This song is the somber reflections of a prisoner on the day his death sentence is to be carried out. The listener is given no context regarding the prisoner’s crime (could he be the narrator from several of the tracks on Killers?), but is instead treated to an introspective look at the meaning of l...
[Intro]
I'm waiting in my cold cell when the bell begins to chime
Reflecting on my past life and it doesn't have much time
'Cause at five o'clock they take me to the gallows pole
The sands of time for me are running low
Running low, yeah
[Verse 1]
When the priest comes to read me the last rites
Take a look through the bars at the last sights
Of a world that has gone very wrong for me
Can it be that there's some sort of error?
Hard to stop the surmounting terror
Is it really the end, not some crazy dream?
[Verse 2]
Somebody please tell me that I'm dreaming
It's not easy to stop from screaming
But words escape me when I try to speak
Tears fall, but why am I crying?
After all, I'm not afraid of dying
Don't I believe that there never is an end?
[Instrumental Break]
[Verse 3]
As the guards march me out to the courtyard
Somebody cries from a cell, "God be with you"
If there's a God, why has He let me go?
As I walk, my life drifts before me
And though the end is near, I'm not sorry
Catch my soul, it's willing to fly away
[Verse 4]
Mark my words, believe my soul lives on
Don't worry now that I have gone
I've gone beyond to seek the truth
When you know that your time is close at hand
Maybe then you'll begin to understand
Life down here is just a strange illusion
[Instrumental Break]
[Outro]
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Hallowed be thy name
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Hallowed be thy name
Yeah
Hallowed Be Thy Name was written by Steve Harris.
Hallowed Be Thy Name was produced by Martin Birch.
Iron Maiden released Hallowed Be Thy Name on Mon Mar 22 1982.