For the Greater Good of God

How good is For the Greater Good of God on a scale of 1-10?


  • Total voters
    44
Re: Daily Song: For the Greater Good of God

9. If it wasn't so repetitive it would get a 10.
 
Re: Daily Song: For the Greater Good of God

An epic masterpiece bookended by Steve's brilliantly sombre bass intro/outro. Many wonderful guitar riffs are contained within - atmospheric, harmonic, heavy - and the guitar line playing under the power chords during the verses is one of my AMOLAD highlights. The guitars during the pre-chorus and chorus are very, very large. Epic.  However the solos seem a little short, boo. Bruce is relentless, mighty. I love "a wolf in sheep's clothing"...always reminds me of Caught Somewhere in Time. There are no complaints of repetition here. I wake up each day and repetitiously listen to Maiden and play my guitar...repetition rocks.   

11 (my 5th mark of 10 or above for AMOLAD...the album is that bloody good)
 
Re: Daily Song: For the Greater Good of God

10/10, I agree with everything LC wrote, I seem to share his viewpoint on religion. Always loved the lyrics in this one. The moment when it gets heavy near the start is my favourite moment from the song, it always sends shivers down my spine.
 
Re: Daily Song: For the Greater Good of God

I do like the poetry, the form of these words but I am not sure what to think about the meaning of them.

I especially have some difficulties with hearing an experienced 50 year old man ask "what life is".. I just do not find that the coolest thing to hear.

Would any of you explain me what you like about that sentence, or/and (even better) what Steve could mean by asking this? Apart from disliking it, I might misunderstand it as well (maybe not). Thanks in advance.

I do not hope the answer is: He asks what life is because he had hoped every life on this planet would consist out of 100% happiness, and now he suddenly found out that it's not the case. That'd be so naive.
Perun said:
These lyrics are more timeless, you can listen to them and think of 9/11 the same way you can listen to them and look at what is happening in Libya right now, or elsewhere.

When I follow these events, I do not think once "O God, is this the life we live in?" or "Is this what love's supposed to be?". I do not blame a noun for the actions of (an) individual(s).

I do not make these events broader than they are. I know that this planet consists out of people who love some people less than others, e.g. Khadaffi.

Perun said:
It's a matter of taste, I guess.

I don't know. I rather think it's how we stand in life or how we look at those issues ourselves, and if we identify with these words.

Some people on this forum do not identify with the historically incorrect lyrics of ATG or QFF, or the "get off my lane" lyrics of The Age of Innocence or the anti-TV preacher lyric of Holy Smoke.

I think I do not identify with the philosophical wonderings in FTGGOG because I find life and the issues the world deals with way too realistic for such an approach.
 
Re: Daily Song: For the Greater Good of God

The way I see it, whoever is asking these questions is asking someone who pretends to know, i.e. a man of faith and religion who claims to have all the answers to life's questions. Can he answer these very basic questions? The song implies that he can't. In that sense, it doesn't matter whether the one who asks them knows the answers. That's what it means to me.


Forostar said:
I do not make these events broader than they are. I know that this planet consists out of people who love some people less than others, e.g. Khadaffi.
(...)
I think I do not identity with the philosophical wonderings in FTGGOG because I find life and the issues the world deals with way too realistic for such an approach.

For the most part, when I read the papers or watch the evening news, I follow the events and know what is happening, I try to find out as good as I can what is making them happen, and I have devoted my student life to figuring out what is making people around the world tick.

But then there are moments like last night, when I watch the evening news, and it's just a stream of images of burnt-out houses in Libya, soldiers shooting into masses in Damascus, artillery firing shells over a temple in Cambodia, people being evacuated from the surroundings of Fukushima, and a mass of people carrying crosses through Jerusalem. And in the end, it feels like somebody beat me up and I sit back, and I know the causes and reality of it all, but I just can't help feeling angry and helpless at the same time, and I just want to walk up to those people and ask them: "Do you even know what you're doing?" but I can't. And then I like a song such as For the Greater Good of God that puts my feelings into music.

And all because of it you'd think that we would learn
But still the body count the city fires burn
Somewhere there's someone dying in a foreign land
Meanwhile the world is crying, stupidity of man


Those are my thoughts too. And yes, I am longing for someone to tell me why, even though I know nobody can, and I have to find out for myself.
 
Re: Daily Song: For the Greater Good of God

Much appreciated Perun.

Perun said:
but I just can't help feeling angry and helpless at the same time, and I just want to walk up to those people and ask them: "Do you even know what you're doing?" but I can't. And then I like a song such as For the Greater Good of God that puts my feelings into music.

And all because of it you'd think that we would learn
But still the body count the city fires burn
Somewhere there's someone dying in a foreign land
Meanwhile the world is crying, stupidity of man


Those are my thoughts too. And yes, I am longing for someone to tell me why, even though I know nobody can, and I have to find out for myself.

Well, I feel anger and helpless too when I see those images. And in a way, yes, these lyrics can "support" the helpless ones. They can provide an outlet for frustration. Haven't looked at it this way!

When I try to answer the "why question" I would say that the people who commit these crimes are mentally weak, lack empathy and social comradship. They are filled with lies. They are too weak to resist fear of their leader, to weak to resist indoctrination and dictatorship, to weak to resist money, to weak to resist greed, lust and power. Especially their lust to keep the power gives them strength to oppress the others who demand more rights.

When you ask me why some people are less empathic than others, why people are less social, less wise than others, why people behave different from eachother, that answer lies in science (e.g. biology), and in the conditions and circumstances people live in, the way they are influenced.

Whatever we think of these lyrics, they certainly are thought provoking, so that's good!
 
Re: Daily Song: For the Greater Good of God

Not my favourite from the album, but I like the melodies and the oddness of the 'tell me now what love is' verse. 8/10.
 
Re: Daily Song: For the Greater Good of God

Real good song, this one took me a while to really like, but at some point it really clicked and I love listening to it. 

I give it a 9.
 
Re: Daily Song: For the Greater Good of God

5. Not always the brilliant lyricism can save the day. FTGGOG has some wonderful insturmental passages, but perhaps Dave's worst solo he ever made. Just awful. The other 2 aren't much behind, either; the verses are a rehash of Judgement Of Heaven, but it plods and suffocates you, the pre chorus and chorus are good, they could've benefited a lot more if it wasn't for the insistence of 'Arry to squeeze all the lyrics into the songs, making it tiresome. Badly arranged, like TLD, LOL and The Legacy.
 
8/10- I like the melody and especially the mid section.  But I've always found this song a bit too padded.  Cutting down on the repetition could have resulted in an incredible 7 minute song instead of a pretty good 9+ minute one.  I prefer its (melody-wise) sequel When the Wild Wind Blows.
 
Donner said:
8/10- I like the melody and especially the mid section.  But I've always found this song a bit too padded.  Cutting down on the repetition could have resulted in an incredible 7 minute song instead of a pretty good 9+ minute one.  I prefer its (melody-wise) sequel When the Wild Wind Blows.

I agree with everything here except for the part I've highlighted in bold - I rate them equally. The lyrics of this song - about how religion is used to justify war and killing - to me summarize the core idea of the album. It's as close as you get to a title track, on an album which has none.

9/10 from me. With some trimming of the chorus, it would earn a 10.
 
8/10, Good song, a little longer than it needs to be, like the lyrics, vocals and guitar work, a moody tune.
 
Re: Daily Song: For the Greater Good of God

Mosh said:
9. If it wasn't so repetitive it would get a 10.

Agree here. Has the same kind of driving guitar pyrotechnics as Dance of Death that makes me find it irresistible. But the repetition wears after a while. Almost sounds like a BNW track.
 
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