Iron Maiden-6.Dance Of Death (New York 2004)

Iron Maiden - Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, US, Jan. 26, 2004, during the '' Dance of Death World Tour'' 2003 - 2004. Dance Of Death (Gers, Harris) Bruce Dickinson:Vocals Steve Harris:Bass Janick Gers:Guitar Dave Murray:Guitar Adrian Smith:Guitar Nicko McBrain:Drums [Lyrics] Let me tell you a story to chill the bones, about a thing 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 Then 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 Death 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 'till I dance with the dead ................................... 'Dance Of Death' is a song from the thirteenth studio album ''Dance of Death'' by Iron Maiden,released first in Japan on September 2 and rest of the world on September 8, 2003. Originally inspired by Ingmar Bergman's 1957 film The Seventh Seal. "Dance Of Death" is not referring to the medieval dances of death, a series of ancient plays that have reached us through paintings and engravings, the most famous of which being Holbein's (1497--1543). Instead, the story takes us to the deep South of the United States, where Voodoo has taken place and is still said to occur regularly still now. The setting of the story is the Everglades, a marshy area and a national park at the southernmost tip of Florida, and somehow quite close to where Nicko McBrain lives, although there is no indication that the drummer inspired the location of the tale. The lyrics are reminiscent of those of "The Number Of The Beast", although the character of the story is here actively participating to the gruesome ceremony and there is no mention of Satan (the undead may have "ascended from Hell", but they seem to be on a night out without the "boss"). ''Dance of Death'' album marks the first participation in songwriting by Nicko McBrain, who co-wrote the song "New Frontier" and also is the first (and so far only) time that all members of the band get a songwriting credit. It is sometimes mistakenly said that Steve Harris performed all the keyboard parts on the album because no credit is given to usual collaborator Michael Kenney, but this is actually due to an oversight in the printing of the album booklet (no instrument credits are given to any of the full band members either). The band's usual message in every album (a variation on the line "Up the Irons!") is absent too. Give Me Ed... 'til I'm Dead Tour & Dance of Death World Tour was the tour supporting the album. Dance of Death once again brought costumes to Maiden's stage show. During "Dance of Death," Bruce Dickinson would wear theatrical masks and a cape while moving around the stage; at the end he would dress as the Grim Reaper for the final chorus. During the song "Paschendale", Dickinson would sometimes wear a traditional British Infantryman suit as worn during World War I and act out his death onstage during the song. The title of the album refers to the late-medieval allegory on the universality of death: no matter one's station in life, the dance of death unites all. This philosophy is more commonly known as Danse Macabre.