday
Jim is challenging us to write about
a killer album closer. Here’s my response:
Say “hello” to my little friend.
This is Eddie, the official mascot for Iron Maiden.
Eddie is a perennial fixture of the group’s artwork,
appearing on all their album covers and merchandise,
which includes T-shirts, posters and action figures.
Eddie, AKA Eddie the Head, made his debut February 8, 1980.
There are metal singers and then there are METAL SINGERS.
Bruce Dickinson, without a single solitary doubt in my mind,
falls into the latter category.
He is among the best of the best!
“Hallowed Be Thy Name,” the end track from the epic “The Number of The Beast” album, is not only one of Iron Maiden’s best songs, it’s one of the greatest metal tracks of all-time, period. The epic 7+ minute track instantly became a mainstay at live shows and has been covered by numerous artists, including Dream Theater and Machine Head.
Allmusic describes it as “perhaps the most celebrated of the band’s extended epics; it’s the tale of a prisoner about to be hanged, featuring some of Harris’ most philosophical lyrics.” Several band-members have since stated that it is one of their favorite tracks, with Bruce Dickinson describing it as “fantastic” and that performing it live is like “narrating a movie to the audience.”
On the evening of October 2, 1982, my mister and I hired a babysitter for our boys and drove into Manhattan for one of our final rock concerts. It had been a while. Now that we had kids, who knew when we would be able to have this experience again. We were all grown up with a different set of priorities but this was one event we could not miss. Performing that night at Madison Square Garden were two British groups Bill and I didn’t have a chance to see B.K. (Before Kids).
The concert tour was called “Beast On the Road” and the two groups were Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. It was incredible and the closing song sounded a lot like this:
“Hallowed Be Thy Name” by Iron Maiden
Lyrics
I’m waiting in my cold cell when the bell begins to chime
Reflecting on my past life and it doesn’t have much time
‘Cause at 5 o’clock, they take me to the Gallows Pole
The sands of time for me are running low
Running low, yeah!
When the priest comes to read me the last rites
Take a look through the bars at the last sights
Of a world that has gone very wrong for me
Can it be that there’s some sort of error?
Hard to stop the surmounting terror
Is it really the end, not some crazy dream?
Somebody, please tell me that I’m dreaming
It’s not easy to stop from screaming
The words escape me when I try to speak
Tears flow, but why am I crying?
After all, I’m not afraid of dying
Don’t I believe that there never is an end?
As the guards march me out to the courtyard
Somebody cries from a cell, “God be with you”
If there’s a God, why has he let me go?
As I walk, my life drifts before me
Though the end is near I’m not sorry
Catch my soul, it’s willing to fly away
Mark my words, believe my soul lives on
Don’t worry now that I have gone
I’ve gone beyond to seek the truth
When you know that your time is close at hand
Maybe then you’ll begin to understand
Life down here is just a strange illusion
Yeah-yeah-yeah, hallowed be thy name
Yeah-yeah-yeah, hallowed by thy name
Yeah
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Stephen Percy Harris
Hallowed Be Thy Name lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Capitol CMG Publishing, Integrity Music, Universal Music Publishing Group
| “Hallowed Be Thy Name” | |
| Song by Iron Maiden | |
| from the album The Number of the Beast | |
| Released | 22 March 1982 |
| Recorded | January–February 1982 |
| Studio | Battery, London |
| Genre | Heavy Metal |
| Length | 7:08 |
| Label | EMI |
| Songwriter(s) | Steve Harris |
| Producer(s) | Martin Birch |
Thanks to Jim for another great prompt in Song Lyric Sunday!
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