"Flight Of Icarus"

— by Iron Maiden

Written by Adrian Smith, Bruce Dickinson, the song is a re-telling of the classic Greek myth of Icarus' flight, but with a twist. In the original, Deadallus and his son, Icarus, escape King Minos' prison by building wax wings and flying away on them. Deadallus warns Icarus not to fly too high, but the cocky teen rebels, his wings melt, and he plummets to his death in what is now called "The Icarian Sea" (he was reportedly buried by Hercules). In the song, Deadallus watches from the ground, and his advice to his son is to "fly and touch the sun." The now obedient Icarus does so, and realizes his father tricked him just before his wings melt.

As the sun breaks, above the ground,
An old man stands on the hill,
As the ground warms, to the first rays of light
A birdsong shatters the still.

His eyes are ablaze,
See the madman in his gaze.

Fly, on your way, like an eagle,
Fly as high as the sun,
On your way, like an eagle,
Fly and touch the sun.

Now the crowd breaks and a young boy appears
Looks the old man in the eye
As he spreads his wings and shouts at the crowd
In the name of God my father I fly.

His eyes seem so glazed
As he flies on the wings of a dream,
Now he knows his father betrayed
Now his wings turn to ashes to ashes his grave.

Fly, on your way, like an eagle,
Fly as high as the sun,

On your way, like an eagle,
Fly as high as the sun.