Iron Maiden-10.The Legacy(Dortmund 2006)

Описание: Iron Maiden - Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany, Dec. 8, 2006, during A Matter of Life and Death World Tour 2006-2007, also known as A Matter of Life and Death World Tour - 1st leg-2006,and A Matter of the Beast Tour - 2nd leg-2007.
Special thanks goes to the owner for this DVD.

The Legacy (Gers, Harris)

Bruce Dickinson:Vocals
Steve Harris:Bass
Janick Gers:Guitar
Dave Murray:Guitar
Adrian Smith:Guitar
Nicko McBrain:Drums

[Lyrics]

Tell you a thing
That you ought to know
Two minutes of your time
Then on you go

Tell tale of the men
All dressed in black
That most of them
Not coming back

Sent off to war
To play little games
And on their return
Can't name no names

Some strange yellow gas
Has played with their minds
Has reddened their eyes
Removed all the lies

And strange as it sounds
Death knows no bounds
How many get well
Only time will tell

Only time will tell

You lie in your death bed now
But what did you bring to the table
Brought us only holy sin
Utter trust is a deadly thing

To the prayer of holy peace
We didn't know what was lying underneath
So how could we be such fools
And to think that we thought you the answer

I can't begin to understand in all the lies
But on your death bed I can see it in your eyes
Just as clear as all the sweat upon your brow
It really makes sense I can see it clearly now

Tangles up in a web of lies
Could have been a way to prophesise
Unaware of the consequence
Not aware of the secrets that you kept

Nothing that we could believe
To reveal the façade of faceless men
Not a thing that we could foresee
Now a sign that would tell us the outcome

You had us all strung out with promises of peace
But all along your cover plan was to deceive
Can it put to right now only time will tell
Your prophecies will send us all to hell as well

Left to all our golden sons
All to pick up on the peace
You could have given all of them
A little chance... at least

Take the world to a better place
Given them all just a little hope
Just think what a legacy
You now... will leave

We seem destined to live in fear
And some that would say Armageddon is near
But where there's a life while there's hope
That man won't self-destruct

Why can't we treat our fellow men
With more respect and a shake of their hands
But anger and loathing is rife
The death on all sides is becoming a way of life

We live in an uncertain world
Fear understanding and ignorance is leading to death
Only the corpses are left
For vultures that prey on their bones

But some are just not wanting peace
Their whole life is death and misery
The only thing that they know
Fight fire with fire, life is cheap

But if they do stop to think
That man is teetering right on the brink
But do you think that they care
They benefit from death and pain and despair
.........................
The Legacy is a song from the album''A Matter of Life and Death'' by Iron Maiden, released in 2006.

The start of "The Legacy", sounding like some eerie lullaby, sets the scene of what could be a political thriller, with the "tale of the men all dressed in black" who are "sent off to war to play little games". These men are quite evidently special forces on an undercover mission, an assignment that seems to be ultra-secret, as the survivors "can't name no names" when they return, and also particularly dangerous because the story-teller states that "most of them [are] not coming back".

There is a mention of a "strange yellow gas" that "played with their minds", reminiscent of the story of the 1990 film Jacob's Ladder, where US troops in Vietnam are subjected to a drug that alters their perception of reality and renders them extremely aggressive. Although the "gas" of the lyrics seems to elicit a different response than the drug in the film, the mind-altering effect, as well as its potential lethality, are clearly obvious.

Then, the story shifts to some character laying on his death bed after a life of political intrigues, deceit and seemingly various evil deeds as a leader, including that of sending out those men on some secret mission.
The second and last part of the song, after the solo, enlarges the picture to something more general (notice the progression from the specific secret mission of the "men all dressed in black", to the leader who ordered the mission lying on his death bed, then to a broader worldwide situation). Although there is hope while there is life, some still consider that "life is cheap" and blatantly disregard the basic respect for other human beings, may they be their own troops sent to the slaughter, or simple citizens who die as a result of their dubious political manœuvres.(Sourse: ironmaidencommentary.com )