The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg

      Let me tell you about my life
      Let me tell you about my dreams
      Let me tell you about the things that happen
      Always real to me

      Let me tell you of my hope
      Of my need to reach the sky
      Let me take you on an awkward journey
      Let me tell you why

      Let me tell you why

      Why should these curses be laid upon me
      I won't be forgiven 'til I can break free
      What did I do to deserve all this guilt
      Pay for my sins with the sale of my soul
      Demons are trapped all inside of my head
      My hopes are gone, reach for heaven from hell

      My sins are many, my guilt is too heavy
      The pressure of knowing, of hiding what I know
      I'm able to see things, things I don't want to see
      The lives of a thousand souls weigh heavy down on me

      I know they're crying for help, reaching out
      The burden of them will take me down as well
      The sin of a thousand souls not died in vain
      Reincarnate, still in me live again

            Someone to save me
            Something to save me from myself
            To bring salvation
            To exorcise this hell

            Someone to save me
            Something to save me from myself
            To bring salvation
            To exorcise this hell

      (5:34 – Solo: Dave Murray)

            Someone to save me
            Something to save me from my hell
            A destination
            Away from this nightmare

            Someone to save me
            Something to save me from myself
            To bring salvation
            To exorcise this hell


Discuss...

Re: 'The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg'

All the rumours about who the hell Benjamin Breeg is has kind of led to people overlooking how great the song actually is. It's one of my favourites off the album, it f*cking rocks and credit to the band for such a strange choice as their first single from AMOLAD. Love it.

Re: 'The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg'

As this was the first track I heard from this album (coupled with the fact that I took an instant liking to it), I have to say that every time I play the album, this track gives me a little smile as if I'm hearing from an old friend. I love the way the song (aside from the intro and outro) just relentlessly chugs along - great piece. Lyrically, its another one for Syl's A Journey Through Steve Harris's Tortuous (Tortured?) Mind essay.

As for Benjamin, well we were given periodic updates about how our friend A. Breeg was trying to piece together some info about him. The story has stopped dead somewhat, at the Romanian coming to meet him at his home on the 14th. So come on, where is the rest? What happened next? I guess we all want to know, don't we? Thought not.

Re: 'The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg'

Personally, I think 'Arry just thought up of the name out of the blue, and now has to try and cobble together some exciting story to please the fans. 

Really, though, all the 'You'll have to wait and see' talk is driving me round the bend.  When exactly are they going to tell us?  On tour?  When Different World is released?  I was expecting (because it would be such a cheesy marketing move) the 'truth' to be revealed on the date that the album was released...evidently, I was wrong.

Well, onto the song itself.  I find that I view this song as the worst on the album; not from a negative point of view, but simply because it is not as good (in my view) as the other songs.  However, now that I have the CD, the sound quality of Ben Breeg has vastly improved to my ears, and I can see that, although simplistic, it is a very good track...very heavy, very moody, although not as dark as, say, For the Greater Good of God or Brighter Than a Thousand Suns.  Still, it has a catchy riff and chorus, and some good bridges...I was expecting a bit more from the outro, though...it has been overused in the past, and the other intros are far better.

Re: 'The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg'

Indeed, but I am enjoying the interplay of it all. The tortured soul in the song, the "painting what he saw in his dreams", the coming up with the Eddie on canvas. After all, it's just a bit of fun.

Re: 'The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg'

I chalk it up to a British thing... Like the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy being a trilogy of five books.

Re: 'The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg'

It definitely seems like the character in the song is suffering from carrying a heavy burden.  Sins of the fathers or collective conscience or some similar concept.  The song has really grown on me.  I find it atmospheric and heavy. 
I had a theory about Od' Benny.  I tried to see if there is an anagram for his name or the whole song.  Wordsmith.org did not help, nor other similar websites.  Perhaps it is just what Raven said: "Personally, I think 'Arry just thought up of the name out of the blue, and now has to try and cobble together some exciting story to please the fans."

Re: 'The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg'

I think I know who he is...

Re: 'The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg'

With this obsession of trying to figure out who Benjamin Breeg is, only very few people really decided to deeply look into the lyrics. It's a shame, really, because they offer more than you would think at the first glance.

The title suggests, and a line in the lyrics support that, that the song is about reincarnation. The idea that a person or a soul dies and lives again seems ridiculous to some and very believable to others. Entire civilisations were built around this idea, and it is something that has moved humanity for almost as long as it exists.

The song introduces us to a character that, taken at face value in combination with the title, is the reincarnation of a thousand souls. This character knows that (s)he is a reincarnation and is plagued heavily with it. As the reincarnation of a thousand sinners, (s)he is haunted in his/her dreams, and the burden is a too heavy one to live with.

To me, however, there is another possible interpretation of the lyrics which, I hope, does not sound too wacky.
Most of us are, at one point in our lives, confronted with situations we feel, to say the very least, very uncomfortable with. There are situations that touch us deeply, and may as well wound us very deeply. When we are finally out of this situation, the memory may still be so unbearable that the common belief that time is a perfect healer proves to be wrong. Even years later, we look back and still feel the same pain or insecurity -to name but these two sentiments- as we did back then. Depending on how cutting the experience was, the memories return more or less frequently to haunt us, be it in our dreams or be it in situations when some sort of impulse brings us back all the memories.
With this background, let us examine this song.

The first verses are a careful introduction into the character's story. We are told of dreams and hopes, the natures of which are not specified- and can remain open to interpretation. Are the dreams literally dreams that come to the character while (s)he sleeps or are they his/her hopes mentioned in the second verse?
The things that happen may be those incidents that inflict in him/her the burden (s)he carries the rest of his/her life.

The next lines imply a terrible incident in the character's past. Most likely, the character did something terrible that put a lot of guilt on him/her; on the other hand, it is also possible that the character simply made experiences (s)he can't be held responsible for but that left deep and painful marks. It is possible, though not likely, that a person is simply confronted with a situation which is simply impossible to resolve without getting yourself or somebody else hurt; likewise, such situations can simply appear without anyone consciously or unconsciously contributing to it. Yet, in the aftermath, the "victim" of this situation can feel guilty for all the pain (s)he inflicted on him/herself and possibly on others (though the latter case often just takes place in the mind of the "victim"). -- I won't be forgiven 'til I can break free -- My sins are many, my guilt is too heavy

In other cases, a person may lose his or her dreams, which is the mildest possible case. Some see their dreams brutally slaughtered and will recover from that setback only very slowly, if ever.

The reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg, in that case, is not a literal reincarnation, but a metaphorical one. Out of the ashes of a person who lost -in this case- his dreams and hopes (which he said he'd tell you of in the song's introduction), who lost the life he was leading to that point. He started a "new life" (a term that is very overused, in my opinion) and became the reincarnation of his former self- Benjamin Breeg.
Yet, there are moments when memories of Ben Breeg's former life come back to him and haunt him still. Whatever it was that he did or that happened to him, he wants to rid himself of the memory. He is able to see things that happened in his/her past and has to live with the pressure of hiding what [he knows in order to lead a normal life. He feels he is going insane by himself, and the last part of the song is a cry for help; for someone to save [him], to bring salvation (...) to exorcise this hell. What nature this help is to be of always depends on the person looking for it.

Re: 'The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg'

This is my least favourite song off the album.  The riff is just too simple, basic.  I get tired with the power chords in this song very quickly too.  It took me 3 listens to get into it but then I got tired of it and as this was the first single to the new album (Why oh why did they choose this one as their first single??) I thought the album was going to be a drag.  Fortunately when my friends and I bought the album the day it was out, we were relieved to find out that this song was the only "bad" one present.  Many of you will probably diss me for it but taste is not something thats debatable, we all thought the same thing about it and now I'm very surprised so many people like it.  Would this be because its Maiden and you automatically love any Maiden song?  *Ducks for cover*

I admit there are good parts to it.  (The solo is the only part I actually like).  I find the lyrics too repetitive and the guitar work itself just too easy for artists of Maiden's caliber.  My friend played this song on the guitar for me the other day and I wasn't surprised to see he wasn't doing much very often.  I mean ten seconds of extremely basic riff then power chords, he even found the time to smoke a cigar while playing it.  Quite the show indeed.

Now that I've probably made a lot of you hard-core fans mad, I am ready to take on the full wrath of your murderous rants.  Let me put my tin hat on first!

Re: 'The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg'

I don't know why everyone goes on about simple songs being not good enough or not valuable. A simple rock song can be more powerful than a grandiose and complex masterpiece. Come on, don't be such snobs...

This song is the weakest on the album for me too but not because of its 'simplicity'. The lyrics are a bit like a patchwork of older lyrics, and the music lacks that drive that would make me go "Yes!". But Dave's solo does, in any case.

Re: 'The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg'

I agree with you all when you say that it's the weakest song on the album. However, it fits. There is a beautiful flow from Out of the Shadows to it, and then from it to For the Greater Good of God. I would not exchange The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg for another song on its place in the album. Another curious thing is that since it was the first song I heard from the new album now almost a month ago, the opening riff sounds familiar and pleasing. It's almost like meeting an old friend after a long absence when I listen to it. I always find myself smiling during the opening

Re: 'The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg'

I agree.  It sounds so much better at a decent quality through headphones...and it does link Out of the Shadows and For the Greater Good of God well.  I quite like it now...although it is a bit simple.

And @Serratia...the problem is not perhaps that the song is too simple, but that it is too simple and long.  The simplest of ideas can work wonderfully in moderation, but if you try and drag it out, it can seem tired.  I would say Ben Breeg is just slightly too long for some people, but I don't find a problem with its length, myself.

Re: 'The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg'

Hence the popularity of AC/DC. A good song is a good song - regardless of its simplicity or indeed complexity.

Funny you should say that.

Re: 'The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg'

I just realized that I basically said the same thing as you a few posts up. Well, perhaps that shows that there's something to it 

Re: 'The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg'

There must be, I still get that familiar feeling about it when it plays.

Re: 'The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg'

I knew Nicko would be the one to spill the beans. He's too laid back to keep a secret:

FoundryMusicRob: First thing I want to ask about is what is probably on most people’s minds, who is this Benjamin Breeg character? There are lots of theories out there and they all sort of come back to theme of war, about how Eddie is Benjamin, or Benjamin is a metaphor for war, perhaps the third World War that seems to imminent these days.

Nicko McBrain: ::Laughs:: That’s a secret. ::laughs:: I really can’t tell ya, I don’t even know myself to be very honest with you. All I know is that it’s an idea that Steve came up with, with Shaun Hutson, who is a horror writer. I think it’s an alter ego of Eddie, or a part of Eddie’s past, is all I can make out of it. Until I’m clued in completely, 100%, I cant… ::laughs:: Ya know? I mean, you’re asking one of the band and I don’t even know. ::laughs::

FoundryMusicRob: There are a lot of theories out there…

Nicko McBrain: Well, that’s what we wanted. We wanted to keep it a bit vague and let people make up their own mind. Is it Eddie? Is it a reincarnation of some kind? Is it a brother? Is it an alter ego? It keeps you thinking, like a good thriller, see? ::laughs::

Re: 'The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg'

Excellent, gor! Have a couple of praises! 

Re: 'The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg'

cheers! by the way, here's the link:

http://www.foundrymusic.com/bands/displ ... BRAIN.html