Worst/Best Maiden Lyrics

[Prowler_108]

Aha I see 

I don't mind the "Age of Innocence" so much...especially the version sung by Nicko.

Probably the worst song, lyrically, aside from "The Apparition"...hmm. Tough call, but I'd have to go with either "Quest For Fire" or "Drifter".

"Paschendale" wins for best lyrics. Hands. Fucking. Down. Close runner-up? "Revelations".

I just think Maiden doing the motivational stuff is weaker for them then say, writing about war or mythology.  As far as the most consistent songwriting goes AMOLAD takes the cake IMO.  And while I like Drifter, the chorus lyrics are maybe the worst they've ever done. 

[bornless1]

 

Never liked that Davey jones b.s in running silent running deep.  and that god awful " dream on sisters..I hope you find the one..."  YUCK!

how about that stupid shiny machine motorcycle crap from here to eternity.  Embarrassing.
 
  I love everything lyrically off piece and Powerslave.  And the "Golden Goose is on the loose, and never out of season" ?? Really??  That freaking rocks. Especially the way Bruce goes up and down with the lines.  Awesome lyrics and delivered with a bang!! Two minutes to midnight is a perfect 10, lyrics and all. 

[Jeffmetal]

Why not? I'd love to meet his sisters as they seem not like all the bloodsucking bitches I bump into all the time.

[Prowler_108]

HAHAHAHAHAHA  Know what you mean bro.

[Jed]

I personally can't stand the overblown 'social-political commentary' pieces that pop up from time to time (Age of Innocence, Childhood's end, Don't Look Through the Eyes of a Stranger etc...) It just sounds trite and contrived. I enjoy the music on those tunes, but I still cringe when I hear some of those lines...yikes.

While I understand that band probably gets tired of the 'comic book' metal tag with the history/fanstasy/literature escapist stuff, it is what they're known for and it does comprise their best stuff.  Infinite Dreams, Hallowed, Mariner, Paschendale etc....

[Ranko]

I agree with you there, Age of Innocence is a bit too literal and perhaps naive. I also dislike Alexander the Great, way overrated. And of course, The Angel and the Gambler.

As for the best lyrics, to name a few randomly it would be Revelations, Sign of the Cross, Brighter Than a Thousand Suns, For the Greater Good of God, Moonchild and Only the Good Die Young. El Dorado has also got very clever lyrics.

The lyrics to The Apparition are actually a decent life lesson, too bad that the musical arrangement isn't that good.

[Clayman]

Hmm the worst lyrics would be:

Bring Your Daughter...: well it`s self-explanatory
Prowler : the beginning of the verse is so bloody cheesy and preety much non-maiden,but the music rules any way
Drifter : the same problem as with Prowler really..

the best:
Moonchild : just bloody awesome,it`s dark,mystical and haunting,fits perfectly to the whole album
2 Minutes To Midnight : strong words here and like the topic of the song
Brave New World : opening verse is really beautiful and the whole song sums a lot of images in my mind while listening to the words and how Bruce sings them
Lord Of Light: haunting opening and powerful verses

In general I prefer Bruce as a lyricist at least post-reunion. 

[Twarkle]

It's got to be Quest For Fire.  You can't get around the fact that Steve wrote lyrics that have dinosaurs and cavemen living together. 

[Prowler_108]

In general I prefer Bruce as a lyricist at least post-reunion.  
[/quote]


I don't know if i prefer him, but I think he's more consistent then Steve.  The only really bad lyrics Bruce wrote were Bring Your Daughter..., while Steve had Quest for Fire, Tailgunner, Lord of the Flies, Fear of the Dark, Futureal, etc.

[bornless1]

  No love for Quest for fire?  the dinosaurs?  the vicious, angry battles?,  The forests and swamps of danger?  I fudging love that song, lyrics and all baby!!  Real funny line about the sisters man.  Gimme a break here.  That kind of line was made for a RATT song  or Cinderella.  Maiden should have never gone there.  Dinosaurs and cannibal tribes though?  Yeah that be  Maiden!!!

[Stan]

I like all of Bruce's lyrics. They're more cryptic and just better written than Steve's. Also, the stuff he wrote for the Chemical Wedding is absolutely divine.

Some of my personal favorite Maiden lyrics... Revelations, 2 Minutes to Midnight, Powerslave, Caught Somewhere In Time, Moonchild.

One of the greatest lines in music:

"She came to me with a serpent's kiss
As the eye of the sun rose on her lips
Moonlight catches silver tears I cry
So we lay in the black embrace,
And the Seed is sown in a holy place
And I watched, and I waited for the dawn"

Amazing.

[Jeffmetal]

Real funny line about the sisters man.  Gimme a break here.  That kind of line was made for a RATT song on or Cinderella.  Maiden should have never gone there.  Dinosaurs and cannibal tribes though?  Yeah that be  Maiden!!!

Funny is what you said. Go figure. On a Ratt lyrics, he would try to fuck even his sisters, and probably they would allow him to do such, as women in Ratt's lyrics are whores of the highest order.

[Prowler_108]

Hahaha I'm agreeing with Jeff 100% on this one 

[bornless1]

You probably are Jeff...oops.

[Prowler_108]

What 

[Jeffmetal]

You probably are Jeff...oops.

No. He's not me.

[HallowedBeMyName]

Worst: (in no particular order)

1. Iron Maiden: As much as I love this song, the lyrics are kind of cheesy.
2. Charlotte the Harlot: I never felt the abrupt slow section fit the song too well, for the music and lyrics.
3. Prowler: A song about a pervert who flashes women and masturbates to them, not meant to be taken seriously, but below Maiden standards.
4. From Here to Eternity: Another one below Maiden standards, not much else to say.
5. Bring Your Daughter...to the Slaughter: Sub-par, especially coming off of the lyrically amazing Seventh Son album.

Best: (in no particular order)

1. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son: Epic and beautiful. Does this song really need an explaination?
2. Rime of the Ancient Mariner: I refer you to 1.
3. Phantom of the Opera: Maiden's first "epic" song, and a damn good one, lyrically and musically. Loosely based on the novel of the same title.
4. Paschendale: Another one unneeded of an explaination. Vivid, poetic, ingenious, tragic, these words don't do justice to the beauty of this song.
5. These Colours Don't Run: So much emotion conveyed in the lyrics and vocalization. A true highlight off of A Matter Life and Death.

[Mega]

Best is hard, other them melodies, playing, solos and overall music qualitiy, lyrics are Maiden's strong point
So every Harris epic and alot of other gems like Moonchild And Infinite Dreams.
Also, Pasch-of-the-fucking-dale. I'm almost in tears by the part after ther first 2 solos, and the line "blood is falling like the rain" is probobly the most awesome line ever written in the history of man.

Worst will have to be some No Prayer songs, some FOTD songs and some VXI songs.
Namly public enema(C'mon guys), the apparation and fear is the key, and TAATG.


I also don't see what's your obssesion with the prancing line. Is that an english thing? Does prancing mean wiggeling your ass or something? I never thought about it untill I saw it mentiones somewhere and have never thought about it since.

[LogJam]

Prancing:
1 : to spring from the hind legs or move by so doing
2 : to ride on a prancing horse
3 : to walk or move in a spirited manner: strut; also: to dance about

I take it definition 3 is used in the song, although the first is probably the one that comes to most people's minds.

In general 'prance' just isn't a very manly or 'heavy' word (not that all their lyrics have to be), and it conjures images of someone jumping around quite erratically, and with a certain amount of effeminacy. So I can see why it may seem trivial or out of place if viewed in a certain context.

Dance of Death is simply too epic to dwell too much on seemingly out of place words, though.

[Mega]

Agreed.

[Prowler_108]

Don't get me wrong, it's a great song, and it kills live, but in the studio its hard to ignore.

[HallowedBeMyName]

Don't get me wrong, it's a great song, and it kills live, but in the studio its hard to ignore.

That grammatically doesn't make sense. You said "but in the studio it's hard to ignore" but I don't see the contrast to "it's a great song", I think you meant "and in the studio its hard to ignore", or maybe you meant "but in the studio its easy to ignore", because you started with "Don't get me wrong", as in to say you like it live, but not in the studio. Not a big deal though.

[Prowler_108]

Haha i could have phrased that better what I meant is that live you can ignore the lyrics, but on the studio version it's hard to.

[HallowedBeMyName]

Haha sorry, I might have came off like one of those grammar freaks  Just wanted to know exactly what you meant.

[Moonchild33]

That grammatically doesn't make sense. You said "but in the studio it's hard to ignore" but I don't see the contrast to "it's a great song", I think you meant "and in the studio its hard to ignore", or maybe you meant "but in the studio its easy to ignore", because you started with "Don't get me wrong", as in to say you like it live, but not in the studio. Not a big deal though.

What he said made more sense than your correction.

[Prowler_108]

Haha sorry, I might have came off like one of those grammar freaks  Just wanted to know exactly what you meant.

Don't worry about it 

[HallowedBeMyName]

What he said made more sense than your correction.

Oh, I made sense, but I drew it out kind of lengthy and complicated-like haha

[Baron Ronan]

I think just about everything off A Matter of Life and Death is amazing lyrically. Greater Good, The Legacy, Benjamin Breeg, and These Colours in particular. Though that said, there are single lines that really annoy me and make me wince. Think "E=mc², you can relate". There are a few like that that are just painfully cheesy. A lot of the choruses are somewhat weak lyrically too.

[Moonchild33]

Oh, I made sense, but I drew it out kind of lengthy and complicated-like haha

Okay, whatever you say even though I still can't wrap my mind around even the first sentence. What he said WAS grammatically correct (albeit missing a comma or two).

[bornless1]

"E equals MC squared you can relate, how we made god with our hands."  what is wrong with these lyrics man?  This song rocks and the lyrics are right on and clever. Its a dark, eerie,  yet historical rendering about  the atom bomb and its horrible aftermath.  Not cheesy. Anything can look and sound strange when taken out of context.
    Compare this to "dream on sisters I hope you find the one."  That is  indefensible.   Please.  This thread has brought out some of the worst in some good Maiden Fans.