Dance Of Death Lyrics
Iron Maiden
Lyrics
Let me tell you a story to chill the bones
Out of things that I saw
One night wandering in the everglades
I'd one drink but no more
I was rambling, enjoying the bright moonlight
Gazing up at the stars
Not aware of a presence so near to me
Watching my every move
Feeling scared and I fell to my knees
As something rushed me from the trees
Took me to an unholy place
And that is where I fell from grace
Then they summoned me over to join in with them
To the dance of the dead
Into the circle of fire I followed them
Into the middle I was led
As if time had stopped still I was numb with fear
But still I wanted to go
And the blaze of the fire did no hurt upon me
As I walked onto the coals
And I felt I was in a trance
And my spirit was lifted from me
And if only someone had the chance
To witness what happened to me
And I danced and I pranced and I sang with them
All had death in their eyes
Lifeless figures, they were undead all of them
They had ascended from hell
As I danced with the dead
My free spirit was laughing and howling down at me
Below my undead body just danced the circle of dead
Until the time came to reunite us both
My spirit came back down to me
I didn't know if I was alive or dead
As the others all joined in with me
By luck then a skirmish started
And took the attention away from me
When they took their gaze from me
Was the moment that I fled
I ran like hell faster than the wind
But behind I did not glance
One thing that I did not dare
Was to look just straight ahead
When you know that your time has come around
You know you'll be prepared for it
Say your last goodbyes to everyone
Drink and say a prayer for it
When you're lying in your sleep, when you're lying in your bed
And you wake from your dreams to go dancing with the dead
When you're lying in your sleep, when you're lying in your bed
And you wake from your dreams to go dancing with the dead
To this day I guess I'll never know
Just why they let me go
But I'll never go dancing no more
'Til I dance with the dead
Song & Lyrics Facts
Iron Maiden's Dance of Death is a song from the band's 2003 album of the same name. The song was released on August 18, 2003 and written by Steve Harris and Bruce Dickinson.
It features Iron Maiden's classic heavy metal sound with powerful guitar riffs and soaring vocals from Dickinson. Lyrically, the song is about facing death head-on, as well as embracing life to its fullest. In it, Dickinson sings "The dance of death, we all must do/We'll all be swept away one day". The song has become a fan favorite over the years and remains a staple in Iron Maiden's live setlist.