Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
This song was inspired by the 1979 movie Apocalypse Now, which in turn was inspired by the Joseph Conrad 1899 novel Heart of Darkness. Some of the lines are taken directly from the movie.
The lyrics describe the character of Colonel Kurtz.
[Intro]
I've looked into the heart of darkness
Where the blood-red journey ends
When you've faced the heart of darkness
Even your soul begins to bend
For a week, I have been waiting
Still, I am only in Saigon
The walls move in a little closer
I feel the jungle call me on
[Verse 1]
Every minute, I get weaker
While, in the jungle, they grow strong
What I wanted was a mission
And for my sins, they gave me one
They brought it up just like room service
'Cause everyone gets what they want
And when that mission was all over
I'd never want another one
Oh, oh
[Verse 2]
I know, Captain, that you've done this work before
We've got a problem, you can help us all, I'm sure
The colonel's gone rogue and his methods are unsound
You'll take a PBR upriver, track him down
[Verse 3]
There's a conflict in every human heart
And the temptation is to take it all too far
In this war, things get so confused
But there are some things which cannot be excused
He's acting like a God, an insane lunatic
Your mission: terminate with extreme prejudice
The route is dangerous and your progress may be slow
Here is the file and it's all you need to know
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
[Instrumental Break: 4:20-5:16]
[Bridge]
Here I am, the knife in my hand
And now I understand why the genius must die
Now I stand alone in the darkness
With his blood upon my hands
Where sat the warrior, the poet
Now lie the fragments of a man
[Outro]
I've looked into the heart of darkness
Where the blood-red journey ends
When you've faced the heart of darkness
Even your soul begins to bend
I've looked into the heart of darkness
The Edge of Darkness was written by Janick Gers & Blaze Bayley & Steve Harris.
The Edge of Darkness was produced by Steve Harris & Nigel Green.
Iron Maiden released The Edge of Darkness on Mon Oct 02 1995.