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POWERSLAVE  (1984)


 

 

 

  1. Aces High
  2. 2 Minutes To Midnight
  3. Losfer Word (Big 'Orra)
  4. Flash Of The Blade
  5. The Duellist
  6. Back In Village
  7. Powerslave
  8. Rime Of The Ancient Mariner
Vocals
Bruce Dickinson
Guitar
Dave Murray
Guitar
Adrian Smith
Bass
Steve Harris
Drums
Nicko Mcbrain

Aces High

Aces High

There goes the siren that warns of the air raid 
Then comes the sound of the guns sending flak 
Out for the scramble we've got to get airborne 
Got to get up for the coming attack.

Jump in the cockpit and start up the engines 
Remove all the wheelblocks there's no time to waste 
Gathering speed as we head down the runway 
Gotta get airborne before it's too late.

Running, scrambling, flying 
Rolling, turning, diving, going in again 
Run, live to fly, fly to live, do or die 
Run, live to fly, fly to live. Aces high.

Move in to fire at the mainstream of bombers 
Let off a sharp burst and then turn away 
Roll over, spin round and come in behind them 
Move to their blindsides and firing again.

Bandits at 8 O'clock move in behind us 
Ten ME-109's out of the sun 
Ascending and turning our spitfires to face them 
Heading straight for them I press down my guns

Rolling, turning, diving 
Rolling, turning, diving, going in again 
Run, live to fly, fly to live, do or die 
Run, live to fly, fly to live, Aces high. 

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2 Minutes To Midnight

2 Minutes To Midnight

Kill for gain or shoot to maim 
But we don't need a reason 
The Golden Goose is on the loose 
And never out of season 
Some blackened pride still burns inside 
This shell of bloody treason 
Here's my gun for a barrel of fun 
For the love of living death.

CHORUS 
The killer's breed or the demon's seed, 
The glamour, the fortune, the pain, 
Go to war again, blood is freedom's stain, 
But don't you pray for my soul anymore. 
2 minutes to midnight 
The hands that threaten doom. 
2 minutes to midnight 
To kill the unborn in the womb.

The blind men shout let the creatures out 
We'll show the unbelievers 
The napalm screams of human flames 
Of a prime time Belsen feast...YEAH! 
As the reasons for the carnage cut their meat
 and lick the gravy, 
We oil the jaws of the war machine 
and feed it with our babies. 

CHORUS

The body bags and little rags of children torn in two 
And the jellied brains of those who remain 
to put the finger right on you. 
As the madmen play on words and make us all dance
 to their song, 
To the tune of starving millions to make 
a better kind of gun. 

CHORUS

Midnight...all night... 

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Losfer Word (Big' Orra)

Instrumental

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Flash Of The Blade

As a young boy chasing dragons with your wooden sword so mighty, 
You're St. George or you're David and you always killed the beast. 
Times change very quickly, 
and you had to grow up early, 
A house in smoking ruins and the bodies at your feet. 

CHORUS 
You'll die as you lived 
In a flash of the blade, 
In a corner forgotten by no one. 
YOu llived for the touch 
For the feel of the steel 
One man, and his honour.

The smell of resined leather 
The steely iron mask 
As you cut and thrust and parried at the fencing master's call. 
He taught you all he knew 
To fear no mortal man 
and now you'll wreak your vengeance in the 
Screams of evil men.

CHORUS 

You'll die as you lived 
In a flash of the blade, 
In a corner forgotten by no one. 
YOu llived for the touch 
For the feel of the steel 
One man, and his honour.

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The Duellist

He threw down a glove you made the mistake 
Of picking it up now you're gone 
The choosing of guns or fighting with swords 
The choice of weapons is done 
He'll tear you apart as soon as you start 
You know you don't have a chance.

CHORUS 
OH...OH...Fight for the honour 
Fight for the splendour 
Fight for the pleasure 
OH...OH...Fight for the honour 
Fight for the splendour 
Fight for your life!

Ready to start the duel begins the best man wins in the end. 
A lunge and a feint, a parry too late 
A cut to the chest and you're down 
Seeing the stain then feeling the pain 
Feeling the sweat on your brow.

CHORUS

The fighting resumes, a silence looms the swordsmen move 'gainst each 
other 
A cut and a thrust, a parry, a blow, a stab to the heart and you're down 
The Angel of Death hears your last breath 
Meanwhile the Reaper looks on.

CHORUS 
OH...OH...Fought the honour 
Fought for the splendour 
Fought for the pleasure 
OH...OH...Fought for the honour 
fought for the splendour 
Fought to the death 

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Back in The Village

Turn the spotlights on the people, 
Switch the dial and eat the worm. 
Take your chances, kill the engine, 
Drop your bombs and let it burn.

White flags shot to ribbons, 
The truce is black and burned, 
Shellshock in the kitchen, 
Tables overturned.

CHORUS 
Back in the village again, 
In the village. 
I'm back in the village again.

Throwing dice now, rolling loaded, 
I see sixes all the way. 
In a black hole, and I'm spinning 
As my wings get shot away.

No breaks on the inside, 
Paper cats and burning barns, 
There's a fox among the chickens, 
And a killer in the hounds.

Questions are a burden 
And answers are a prison for oneself 
Shellshock in the kitchen 
Tables start to burn.

CHORUS

But still we walk into the valley 
And others try to kill the inner flame 
We're burning brighter than before 
I don't have a number, I'M A NAME!

CHORUS 


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Powerslave

Into the abyss I'll fall-the eye of Horus 
Into the eyes of the night-watching me go 
Green is the cat's eye that glows-in this temple 
Enter the risen Osiris-risen again.

CHORUS 
Tell me why I had to be a powerslave 
I don't wanna die, I'm a god, why can't I live on? 
When the Life Giver dies, all around is laid to waste. 
And in my last hour,I'm a slave to the power of death.

When I was living this lie-fear was my game 
People would worship and fall-drop to their knees 
So bring me the blood and red wine for the one to succeed me 
For he is a man and a god-and he will die too.

CHORUS

Now I am cold but a ghost lives in my veins, 
Silent the terror that reigned-marbled in stone 
Shell of a man God preserved-a thousand ages 
But open the gates of my hell-I will strike from the grave.

CHORUS 

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Rime Of The Ancient Mariner

Hear the rime of the ancient mariner 
See his eye as he stops one of three 
Mesmerises one of the wedding guests 
Stay here and listen to the nightmares of the sea. 

And the music plays on, as the bride passes by 
Caught by his spell and the mariner tells his tale. 

Driven south to the land of the snow and ice 
To a place where nobody's been 
Through the snow fog flies on the albatross 
Hailed in God's name, hoping good luck it brings. 

And the ship sails on, back to the North 
Through the fog and ice and the albatross follows on.

The mariner kills the bird of good omen 
His shipmates cry against what he's done 
BUt when the fog clears, they justify him 
And make themselves a part of the crime.

Sailing on and on and north across the sea 
Sailing on and on and north 'til all is calm.

The albatross begins with its vengeance 
A terrible curse a thirst has begun 
His shipmates blame bad luck on the mariner 
About his neck, the dead bird is hung.

And the curse goes on and on at sea 
And the curse goes on and on for them and me.

"Day after day, day after day, 
we stuck nor breath nor motion 
as idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean 
Water, water everywhere and 
all the boards did shrink 
Water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink." 

There calls the mariner 
There comes a ship over the line 
But how can she sail with no wind in her sails and no tide.

See...onward she comes 
Onward she nears out of the sun 
See, she has no crew 
She has no life, wait but here's two.

Death and she Life in Death, 
They throw their dice for the crew 
She wins the mariner and he belongs to her now. 
Then...crew one by one 
they drop down dead, two hundred men 
She...she, Life in Death. 
She lets him live, her chosen one.

"One after one by the star dogged moon, 
too quick for groan or sigh 
each turned his facce with a ghastly pang 
and cursed me with his eye 
four times fifty living men 
(and I heard nor sigh nor groan) 
with heavy thump, a lifeless lump, 
they dropped down one by one."

The curse it lives on in their eyes 
The mariner wished he'd die 
Along with the sea creatures 
But they lived on, so did he.

and by the light of the moon 
He prays for their beauty not doom 
With heart he blesses them 
God's creatures all of them too.

Then the spell starts to break 
The albatross falls from his neck 
Sinks down like lead into the sea 
Then down in falls comes the rain.

Hear the groans of the long dead seamen 
See them stir and they start to rise 
Bodies lifted by good spirits 
None of them speak and they're lifelesss in their eyes

And revenge is still sought, penance starts again 
Cast into a trance and the nightmare carries on. 

Now the curse is finally lifted 
And the mariner sights his home 
spirits go fromhe long dead bodies 
Form their own light and the mariner's left alone. 

And then a boat came sailing towards him 
It was a joy he could not believe 
The pilot's boat, his son and the hermit, 
Penance of life will fall onto him.

And the ship sinks like lead into the sea 
And the hermit shrieves the mariner of his sins. 

The mariner's bound to tell of his story 
To tell this tale wherever he goes 
To teach God's word by his own example 
That we must love all things that God made.

And the wedding guest's a sad and wiser man 
And the tale goes on and on and on. 


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