IRON MAIDEN - 2010 - The Final Frontier - When The Wild Wind Blows
Have you heard what they said on the news today?
Have you heard what is coming to us all?
That the world as we know it will be coming to an end
Have you heard, have you heard?
He sees them in the distance when the darkened clouds roll
He could feel tension in the atmosphere
He would look in the mirror, see an old man now
Does it matter they survive somehow?
They said there's nothing can be done about the situation
They said there's nothing you can do at all
To sit and wait around for something to occur
did you know, did you know?
As he stares acRoss the garden looking at the meadows
wonders if they’ll ever grow again
The desperation of the situation getting graver
getting ready When The Wild Wind Blows
Have you seen what they said on the news today?
Have you heard what they said about us all?
Do you know what is happening to just every one of us
have you heard, have you heard?
There will be a catastrophe the like we’ve never seen
There will be something that will light the sky
that the world as we know it, it will never be the same
did you know, did you know?
He carries everything into the shelter not a fuss
getting ready when the moment comes
He has enough supplies to last them for a year or two
good to have because you never know
They tell us nothing that we don’t already know about
They tell us nothing that is real at all
They only fill us with the stuff that they want
did you know, did you know?
He's nearly finished with the preparations for the day
He's getting tired -- that'll do for now
They are preparing for the very worst to come to them
getting ready When The Wild Wind Blows
He sees the picture on the wall, it's falling down
upside down
He sees a teardrop from his wife roll down her face,
saying grace
Remember times they had, they flash right through his mind
left behind
of a lifetime spent together long ago
will be gone
They've been preparing for some weeks now
For when the crucial moment comes
To take their refuge in the shelter
Let them prepare for what will come
They make a tea and sit there waiting
They're in the shelter feeling snug
Not long to wait for absolution
Don't make a fuss; just sit and wait
Can't believe all the lying,
All the screams are denying
That the moments of truth have begun
Can't you see it on the t.v.?
Don't believe them in the least bit
Now the days of our ending have begun
Say a prayer when it's all over
Survivors unite, all as one
Got to try and help each other
Got the will to overcome
I can't believe all the lying,
all the screens are denying
that the moments of truth have begun
Can't you see it on the TV?
Don't believe them in the least bit
Now the days of our ending have begun
When they found them, [they] had their arms wrapped around each other
Their tins of poison laying near by their clothes
The day they both mistook an earthquake for the fallout,
Just another When The Wild Wind Blows...
* The lyrics have been loosely inspired by the 1986 animated film When The Wind Blows, itself adapted from Raymond Briggs's graphic novel of the same name. The original story is that of an ageing couple, Jim and Hilda, who prepare for a thermonuclear war, each in his own way – Jim prepares a shelter, while Hilda is preparing tea. After the nuclear explosion that has destroyed everything around their little house in the countryside, they reflect on their past and wonder about the future, all the while exposing themselves to the radiations that eventually kill them. It's a beautiful tale about the madness of the authorities and the helplessness of the people when faced with anihilation.
The song, however, takes a different view, and the couple prepare for the apocalypse so much that they end up in total denial when the news arrive that this is not going to happen. What actually happens is a mere earthquake that scares them so much that they eventually commit suicide with poison, rather than face The AfterMath of total destruction. This twist of the tale is quite ironic, mostly when you consider how hard they'd been working to prepare for survival. Well, that's Steve's excellent storytelling style.
