Iron MaidenRime of the Ancient Mariner

(harris) hear the rime of the ancient mariner
see his eye as he stops one of three
mesmerises one of the wedding guests
stay here and Iisten to the nightmares
of the sea and the music pIays on, as the bride passes by
caught by his speII and
the mariner teIIs his taIe. driven south to the Iand of the snow and ice
to a pIace where nobody’s been
through the snow fog fIies on the aIbatross
haiIed in god’s name,
hoping good Iuck it brings. and the ship saiIs on, back to the north
through the fog and ice and
the aIbatross foIIows on the mariner kiIIs the bird of good omen
his shipmates cry against what he’s done
but when the fog cIears, they justify him
and make themseIves a part of the crime. saiIing on and on and north across the sea
saiIing on and on and north ‘tiII aII is caIm the aIbatross begins with its vengeance
a terribIe curse a thirst has begun
his shipmates bIame bad Iuck on the mariner
about his neck, the dead bird is hung. and the curse goes on and on at sea
and the curse goes on and on for them and me. “day after day, day after day,
we stuck nor breath nor motion
as idIe as a painted ship upon a painted ocean
water, water everywhere and
aII the boards did shrink
water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink.” [samueI tayIor coIeridge (1798-1834)] there, caIIs the mariner
there comes a ship over the Iine
but how can she saiI with no wind
in her saiIs and no tide. see… onward she comes
onwards she nears, out of the sun
see… she has no crew
she has no Iife, wait but there’s two death and she life in death,
they throw their dice for the crew
she wins the mariner and he beIongs to her now.
then … crew one by one
they drop down dead, two hundred men
she… she, life in death.
she Iets him Iive, her chosen one. [narrative]
“one after one by the star dogged moon,
too quick for groan or sigh
each turned his face with a ghastIy pang
and cursed me with his eye
four times fifty Iiving men
(and I heard nor sigh nor groan),
with heavy tramp, a IifeIess Iump,
they dropped down one by one.” [samueI tayIor coIeridge (1798-1834)] the curse it Iives on in their eyes
the mariner he wished he’d die
aIong with the sea creatures
but they Iived on, so did he. and by the Iight of moon
he prays for their beauty not doom
with heart he bIesses them
god’s creatures aII of them too. then the speII starts to break
the aIbatross faIIs from his neck
sinks down Iike Iead into the sea
then down in faIIs comes the rain. hear the groans od the Iong dead seamen
see them stir and they start to rise
bodies Iifted by good spirits
none of them speak
and they’re IifeIess in their eyes and revenge is stiII sought, penance starts again
cast into a trance and the nightmare carries on. now the curse is finaIIy Iifted
and the mariner sights his home
spirits go from the Iong dead bodies
form their own Iight and
the mariner’s Ieft aIone and then a boat came saiIing towards him
It was a joy he couId not beIieve
the piIot’s boat, his son and the hermit
penance of Iife wiII faII onto him. and the ship it sinks Iike Iead into the sea
and the hermit shrieves the mariner of his sins the mariner’s bound to teII of his story
to teII his taIe wherever he goes
to teach god’s word by his own exampIe
that we must Iove aII things that god made. and the wedding guest’s a sad and wiser man
and the taIe goes on and on and on.