More Maiden
Iron Maiden - "Face in the Sand"
Everybody's waiting for something to happen
Everybody's waiting for something to see
Lunatics waiting for bigger disasters
Everyone's waiting for news on TV
Winding lives at the end of the spiral
Waiting dictators with their next big thrill
Everyone's looking, but no one is listening
Everybody wants to be in at the kill
I wait for the signs, they tell me true
I see the signs of the end of time
Everyone's searching, but nothing's revealing
Everyone's looking for the reason why
Everyone's hoping for life everafter
Everyone's looking at death from the sky
Everyone's nightmares are going to happen
Everybody's ripping the mask from their eyes
Everyone's praying but no one's believing
Everyone's heroes tell everyone's lies
I wait for the signs, they tell me true
I see the signs of the end
[Chorus:]
So I watch and I wait
And I pray for an awnser
An end to the strife and the world's misery
But the end never came
And we're digging the graves
And we're loading the guns for the kill
Can the end be at hand?
Is the face in the sand
Future memory of our tragedy?
Can the end be at hand?
Is the face in the sand
Future memory of our tragedy?
[Repeat chorus, last verse]
Iron Maiden - "Paschendale"
In a foreign field he lay
Lonely soldier, unknown grave
On his dying words he prays
Tell the world of Paschendale
Relive all that he's been through
Last communion of his soul
Rust your bullets with his tears
Let me tell you 'bout his years
Laying low in a blood filled trench
Kill time 'til my very own death
On my face I can feel the falling rain
Never see my friends again
In the smoke, in the mud and lead
Smell the fear and the feeling of dread
Soon be time to go over the wall
Rapid fire and end of us all
Whistles, shouts and more gun fire
Lifeless bodies hang on barbed wire
Battlefield nothing but a bloody tomb
Be reunited with my dead friends soon
Many soldiers eighteen years
Drown in mud, no more tears
Surely a war no-one can win
Killing time about to begin
Home, far away
From the war, a chance to live again
Home, far away
But the war, no chance to live again
The bodies of ours and our foes
The sea of death it overflows
In no man's land, God only knows
Into jaws of death we go
Crucified as if on a cross
Allied troops they mourn their loss
German war propaganda machine
Such before has never been seen
Swear I heard the angels cry
Pray to god no more may die
So that people know the truth
Tell the tale of Paschendale
Cruelty has a human heart
Every man does play his part
Terror of the men we kill
The human heart is hungry still
I stand my ground for the very last time
Gun is ready as I stand in line
Nervous wait for the whistle to blow
Rush of blood and over we go
Blood is falling like the rain
Its crimson cloak unveils again
The sound of guns can't hide their shame
And so we die on Paschendale
Dodging shrapnel and barbed wire
Running straight at cannon fire
Running blind as I hold my breath
Say a prayer symphony of death
As we charge the enemy lines
A burst of fire and we go down
I choke a cry but no-one hears
Feel the blood go down my throat
Home, far away
From the war, a chance to live again
Home, far away
But the war, no chance to live again
Home, far away
From the war, a chance to live again
Home, far away
But the war, no chance to live again
See my spirit on the wind
Across the lines, beyond the hill
Friend and foe will meet again
Those who died at Paschendale
Paschendale was one of the major battles of WWI, fought by the British, ANZAC (Australian and New England Army Corps), and Canadian soldiers against the German army. The battle was fought for control of the village of Paschendale near the Belgian town of Ypers in West Flanders. Almost a quarter of a million Allied men died in the fight which resulted in the Canadian forces finally capturing it, about the same number of Germans died. The song above is a homage to the lives lost in that battle, vividly describing a soldier's vision of the battle. Go check Wikipedia.
It's both depressing and interesting. =/
When will we learn?