In interviews, Bruce Dickinson has stated that the song's lyrics are about the occult English writer Aleister Crowley. The repeated expression "Do what thou wilt!" refers to the motto of the Abbey of Thelema, which the French Renaissance writer François Rabelais invented in his philosophical work Gargantua. In this abbey, men and women live together in peace and harmony according to the principle:
In all their rule and strictest tie of their order there was but this one clause to be observed, Do What Thou Wilt; because men that are free, well-born, well-bred, and conversant in honest companies, have naturally an instinct and spur that prompteth them unto virtuous actions, and withdraws them from vice, which is called honour.
Inspired by Rabelais' ideas, Crowley founded in 1920 a commune called the Abbey of Thelema in Sicily.
The title Man of Sorrows refers to a passage in the Bible, in the book of Isaiah 53, which describes a man who takes on the sins of all mankind. According to Catholic teaching, this figure foreshadows Jesus, who died for mankind to redeem them:
He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.2
A Spanish version of the song, Hombre Triste, is included on the 2005 expanded edition of Accident of Birth. A radio edit and an orchestral version of Man of Sorrows are included on the same CD.
Man Of Sorrows
Bruce Dickinson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He prays to a god he does not know, he cannot feel
All of his sins of childhood he will remember
He will not cry, tears he will not cry
Man of sorrows, I won't see your face
Man of sorrows, you left without a trace
His small boy wonders, what was it all about?
Vision of a new world from the ashes of the old
"Do what thou wilt!", he screams from his cursed soul
A tortured seer, a prophet of our emptiness
Wondering why, wondering why
Man of sorrows, I won't see your face
(I won't see your face)
Man of sorrows, you left without a trace
His small boy wonders, what was it all about?
Is your journey over has it just begun?
A man of sorrows, wrecked
With thoughts that dare not speak their name
Trapped inside a body, made to feel only guilt and shame
His anger all his life "I hate myself!", he cried
"Do what thou wilt!"
"Do what thou wilt!", he cried
Man of sorrows, I won't see your face
(I won't see your face)
Man of sorrows, you left without a trace
(left without a trace)
His small boy wonders, what was it all about?
Is your journey over has it just begun?
Man of sorrows, I won't see your face
(I won't see your face)
Man of sorrows, you left without a trace
(left without a trace)
His small boy wonders, what was it all about?
Is your journey over has it just begun?
Has it just begun?
The song "Man of Sorrows" by Bruce Dickinson delves into the concept of faith, loss, and the human struggle to understand the purpose of life. The opening lines depict a small boy in a church, praying to a god he cannot feel or touch. It highlights the intrinsic difficulties of belief, especially when faced with sins and struggles in life that challenge one's faith. The stanza evokes the idea that despite the boy's prayers, he is not sure of what he is praying for, and the tears he cannot shed represent the emotional numbness that accompanies loss.
The middle section of the song explores the perspective of the boy who has come of age and is grappling with his beliefs. The lyrics suggest that he has become disillusioned with life and struggles to understand its purpose. The lines "Vision of a new world from the ashes of the old" suggest that he is searching for answers to life's questions and yearning for a world different from the one he exists in. The "tortured seer" alludes to the idea that the boy has become a visionary and can see beyond the limits that society imposes on him. However, this new perspective comes at a cost as he has to bear the burden of understanding the emptiness of life, which is a profound pain.
The final section of the song portrays the man who has left behind his boyhood and become a "man of sorrows." The lines suggest that he has experienced suffering, guilt, and shame in his life. The phrase "thoughts that dare not speak their name" implies a sense of shame that the society attaches to certain thoughts and feelings; this line is a direct reference to Oscar Wilde, who also used the same phrase to describe homosexuality. The chorus of the song repeats the same lines, signaling a sense of futility and the realization that the search for answers is an ongoing process.
Line by Line Meaning
Here, in a church, a small boy is kneeling
A small boy is seen kneeling in a church
He prays to a god he does not know, he cannot feel
The boy is praying to a god he doesn't know and can't feel
All of his sins of childhood he will remember
The boy remembers all his childhood sins
He will not cry, tears he will not cry
Despite his memories, he doesn't shed any tears
Man of sorrows, I won't see your face
The singer won't see the face of the 'Man of Sorrows'
Man of sorrows, you left without a trace
The 'Man of Sorrows' left without any clues or signs of his presence
His small boy wonders, what was it all about?
The boy wonders what everything meant
Is your journey over has it just begun?
Is the Man of Sorrows' journey over or just starting?
Vision of a new world from the ashes of the old
The artist has a vision of a new world rising from the ashes of the old
"Do what thou wilt!", he screams from his cursed soul
The artist shouts 'Do what you want!' from his cursed soul
A tortured seer, a prophet of our emptiness
The singer is a tortured seer, a prophet of our emptiness
Wondering why, wondering why
The artist is wondering why things are the way they are
A man of sorrows, wrecked
The singer is a man of sorrows who is completely destroyed
With thoughts that dare not speak their name
The singer has thoughts that he can't express
Trapped inside a body, made to feel only guilt and shame
The singer feels trapped in his body and only feels guilt and shame
His anger all his life "I hate myself!", he cried
The artist has hated himself all his life and cries out in anger
"Do what thou wilt!"
The artist repeats his earlier cry of 'Do what you want!'
Man of sorrows, I won't see your face
The singer reiterates that he won't see the face of the 'Man of Sorrows'
Man of sorrows, you left without a trace
The 'Man of Sorrows' is still absent and left no trace of his presence
His small boy wonders, what was it all about?
The boy is still wondering what everything meant
Is your journey over has it just begun?
The 'Man of Sorrows'' journey is still unknown
Has it just begun?
The artist reiterates that the journey's end or beginning is still unknown
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BRUCE DICKINSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rpiuzinho
Lyrics:
Here in a church
A small boy is kneeling
He prays to a God
He does not know, he cannot feel
All of his sins of childhood
He will remember
He will not cry, tears he will not cry
Man of sorrows, I won't see your face
Man of sorrows, you left without a trace
His small boy wonders
What was it all about?
Is your journey over?
Has it just begun?
The vision of a new world
From the ashes of the old
Do what thou wilt
He screams from his cursed soul
A tortured seer
A prophet of our emptiness
Wondering why, wondering why
Chorus]
Man of sorrows, I won't see your face
(I won't see your face)
Man of sorrows, you left without a trace
His small boy wonders
What was it all about?
Is your journey over?
Has it just begun?
A man of sorrows
Wrecked with thoughts
That dare not speak their name
Trapped inside a body
Made to feel only guilt and shame
His anger all his life
I hate myself, he cried
Do what thou wilt
Do what thou wilt, he cried
Man of sorrows, I won't see your face
(I won't see your face)
Man of sorrows, you left without a trace
(Left without a trace)
His small boy wonders
What was it all about?
Is your journey over?
Has it just begun?
Man of sorrows, I won't see your face
(I won't see your face)
Man of sorrows, you left without a trace
(Left without a trace)
His small boy wonders
What was it all about?
Is your journey over?
Has it just begun?
Has it just begun?
About:
“Man of Sorrows” was about the young Aleister Crowley, Aleister Crowley as a boy. And what kind of feelings turn a twelve year old boy into, basically what inspires a twelve year old boy to make a life choice: ‘Hey, what do you want to be when you grow up?’ ‘I want to be the Antichrist.’
—Bruce Dickinson
Aleister Crowley was an occultist and founder of Thelema. He considered himself to be the Antichrist. His most famous quote is; “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law”, part of which is sung in the song.
The title refers to a passage in the Bible, Isaiah 53:3, where someone is called a man of sorrows.
@Matthias69-du7so
Bruce + Roy Z and Adrian Smith = genius songs
@Tob1Kadach1
Brue is one of the greatest singers of all time, absolute rock god!
@davidknichal6629
It is a strange situation. On his own records Bruce sounds much much better than on Maiden ones (since 1990)
@federicoperriconi827
My favorite Bruce song. Great singer
@markseawright8877
Bruce is my hero..... always and forever 🙏
@alaniugalde9595
Bruce's voice still sounds amazing.
@webertfaria5299
Incomparável!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@rafaelvieira682
What a voice, what a song.
@zella417bcarter9
Yes and what a great singer he has been for years in Iron Maiden too
@the3ambreeze
Yee hope i'll sing like him one day, i will learn