Into the Abyss I'll fall, the Eye of Horus
Into the eyes of the night, watching me go
Green is the cat's eye that glows
In this Temple
Enter the risen Osiris, risen again

Tell me why I had to be a Powerslave
I don't wanna die, I'm a god
Why can't I live on?
When the Life Giver dies
All around is laid waste
And in my last hour
I'm a slave to the Power of Death

When I was living this lie, fear was my game
People would worship and fall
Drop to their knees
So bring me the blood and red wine
For the one to succeed me
For he is a man and a god
And he will die too

Tell me why I had to be a Powerslave
I don't wanna die, I'm a god
Why can't I live on?
When the Life Giver dies
All around is laid waste
And in my last hour
I'm a slave to the Power of Death

Now I am cold but a ghost lives in my veins
Silent the terror that reigned
Marbled in stone
A shell of a man God preserved
For a thousand ages
But open the gates of my hell
I'll strike from the grave

Tell me why I had to be a Powerslave
I don't wanna die, I'm a god
Why can't I live on?
When the Life Giver dies
All around is laid waste
And in my last hour
I'm a slave to the Power of Death
Slave to the Power of Death
Slave to the Power of Death


Lyrics submitted by numb

Powerslave Lyrics as written by Bruce Dickinson

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Powerslave song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

36 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +13
    General Comment

    It's clear that the song it's all about the disapointment of the pharoh (or any other person that shares the same ideas with an ancient egyptian ruler) regarding his own death. cause the pharoh was viewed as a god, the sun of amon-ra, if i am not mistaking, therefor immortal, it's logical he was very dissapointed when the time of his death was to come. i suppose when you are used holding so much power, especially from an young age, it may seem just wrong for you to die. and the idea of the song lingers on til this very day, cause many pepople still think they are too good to die. in the end, we all die, we are all powerslaves... get used to that!

    ereshkigalon July 22, 2007   Link
  • +8
    Song Meaning

    Powerslave is my fave IM song...

    Song is about how nothing is forever and that change is unavoidable...No living thing, idea, country, president, world leader, stage in life, etc. goes on forever...

    Another thing is that we will peak in our lives and will start declining in old age but at the same time another person will be peaking to move you of your rank and that person will also decline and someone else will peak before them...

    Just an amazing song...

    picounionon January 05, 2012   Link
  • +5
    General Comment

    The Pharoah is a median used to express the enevetability of death. We all die-regardless if we're 'gods' like the pharoas and ceasers or ordanary people.

    Rebbal Aceon December 22, 2004   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    "And in my last hour, I'm a slave to the power of Death." I think the song is about the inevitability of death and how we're all slaves to the power of Death. Sort of like Edgar Allen Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death". Iron Maiden make allusions to ancient Egyptian gods and Pharaohs to prove how even the most powerful rulers and such have to die someday.

    "Enter the risen Osiris - risen again." Osiris was the god of the underworld and of resurrection. He was killed by his brother Set, yet came back to life. Thus he was then seen as being triumphant over Death, only to die again later.

    "Into the abyss I'll fall - the eye of Horus" Horus was Osiris' son and was the god of the sky. His left eye (which represented the moon) was gouged out by his uncle Set in a fight over the throne after Osiris died. (That's why Egyptians say the moon isn't as bright as the sun, which was his right eye.)

    ridethelightning1993on October 21, 2010   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    It's basicaly about how in the end even the mightest people are still gonna die.

    LordOfLighton February 23, 2007   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    It's about an Egyptian Pharaoh (check the album artwork for it), but the rock star metaphor works, too. The fill before the Chorus is freakin' sweet, also.

    conservativebastardon April 13, 2007   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    This one of my Favorite Maiden Songs of all time. The bass in it is amazing.

    IronMaidenFan94on August 31, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    And what was the deal with Bruce's feather wig in the Live After Death video during this song???

    prax22aon September 15, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    The Egyptian pharaohs thought that they were gods. The one in the song is dying and he is wondering why, because gods are immortal.

    LackofNameon January 09, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    this is such a good song, the guitar riff is amazing the drums and vocals fit in perfectly. they shud come the the us and do a tour in every state in 2 citys

    Jamgasm675on July 04, 2007   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Siberian Kiss
Glassjaw
its amazing how far music can come.. 24 years after it released and its one of the most heartfelt songs ive heard
Album art
The Spy
Doors, The
Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
Album art
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song: Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.” That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Album art
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines: "Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet" So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other: "I had all and then most of you" Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart "Some and now none of you" Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship. This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Album art
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io