Dickinson began his career in music fronting small pub bands in the 1970s while attending school in Sheffield and university in London. In 1979, he joined British new wave heavy metal band Samson, with whom he gained some popularity under the stage name "Bruce Bruce" and performed on two studio records (Head On and Shock Tactics. He left Samson in 1981 to join Iron Maiden, replacing Paul Di'Anno, and debuted on their 1982 album "The Number of the Beast. During his first tenure in the band, they issued a series of US and UK platinum and gold albums in the 1980s.
Dickinson quit Iron Maiden in 1993 (being replaced by Blaze Bayley) to pursue his solo career, which saw him experiment with a wide variety of heavy metal and rock styles between 1990 and 1998 ( Tattooed Millionaire, Balls to Picasso, Skunkworks, Accident of Birth, and The Chemical Wedding). He rejoined the band in 1999, along with guitarist Adrian Smith, with whom he has released all subsequent studio albums. Since his return to Iron Maiden, he issued one further solo record in 2005, Tyranny of Souls. His younger cousin, Rob Dickinson, is the former lead singer of British alternative rock band Catherine Wheel, while his son, Austin, fronted the metalcore band Rise to Remain.
Outside his career in music, Dickinson is well known for his wide variety of other pursuits. Most notably, he undertook a career as a commercial pilot for Astraeus Airlines, which led to a number of media-reported ventures such as captaining Iron Maiden's converted charter airplane, Ed Force One, during their world tours. Following Astraeus' closure, he created his own aircraft maintenance and pilot training company in 2012, Cardiff Aviation. Dickinson presented his own radio show on BBC Radio 6 Music from 2002 to 2010, and has also hosted television documentaries, authored novels and film scripts, created a successful beer with Robinsons Brewery and competed at fencing internationally.
Although Dickinson never received formal training, he still possesses a wide vocal range which was trademarked by his quasi-operatic tenor. Along with Ronnie James Dio and Rob Halford, Dickinson is one of the pioneers of the operatic vocal style later to be adopted by power metal vocalists and regularly appears near the top in lists of the greatest rock vocalists/front-men of all time. Dickinson says that his style was influenced primarily by Arthur Brown, Peter Hammill (Van der Graaf Generator), Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) and Ian Gillan (Deep Purple).
Dickinson's singing varied notably in the 1990s in the recording of albums such as No Prayer for the Dying, Fear of the Dark and his first solo work Tattooed Millionaire, making use of a much more raspy and unpolished sound, befitting their stripped down style. Since returning to Iron Maiden in 1999, his singing style has returned to much like it was in the 1980s, though his voice has lowered with age. According to a report published in the Daily Mirror, Dickinson has an estimated vocal range of 4.25 octaves. His voice led to the nickname "The Air Raid Siren", which Billboard states is "due to the ferocious power of his singing", although Dickinson claims it actually originated from a fan complaint.
In addition to his vocal ability, Dickinson is known for his energetic stage performances, which he delivers consistently despite his age. He considers including the audience "the essence of the Maiden experience" and that his role is to "shrink the venue ... to turn that football stadium into the world's smallest club". To achieve this, Dickinson insists on gaining eye contact with audience members and urges them to join in with the phrase "scream for me" (followed by the concert's location). He is critical of performers who do not connect with their fans, particularly those who "[hide] behind the amps" and use an autocue, remarking that "people pay good money and [they] can't even remember the sodding words".
Discogs with Iron Maiden
The Number of the Beast (1982)
Piece of Mind (1983)
Powerslave (1984)
Somewhere in Time (1986)
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988)
No Prayer for the Dying (1990)
Fear of the Dark (1992)
Brave New World (2000)
Dance of Death (2003)
A Matter of Life and Death (2006)
The Final Frontier (2010)
The Book of Souls (2015)
Senjutsu (2021)
For the UK guitarist of Little Angels, see Bruce John Dickinson.
The Ghost of Cain
Bruce Dickinson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As the moonlight shivers on your grave
Come back to find you here
Save you from the danger
Come back to lead you home
From the hooded stranger
Conjuring the ghost of Cain
Return your soul to sleep again
By conjuring the ghost of Cain
Cross a cork with silver, won't save you now
You must pay the ferry man, pay him somehow
There's only one place left
To take you across the river
You'll never know who saved you
The angel who delivered
Conjuring the ghost of Cain
He won't let you fall again
Return your soul to sleep again
By conjuring the ghost of Cain
A streamer from the sun
Fire round your heart
The earth gives up its dead
The brothers are apart
Conjuring the ghost of Cain
He won't let you fall again
Return your soul to sleep again
By conjuring the ghost of Cain
Conjuring the ghost of Cain
He won't let you fall again
Return your soul to sleep again
By conjuring the ghost of Cain
The Ghost of Cain is a song by Bruce Dickinson, which is about overcoming one's fears and seeking protection from danger. The opening lines "In your hour of darkness be not afraid, as the moonlight shivers on your grave" speaks of the courage one must possess when facing a difficult situation. The lines "Come back to lead you home from the hooded stranger" refers to someone coming back to save you from a dangerous situation or person. The hooded stranger is most likely a symbol of death or danger. The chorus "Conjuring the ghost of Cain, he won't let you fall again, return your soul to sleep again" refers to invoking the spirit of Cain, who is a biblical figure known for his punishment and suffering for his crimes.
The second verse talks about the powerlessness in the face of death. The line "Cross a cork with silver, won't save you now, you must pay the ferryman, pay him somehow" describes the desperate attempts to cheat death, which is inevitable. The ferryman is also a reference to Greek mythology where he ferries the souls of the dead across the Styx River. The line "You'll never know who saved you, the angel who delivered" speaks of an unknown savior who appears out of nowhere to save you from danger.
The song portrays a message of hope in times of danger and difficulty. The Ghost of Cain is a powerful figure who protects the person invoking him from possible danger. The lyrics are a testament to the human spirit and the power of faith and hope to overcome adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
In your hour of darkness be not afraid
Do not be afraid when you are in trouble
As the moonlight shivers on your grave
The moonlight is reflecting on your grave
Come back to find you here
Someone will come to rescue you
Save you from the danger
Rescuing you to avoid danger
Come back to lead you home
Leading you back home safely
From the hooded stranger
From the person wearing a hood who intends harm
Conjuring the ghost of Cain
Summoning the spirit of Cain
He won't let you fall again
He won't allow you to fail
Return your soul to sleep again
Bringing peace to your soul
By conjuring the ghost of Cain
Through summoning the spirit of Cain
Cross a cork with silver, won't save you now
The usual ways of protection will not work
You must pay the ferry man, pay him somehow
You must pay the price to be saved
There's only one place left
Only one option remains
To take you across the river
To take you to the other side
You'll never know who saved you
You will never know who rescued you
The angel who delivered
A savior who helped you
A streamer from the sun
A ray of light from the sun
Fire round your heart
An intense feeling of emotion
The earth gives up its dead
The dead return from the earth to haunt us
The brothers are apart
Two people who were once together are separated
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ADRIAN SMITH, BRUCE DICKINSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David Dickinson
Bruce's throwaway songs/bonus tracks are better than most bands' hit singles.
EMANUEL ! Music for (Great) Stories
priceless, classic, awesome! great mix, super musicians, flawless songs , perfect lyrics
Nicholas Glenn
I was today years old when I found out about this album.
Masterpiece.
Whisper Official
Yoooo man I wish I could discover this album again without knowing a thing about Bruce's solo time 😅 I have found it about 11 years ago and then listened only to this album ❤️❤️❤️
Vinícius Rodrigues
One of the best intro and chorus
Jan Hendrik Bouman
The new boys in Maiden , Bruce and Adrian : stellar vocale and other dimension gitaarsolo's.
Ryan Hills
As soon as Adrian joined this was the album that just hit it out of the park and then Chemical wedding. Adrian and Roy Z!
PubliKanguro Tecno - Marketing
Rolonnn!!!!! Thank you, Master pieces
Achilleas Logothetis
"Accident of birth" would have been the definitive Bruce Dickinson album if this track was included in the original version.
Marcio Araujo
foooooooda!!!!