Evil That Men Do

Iron Maiden

About Evil That Men Do

"The Evil That Men Do" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It is the band's seventeenth single and the second from their seventh studio album, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988). The single debuted at number six in the UK charts and quickly rose to number five. The single's B-sides are re-recordings of "Prowler" and "Charlotte the Harlot" which appear as tracks number one and seven/eight respectively on the band's debut album Iron Maiden. The title of the song is taken from Marcus Antonius's speech while addressing the crowd of Romans after Caesar's murder (Act 3, scene 2, "The Forum") in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: "The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones. " Bruce Dickinson may sometimes repeat this before playing the song, but with the order of the clauses reversed (as he did in Rock in Rio). The poetic lyrics of the song are not related. The guitar solo in "The Evil That Men Do" is played by Adrian Smith while the guitar solo in "Prowler '88" is played by Dave Murray. In "Charlotte the Harlot '88", the first guitar solo is played by Dave Murray followed by Adrian Smith. 


Year:
1994
68 
#1

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Love is a razor and I walked the line on that silver blade
Slept in the dust with his daughter, 
Her eyes red with the slaughter of innocence
But I will pray for her, I will call her name out loud
I would bleed for her, if I could only see her now 
Living on a razor's edge, balancing on a ledge
Living on a razor's edge, balancing on a ledge
Balancing on a ledge, living on a razor's edge
Balancing on a ledge, you know, you know 

The evil that men do lives on and on
The evil that men do lives on and on
The evil that men do lives on and on
The evil that men do lives on and on

Circle of fire my baptism of joy at an end it seems
The seventh lamb slain, the book of life opens before me
And I will pray for you, someday I may return
Don't you cry for me, beyond is where I learn 

Living on a razor's edge, balancing on a ledge
Living on a razor's edge, you know, you know 

The evil that men do lives on and on
The evil that men do lives on and on
The evil that men do lives on and on
The evil that men do lives on and on

Living on a razor's edge, balancing on a ledge
Living on a razor's edge, you know

The evil that men do lives on and on
The evil that men do lives on and on, yeah
The evil that men do lives on and on
The evil that men do lives on and on
The evil, the evil that men do
The evil, the evil, the evil that men do

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Iron Maiden

Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London that was formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter, Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; ten live albums; four EPs; and seven compilations. more »

9 fans

Written by: Adrian Frederick Smith, Bruce Dickinson, Stephen Percy Harris

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


10 facts about this song

Band Origin
"The Evil That Men Do" is a song by the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. The band was formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris.
Album Details
The song is from their seventh studio album, "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" released in 1988. This album is one of Iron Maiden's most critically acclaimed albums.
Chart Performance
"The Evil That Men Do" did remarkably well on the charts. It reached number five in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the charts for six weeks. It also reached number 6 on the Dutch Top 40.
Track Inspiration
The song's title is inspired by a line in William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar: "The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones."
Live Performance
"The Evil That Men Do" has become a mainstay in Iron Maiden's live concerts. It has been performed on almost every one of their concert tours since the song was released.
Single Release
The track was released as the band's seventeenth single and the second from the album. The single's B-sides are re-recordings of "Prowler" and "Charlotte the Harlot" which appear as tracks in the original "Iron Maiden" album.
Track Length
The song has a runtime of 4 minutes and 34 seconds, which is considered relatively short for an Iron Maiden song.
Songwriting Credits
The song was primarily written by Bruce Dickinson, Adrian Smith, and Steve Harris. Bruce Dickinson is the band's lead vocalist, Adrian Smith is one of the band's guitarists, and Steve Harris is the band's bassist.
Music Video
A music video was also created for the song. It was directed by Steve Harris, Iron Maiden's bassist, and features footage from the 1988 feature film "Seventh Tour of a Seventh Tour."
Cover Versions
Many bands have covered "The Evil That Men Do," including Finnish symphonic power metal band, Nightwish, who performed it at a concert in 2002.

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