Worst/Best Maiden Lyrics

Prowler_108

Trooper
Say what you think the worst and best Maiden lyrics are.  I'm pretty sure this hasn't been done before.  You can put up to five in each category.
Worst for me would be:
Lord of the Flies: Good song, but the lyrics, especially "I like all the mixed emotions and anger" don't really work well.
The Assassin: Boring retread of earlier songs.
Dance of Death: "I danced and I pranced" 'Nuff said.
The Apparition: Does anyone actually know what this song is about?
Bring Your Daughter...:I actually love this song, but the lyrics are all randomly rhyming words. "Just empty words and...humble pie" WTF
Best:
Moonchild: I've always dug the lyrics for this song, especially the killer first verse.
2 Minutes to Midnight: Not one of my favorites, but the lyrics are excellent.
Benjamin Breeg: These lyrics are amazing and haunting, and easily some of their best.
These Colours Don't Run: Very patriotic, and pumps you up before sporting events!
Rime of the Ancient Mariner: Nothing really needs to be said.
I'm interested to hear what you opinions are!
 
My fave lyrics are Moonchild, Infinite Dreams, and Sign of the Cross.

Worst, probably Quest for Fire, and the earlier "street" songs like Prowler and Charlotte the Harlot.  Good tunes, but the lyrics aren't in the same league as their more epic stuff.
 
Least fave lyrics are: Prowler, Sanctuary, Can I Play With Madness. Another Life could enter on the list 'cos it's only one verse, but it's quite well written. One song which its instrumental is one of Maiden lesser moments, but the lyrics are some of the most brilliant is The Apparition.
 
Prowler_108 said:
2 Minutes to Midnight: Not one of my favorites, but the lyrics are excellent.

Really? I'll have to disagree with you just because of this line.  "Cut the meat and lick the gravy" oh and the "The Golden Goose" Metaphorical or not, it's cheesy!
 
mozzle said:
Really? I'll have to disagree with you just because of this line.  "Cut the meat and lick the gravy" oh and the "The Golden Goose" Metaphorical or not, it's cheesy!

I think the individual words/phrases when taken out of context are indeed goofy, but in the context of the song they work very well.  Kinda like "and I danced, and I pranced."  Another goofy statement when taken out of the song's context.
 
I agree, but until much later in the song DOD's lyrics are pretty cheesy.
Jeffmetal said:
Least fave lyrics are: Prowler, Sanctuary, Can I Play With Madness. Another Life could enter on the list 'cos it's only one verse, but it's quite well written. One song which its instrumental is one of Maiden lesser moments, but the lyrics are some of the most brilliant is The Apparition.
I never really got what the Apparition was supposed to be about, but I do agree about the other song.  Sanctuary is easily one of my least favorite Maiden songs.
 
chaosapiant said:
I think the individual words/phrases when taken out of context are indeed goofy, but in the context of the song they work very well.  Kinda like "and I danced, and I pranced."  Another goofy statement when taken out of the song's context.

True, it's just the rest of the song is so serious. "the body bags and little rags of children torn in two"  It's dark it's serious it's heavy. In another song those lyrics I called cheesy might not be cheesy at all, but in this song, those two lines stand out like a sore thumb.
 
The lyrics to the intro in the Longest Day are especially intense, and I can't believe I forgot to mention Paschendale  :eek: Face in the Sand has the best lyrics off DOD though i think.
 
I agree.:)

For other good lyrics, I'm thinking Only the Good Die Young, Revelations and Sign of the Cross.

Worst? Ah, The Thin Line Between Love and Hate, Age of Innocence, Alexander the Great, To Tame a Land and Afraid to Shoot Strangers.
 
Well the worst IMO are The Apparation, Wrathchild and Charlott The Harlot and I don't think that Alexander The Great lyrics are so bad as people say
My favorites are Hallowed Be Thy Name, Brave New World (after reading the book I like the lyrics even more), Paschendale, These Colours Don't Run and Longest Day . So 3 out of 5 are connected to the war, Maiden sure knows how do write about war and the Mother Of Mercy is also war-related as I have heard so :yey:
 
Moonchild33 said:
I agree.:)

For other good lyrics, I'm thinking Only the Good Die Young, Revelations and Sign of the Cross.

Worst? Ah, The Thin Line Between Love and Hate, Age of Innocence, Alexander the Great, To Tame a Land and Afraid to Shoot Strangers.
Age of Innocence has some of the cheesiest lyrics in Maiden history, especially the chorus  :S
 
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 don't think any song is a total loss, but there are some bad parts for sure

Wildest Dreams: "I'm gonna organize some changes in my life."
  Worded funny, and cheesy to boot

Tailgunner: "Nail that Fokker kill that son / gonna blow your guts out with my gun"
  Historically inaccurate, and just kinda lame

It's kind of tough, because great music can balance out poor lyrics, and the songs that are lesser in musical quality tend to emphasize any weakness in lyrics.  Like if your phrasing is not well-spaced out over the chords, then the words sound awkward and out of place.

On the other side of the coin: The Trooper, Hallowed, Aces High, Paschendale, Almost all of AMOLAD, but especially Brighter Than a Thousand Suns, The Longest Day, and The Legacy.  All great lyrics.
 
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