Dance of Death
Iron Maiden Lyrics

Let me tell you a story to chill the bones
Introduction to the story being told, implying that it is a terrifying tale.

About a thing that I saw
The singer is recounting something that they actually witnessed.

One night wandering in the everglades
The incident occurred during an evening walk in the everglades.

I'd one drink but no more
The artist had only consumed one drink, leaving them with a clear mind.

I was rambling, enjoying the bright moonlight
The artist was walking aimlessly, taking in the beauty of the moonlit surroundings.

Gazing up at the stars
The singer was admiring the celestial bodies above them.

Not aware of a presence so near to me
The singer was oblivious to someone nearby watching them.

Watching my every move
This watcher was scrutinizing the artist's every action.

Feeling scared and I fell to my knees
The artist experiences fear for the first time as they kneel on the ground.

As something rushed me from the trees
A quick movement from the dense foliage catches the artist off guard.

Took me to an unholy place
The hurried action brings the singer to an unholy or evil location.

And that is where I fell from grace
The artist has a moment of weakness that causes them to fall from grace with an unknown entity.

Then they summoned me over to join in with them
The singer is then called over and beckoned to join the group.

To the dance of the dead
The group is participating in a ghastly and ominous dance of the dead.

Into the circle of fire, I followed them
The group then leads the singer into a circle of fire.

Into the middle, I was led
The group brings the artist to the center of the fire circle.

As if time had stopped still I was numb with fear
The artist feels as though time had stopped and they are stunned with fear.

But still, I wanted to go
Despite the fear, the singer still has a desire to dance with the dead.

And the blaze of the fire did no hurt upon me
The intense fire has no ill effect on the singer.

As I walked onto the coals
The artist fearlessly walks onto the scorching coals.

And I felt I was in a trance
The artist feels as though they are in a trance or dreamlike state.

And my spirit was lifted from me
At some point, the artist feels as though their spirit was lifted out of their body.

And if only someone had the chance
The singer laments that no one was there to witness their strange experience.

To witness what happened to me
The artist wishes that they were not the only one experiencing this odd display.

And I danced and I pranced and I sang with them
The singer fully engages in the eerie dance of the dead with the group.

All had death in their eyes
All of the dancers had an appearance as though they were dead or dying.

Lifeless figures they were undead all of them
The entire group had a zombie-like quality to them, appearing to be risen from the dead.

They had ascended from hell
The artist believes that the group has come from hell itself.

As I danced with the dead
The artist continues to dance with the group of undead figures.

My free spirit was laughing and howling down at me
The singer feels as though their spirit is ecstastic and enjoying the bizarre experience.

Below my undead body Just danced the circle of dead
While the singer enjoys the supernatural experience, they realize that their body appears lifeless and is only participating in the dance itself.

Until the time came to reunite us both
At some point, the artist must rejoin their body and leave the dance behind.

My spirit came back down to me
The artist's spirit is returned to their physical body.

I didn't know if I was alive or dead
Upon being reunited with their body, the artist has no sense of whether they are actually alive or dead.

As the others, all joined in with me
Others soon join in with the singer, adding to the confusion of their bizarre ordeal.

By luck then a skirmish started
Suddenly, a disturbance draws the attention of the group away from the artist.

And took the attention away from me
The skirmish drew away any prior attention or focus that had been on the singer.

When they took their gaze from me
The confusion and chaos caused by the skirmish allows the singer to escape notice or focus.

Was the moment that I fled
The singer uses the distraction to quickly run away from the group and the odd experience.

I ran like hell faster than the wind
The artist runs as fast as possible to fully remove themselves from the area.

But behind I did not glance
The artist does not look back or stop to check if the group is following them.

One thing that I did not dare
The singer is terrified to do one particular thing.

Was to look just straight ahead
That one thing the singer dares not do is look straight ahead towards the group.

When you know that your time has come around
A reflection on how one's time will eventually come to pass.

You know you'll be prepared for it
One can prepare themselves and others for what comes in the future.

Say your last goodbyes to everyone
A final farewell should be given to anyone relevant in one's life.

And drink and say a prayer for it
A beverage or prayer should be taken before departing.

When you're lying in your sleep, when you're lying in your bed
A moment of rest or slumber highlights one's vulnerability.

And you wake from your dreams to go dancing with the dead
One never knows what they will wake up to or what strange things could occur.

To this day I guess I'll never know
The singer still does not understand the meaning behind the strange events.

Just why they let me go
The singer wonders why they were allowed to simply flee the terrifying situation.

But I'll never go dancing no more
The artist will never engage in that type of dance again.

'Til I dance with the dead
Specifically, the artist will never return to the horrifying dance of the dead.