Whoa. Was not expecting this. If the algorithm works, this should up the views. This is hallowed ground. My wife was a rock vocalist but not into metal and when she saw them live back in the good old days, she came away saying Bruce was the best vocalist she had ever heard. I have played this song finger style on the guitar since....I think dinosaurs heard me.

Thanks for playing Tammy. Didn't know if you knew this one. Surprised you got a black screen. You should have at least had the Piece of Mind album cover with Eddie on it. This song is more involved in meaning than most Iron Maiden songs. I happen to know all the studio songs that they have. Below is an in depth meaning to the lyrics. The song starts with the Hymnal from "Oh God of Earth and Alter", An excerpt of an English hymnal, written by G. K. Chesterton, written in the 19th century. The next two verses on the Hindu philosophy "Just a babe in a black abyss" alludes to Alister Crowley, the word "babe" corresponds to the human being and the "black abyss" means a hopeless world . "No reason for a place like this" shows the nonsense of man's existence on Earth if hope doesn't exist anymore. Then we come to "the secret of the hanged man" In popular Hindu beliefs the hanged man is a sign of good luck. This is why the song states that he has "a smile on his lips": this is what his secret is. In the third verse, the most important line is: "The venom that tears my spine". In Yoga, there is a snake called Kundalini who is supposed to live at the base of the spinal cord of every person. During orgasm or intense meditation, a spiritual entity is created, the "Samadhi, symbolizing the transcendental union with God. At that point, the Kundalini is set free and crawls up the spine up to the brain where he releases his venom. The union between the venom and the brain substance then promotes a union with God. The next verse, "The Eyes of the Nile are opening" imply then that a whole universe of possibilities is open as soon as the venom makes its way into the individual. Whereas the Bible considers the serpent to be evil incarnate, the Hindu philosophy associates it with creation and ecstasy. The serpent has therefore here a positive and constructive aspect.The Serpent's Kiss has also been the topic of many of Crowley's philosophical discussions. Then, "The Eye of the Sun" is mentioned, as the sun is the symbol ofcreation, representing the masculine side of life. The feminine side appears a bit further in the word "Moonlight", the moon being the symbol of femininity. The complete sentence, "Moonlight catches silver tears I cry", closes the full circle, as silver is the color of the sun. We find therefore here both male and female entities, and they cannot be separated.In fact, this philosophy considers the universe to be a dual, binary world where everything only exists because of its opposite. In other words, there is no Manichean dichotomy like in the christian school of thoughts where Good and Evil are kept apart and Evil should be eliminated. Only the christian system of values is monolithic, whereas all the other great philosophies are based on a duality of notions, like the Ying and the Yang in China, or the Jewish Kaballah. Bruce handles all these concepts efficiently and with caution because of their complexity.

I bought this album when it came out. This is my favorite all time album and my favorite song. Still Life is my 2nd favorite song.

I'm sure Metal Mark has heard me tell this tale before!! So forgive me Mark but this is for Tammy and her other subscribers. I used to hang out with these guys back in the late 70s,early 80s. We went to the Ruskin Arms Pub in East London and I must have seen them play there at least 30 times......I also played football ⚽️ with Stevie Harris for our local amateur team(Melbourne FC),and he was as good at that as he is on bass!!! They really were the most humble decent guys you could meet. The best thing though is they have stayed true rockers and still remain the most humble decent blokes......a top band,top blokes. Iron Maiden fans will know what I mean when I say......"up the Irons ⚒️⚒️⚒️" Any chance of a reaction to "Lonely is the word " by Black Sabbath? You will be surprised by its bluesy sound.

This is where Maiden really took a major step forward by adding Nicko McBrain formally of the Pat Traverse Band. The first 2 albums and the one before this showed moments of brilliance. I was always partial to this period with just the two guitars of Adrian Smith and Dave Murray. Too many cooks in the kitchen with Jannick Gers these days.

Great song request Metal Mark. It's been a while since I've heard this one and at least it did not get blocked thankfully.👍🎸🎸🔥🔥

Great song MM, never heard this one. The only two songs I know of theirs are "The Trooper" and "Run to the Hills." Another band I need to do a deep dive on.

Okay. You’re not a fan. No big deal. Thx for the reaction.