I'm waiting in my cold cell when the bell begins to chime
Reflecting on my past life and it doesn't have much time
Cause at 5 o'clock, they take me to the Gallows Pole
The sands of time for me are running low, yeah!

When the priest comes to read me the last rites
I take a look through the bars at the last sights
Of a world that has gone very wrong for me

Can it be that there's some sort of error
Hard to stop the surmounting terror
Is it really the end, not some crazy dream?

Somebody please tell me that I'm dreaming
It's not easy to stop from screaming
The words escape me when I try to speak
Tears flow, but why am I crying
After all I'm not afraid of dying
Don't I believe that there never is an end

As the guards march me out to the courtyard
Somebody cries from a cell "God be with you"
If there's a God then why has he let me go?

As I walk all my life drifts before me
And though the end is near I'm not sorry
Catch my soul, it's willing to fly away

Mark my words, believe my soul lives on
Don't worry now that I have gone
I've gone beyond to seek the truth

When you know that your time is close at hand
Maybe then you'll begin to understand
Life down here is just a strange illusion.
Yeah hallowed be thy name
Yeah hallowed by thy name
Yeah



Lyrics submitted by Novartza

Track duration: 07:14

"Hallowed Be Thy Name" as written by Stephen Percy Harris

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Hallowed Be Thy Name song meanings
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153 Comments

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  • 0
    My Interpretation:a man about to be executed for a crime that he didn't do "Can it be that there's some sort of error" and is asking god for help.
    Flag jjwilkoon May 08, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:What Harris does with this song is fantastic... Sure he sticks with his favorite chords through the song (E, C and D) but the brilliance of his song writing is the melodies he puts over the ECD gallops found in most every Maiden song.

    But aside from writing a 7 minute musical epic like this, Harris' mature lyrics he penned to it. Now there's nothing wrong with juvenile lyrics, I'm a huge Poison fan after all, but when a rock song by a successful band can transcend sex, drugs, rock n roll it is just perfect. Harris set up a story featuring a character who goes through an arc. Think about that for a second. In 7 minutes Steve Harris set up a pretty interesting character arc, all in first person, that follows the 5 stages of grief. Something most big budget movies nowadays fail at doing.

    This song is so marvelous, I'm just a little disappointed they left it out of their Maiden England tour last year here in the States... There's always next time and there's always the record! Rock In Peace Clive
    Flag DeanGuitarson April 06, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"Mark my words, believe my soul lives on
    Don't worry now that I have gone
    I've gone beyond to seek the truth

    When you know that your time is close at hand
    Maybe then you'll begin to understand
    Life down here is just a strange illusion."

    This is my favorite song EVER!
    Its music, its dynamic, the power of Bruce's voice... Magic from beginning till the end. Up the Irons!
    Flag LaraCrofton May 26, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:Hallowed Be Thy Name. in the past when people went to the gallows or guillotine was common they thank God for everything in this life. especially during the Inquisition, to affirm their Faith. Even today when a prisoner will be executed in Texas, when innocent, he says "thanks for the life God, forgive them."
    Flag fabiomaster122on February 17, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is about a criminal who's commited a serious crime, perhaps a murder. As he is waiting in his cell to receive the death penalty he regains his trust in God. Apparently he's not sorry for the crime and begins to accept death, as he thinks life's only a strange illusion.
    Flag mikemouseon February 16, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is about a criminal who's commited a serious crime, perhaps a murder. As he is waiting in his cell to receive the death penalty he regains his trust in God. Apparently he's not sorry for the crime and begins to accept death, as he thinks life's only a strange illusion.
    Flag mikemouseon February 16, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This is about someone who is innocent but is convicted in an unfair trial and is about to be executed for crimes he didn't do, AKA God abandoning him, and when he goes to die, he tries not to cry or scream and takes it stoically and dies, going beyond it all.
    Flagged atemu1234on February 09, 2012   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation:Its about death and faith in the afterlife.

    Catch my soul.

    My soul lives on.

    I've gone beyond to seek the truth.

    Life is a strange illusion.

    Hallowed be thy name.
    Flag xXxSkollxXxon January 27, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:brillant song, i've always got hints of the stages of greif in the lyrics as well, thought i realese not
    in the right order in one case.



    1.Denial — 'Can it be there's some sort of error, Hard to stop the surmounting terror, Is it really the end not some crazy dream'

    2.Anger — ''As the guards march me out to the courtyard, Someone calls from a cell "God be with you",If there's a God then why has he let me go??''



    3.Bargaining — not present

    4.Depression — ''Tears they flow but why am I crying, After all I am not afraid of dying
    Don't believe that there is never an end''

    5.Acceptance — ''Mark my words please believe my soul lives on
    Please don't worry now that I have gone
    I've gone beyond to see the truth''

    Flag AlbiontheBardon August 29, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I see a lot of references to Salem; keep in mind that Iron Maiden is an English band, and in the UK in the 19th century people were put in to jail or even be put to death if they couldn't pay the rent anymore. Australia started out as a colony of prisoners, most of them people who were in debt.
    Just my two cents....
    Flagged LittleCon January 17, 2011   Link

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