Song Selection

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

killing time 'til my very own death

on my face I can feel the fallin' rain

never see my friends again

in the smoke in the mud and lead

the smell of fear and the feeling of dread

soon be time to go over the wall

rapid fire and the 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

drowned 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 in Paschendale

Dodging shrapnel and barbed wire

running straight at canon 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 I 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" is a song by the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden from their 2003 album Dance of Death. It is the eighth track on the album, following "New Frontier" and preceding "Face in the Sand".

The muddy conditions of the battle are reflected twice in the lyrics, with the lines, "In the smoke, in the mud and lead" and "Drown in mud, no more tears." The machine gun, a relatively new weapon on the battlefield, is referenced in the line "Rapid fire and the end of us all." The barbed wire that was used by both sides to impede the movements of the enemy is referenced twice, in the lines "Lifeless bodies hang on barbed wire" and "Dodging shrapnel and barbed wire." The line "Surely a war no one can win" recognizes the stalemate that was occurring on the Western Front of the war, where the battle took place.

The no man's land between the trenches is referenced in the line "In No Man's Land God only knows". The battle was one of the bloodiest of the entire war, as reflected in the line "Allied troops, they mourn their loss". The war was one of the first where propaganda was heavily used by both sides, partially reflected in the line "German war propaganda machine/Such before has never been seen". After the two guitar solos, the song becomes an account from the soldier's perspective of an unsuccessful charge on the enemy's trench. After a final chorus, the song ends as it began, slow and poignant, as the soldier describes his soul joining those of his fallen comrades and enemies, in peace.