2 Minutes to Midnight / Aces High Lyrics & Tracklist by Iron Maiden

Kill for gain or shoot to maim but we don’t need a reason The Golden Goose is on the loose and never out of season Blackened pride still burns inside, this shell of bloody treason Here’s my gun for a barrel of fun for the love of living death The killer’s breed or the Demon’s seed The glamor, the fortune, the pain Go to war again, blood is freedom’s stain Don’t you pray for my soul anymore 2 minutes to midnight The hands that threaten doom 2 minutes to midnight To kill the unborn in the womb The blind men shout let the creatures out, we’ll show the unbelievers Napalm screams of human flames for a prime time Belsen feast yeah As the reasons for the carnage cut their meat and lick the gravy We oil the jaws of the war machines and feed them with our babies The killer’s breed or the Demon’s seed The glamor, the fortune, the pain Go to war again, blood is freedom’s stain Don’t you pray for my soul anymore 2 minutes to midnight The hands that threaten doom 2 minutes to midnight To kill the unborn in the womb The body bags and little rags of children torn in two And the jellied brains of those who remain to put the finger right on you As the madmen play on words and make us all dance to their song To the tune of starving millions to make a better kind of gun The killer’s breed or the Demon’s seed The glamor, the fortune, the pain Go to war again, blood is freedom’s stain Don’t you pray for my soul anymore 2 minutes to midnight The hands that threaten doom 2 minutes to midnight To kill the unborn in the womb Midnight, midnight Midnight, is all night Midnight, midnight Midnight, is all night Midnight, all night

Submitted by VladTheImpaler666 — Apr 24, 2025

In the heat of the morning When your day is still dawning And your bird, he's singing Catch your soul, he's willing to fly away Packed your bags in a hurry Because your mind's in a worry Mark my words, you're gonna be sorry if you ever fly away Sweet little girl with the Saint Da Vinci-smile Stares at me with sadness in her eyes I'm not sure if she's really real or make-believe Maybe she's a vision that comes to only me 'Cause I'm so tired Yes, I'm so tired So tired Yes, I'm so tired In the heat of the morning When your day is still dawning And your bird, she's singing Catch your soul, he's willing to fly away

Submitted by Dahmers Fridge — Mar 25, 2026

...I mean, it doesn' matter 'oo it is, I mean, the message gets through Steve: (recorder clicks on mid-sentence)...anyways, 'e did not deserve to get a bollocking... (recorder clicks on and off here)...the time, I know why 'e got a bollocking, because you, you know, you dunno what the fuck 'e's goin' on (someone speaks in background) about, but 'e didn', but 'e didn' deserve it. All 'e's tryin' t'do is relay a message from me to you, right? N' 'e went the wrong way about it, okay? Nicko: Yeh, 'e did go the wrong way about it Steve: Really? Nicko: Well I'm, I, I, I, I tell ya what, I mean it ain't gonna 'appen again Bruce: I don't see where you get steamed, I mean, if the truss was gonna... Nicko: Why I got steamed up Bruce is because 'e fucked me right up. N' I knew there was a problem, I still didn' know what it was even after 'e...I, I fucked! Steve: I know that. Look, it's like... Nicko: I fuckin' fucked-up...n' I stopped, n' it was like "oh, for fuck's sake!" (tapping his foot as if playing drum solo) Come on kids, n' I'm lookin' 'round...what is 'e tryin' to tell me? What's the problem? (mumbles something unintelligible) Steve: Can't you understand? Can't you understand if I'm tryin' to get a fuckin' message through to ya, right?...I'd'a still...it'd a been a lot worse. If I, if I 'ad to go me gear done...as it 'appens, (snaps his fingers) just in the nick o' th'time I got it done. If I... Nicko: Yeah, I still didn't get the message Steve: I know you didn'. But wha' we're sayin' (mumbles something unintelligible) wha'ever 'appens if I got 'im tryin' to get a fuckin' message to ya. Y'know wha' I mean? Nicko: Sure Steve, but the fact is that the guy was not 'andling it the right way Steve: You don' fink o' fings like that Nick Nicko: But that's diff...look...(something completely unintelligible) Steve: I bollocked...I was shou'ing at ya, "look, my gear's gone down" Nicko: It's me that fucked-up Steve: Listen... Nicko: I'm the one out the(r)e all on me own... Steve: I know Nicko: ...I'm doin' a drum solo. N' I've got fuckin' talkin'... Steve: N' I'm the one, I'm only one 'a finking, I've got fucking like a minute t'go before m..., to get this fucking gear right Bruce: Yeah, but if somebody gives a message to me... Steve: No? Bruce: Nicko: Bruce, it's different... Steve: It's a different situation Nicko: ...it's different for you. You're not standin' there all on your fuckin' own 'avin' a somebody try to get your attention n' talk to ya. I'm playin' a drum solo, n' the guy's standin' a yard, or two yards behind my drum riser goin'... Steve: Yeah, all I'm tryin' a... Nicko: ..."fucking anga-yangna-baba"..."wha?"..."BABA-BABA-BABA!"..."WHAAAA???". Fuck! (lets out frustrated grunt) By the time I've got that far, I'm fuckin' totally fucked. Because I'm p..., I'm not payin' attention to my gig... Steve: Ey, look... Nicko: ...I'm payin' attention to what 'e's tryin' to tell me Bruce: Yeh, but nobody woulda noticed Steve: I complete... Nicko: I noticed! Steve: I completely understand that Nicko: Fucked me right up Steve: But 'e, 'e was only doin' wha I told 'im t'do, n' that was get a message t'you. Now that the fucking 'eat o' the moment n' just, everything on 'and...'e don' fink to fucking tell Bill, 'e wants to get the message t'you, not to fucking Bill, so 'e don' fink o' that, 'e just tries to get the message t'you, right? So, 'e don' fucking deserve to get a bollocking for that, I mean, arright 'e got one I know...no say in 'at. But I just don', you know... Bruce: (possibly saying "Attente! Attente!") Steve: ...Bob was a nice guy. 'E's not like 'e's, fuckin', 'e's an asshole... Nicko: No, no... Steve: ...or an idiot, or anyfing like 'at Nicko: Oh no, but 'e was out of order, because 'e didn'... Bruce: 'E wasn't out of order Nicko: "E was Steve: 'E wasn't out of order. 'E was wrong Nicko: 'E was, cause 'e fucked me up by tryin to tell me… Steve: Nicko Nicko: If 'e'd o' come up to the riser... Steve: Nicko Nicko: Look... Steve: Nicko Nicko: ...if 'e'd o' come up to the riser dere, (shouting) I COULDA FUCKIN' 'EARD 'IM!!! Steve: But nick... Nicko: Cunt was standin' be'ind, I was sittin' down Steve: Yeh... Nicko: ..."bada-bada-ba" Steve: 'E was wrong. 'e made a mistake, but 'e wasn't out of order Bruce: It wasn't deliberate Steve: 'E made a mistake... Nicko: Now, I know it ain't deliberate Steve: ...for fuck's sake Nicko: I didn' know that at the time, right? I still didn't that know Steve 'ad a problem wif 'is bass... Steve: That's wha' I'm sayin' Nicko: ...luckily enough, by the time I finished the poxy solo,'e 'ad 'is bass wo(r)kin' again Steve: It was all that fucking grief... Bruce: All it takes is the guy... Nicko: The grief was, because I bollocked 'im up, n' I 'appened to tell ya (something unintelligible) go out n' apologize right. Fuck 'im, I'm gonna go n' apologize to 'im Bruce: Well all you gotta do... Nicko: It's not for me to apologize. I bollocked 'im cause 'e fucked me up. Right there, 'e fucked me up. 'E was wrong Bruce: All you gotta do...no 'e wasn't wrong Nicko: 'E was Steve: 'E wasn't wrong Nicko: 'E did not 'andle it...'e's not even fuckin' communicating, right? Steve: Aw! I don' wanna fuckin' argue about this, it's fucking stupid...I fink you're really out of order, I fink...honestly Nicko: No bollocks! Oh I am no(t) out of order Steve: You are. You're a'itude is out of order Nicko: 'E...no it ain't Steve: It is Nicko: No it ain't. The guy fucked me up Steve: I know 'e did... Nicko: Well then that's out of order... Steve: ...'e din' mean to Nicko: (close to hysteria) LOOK, I'M NOT SAYIN 'E (Nicko hits something) FUCKIN' MEANT TO 'ARRY!!! (Steve and Bruce say something in background) The fact is that 'e was a dumbkopf, cause 'e don' know 'ow to fuckin' communicate wif me onstage... Bruce: But 'e's not a dumbkopf Steve: (?) Not close (?) Nicko: Aww! Steve: 'E's not fuckin' stupid Nicko: Well, 'e fuckin' certainly did a good job out there this afternoon, didn' 'e? Steve: 'E made a mistake, because I... Nicko: Wha'd'you mean "He made a mistake"? Steve: Because I... Nicko: You sent 'im. 'Ow could 'e make a mistake? Steve: That's why Nicko: 'Ow did 'e make a mistake? Steve: Well, 'e made the mistake by not sendin' Bill first, right? Nicko: Well, well 'e made a mistake, right? Steve: Yeah Nicko: Well, why?... Bruce: There's a difference between makin' a mistake... Steve: Well that's what I'm sayin' Bruce: ...n' a difference between makin' a human error... Nicko: Right, so 'e made a mistake, right? Steve: Yeah! Nicko: N' I'm griefed up cause 'e fuckin' made me made a mistake. Now that 'e...now I can understand wha' 'e was talkin' about after the fact...it remains to be seen, 'e was on a mission from you Steve: Aw, I'm not gonna argue about it Nicko: Right? (it gets quiet for a second) Fuck my ol' boots, it just...I can't 'an, I can't 'andle that situation wif people (something about grief)... n it's important to me t'get a message like that...fuckin' 'ell! I cannot get some...get, get...when' I also fucked as well...I wouldna minded if I'd 'a gotten wha' it was 'appenin' straight. Like, on the end "aw right, 'Arris got 'is bass fucked, right I'll carry on n' do sumfing else", then that's fine, if I didn' fuck-up...but 'e made me fuck. It totally frew me right out, n' 'e wasn'... Steve: I know it did Nicko: ...'e didn't know 'ow to talk to me about it. N', n' I've, I've told 'im "don't do that again." Steve: Because, see, it's not, it's not, it's not fair relaying a message to people. 'E was just... Nicko: N' 'e never turned 'round Steve: ...look, it coulda been anybody. It was just that 'e was the first one on 'and Nicko: 'Arry Steve: 'E was just standin' there Nicko: 'E never turned 'round, 'e never even turned 'round afterwards and said "Listen, did you?...I'm sorry, but you didn' understand wha' I was sayin' right?" Steve: Well why should he? Nicko: Well then, then, then because... Steve: 'E got a fuckin' bollocking Nicko: ...'e woulda stood up for 'imself because 'e knows 'e was gotten a bollocking wrong, because 'e was on a mission from you Steve: 'E was probably... Bruce: No Steve: 'E was probably fuckin' upset... Bruce: 'E's probably a bit upset Steve: ...because you gave 'im a fucking bollocking Nicko: Well, rightly Steve: You gave 'im up for...as far as 'e's con... Bruce: No, not rightly Nicko: Rightly, yeah Steve: But no, it's not rightly Bruce: No! Nicko: I told 'im "DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!" Steve: No Bruce: That's crazy Steve: But what?... Bruce: What 'appens if the lighting truss is gonna fall down on yer 'ead? Does 'e go?... Nicko: Well then somebody drags me out o' the fuckin' way, or else I'm dead, right? Bruce: Yeah, but don't...I mean...you know Steve: I fink your a'itude is totally fucking out of order Nicko: No it ain't. No it ain't Steve: Yes it is Nicko: No it ain't. If I'd 'a known...now I'm the fuckin' cunt all of a sudden Steve: No, you're not the cunt Bruce: You're not a cunt Nicko: Because I told 'im 'e was out of order, n' I didn't know 'e was on a mission from you to tell me that 'is bass, your bass was FUCKED! Steve: I know you didn' Bruce: All you've got to do Nicko, is just go to the guy and say... Steve: You didn' know, n' 'e didn' know, arright? Bruce: "Sorry about, sorry about shouting. It was a misunderstanding. But in future, tell Bill" that's all you gotta say Nicko: No. No Bruce: N' that way, he's a fuckin' proud geezer... Steve: Wha's, wha's the ma'er with ya? Bruce: He goes... Nicko: Look... Steve: Cause if this is some sorta (pride/crime?)...(something unintelligible) Nicko: I bollocked 'im...no it ain't pride. It's, it's not fuckin' pride Steve: Well wha's the ma'er wif ya? Bruce: It is pride Nicko: Oh bollocks! Steve: What's the matter wif ya? Nicko: The guy was wrong to 'ave been fuckin' dere to do wha' 'e done Steve: I know. All I'm, all I'm gonna say is that when you're goin' up tomorrow... Bruce: No it isn't wrong. What's 'e supposed to do? Turn 'round... Steve: ...this is a different a'itude, cause this is fucking stupid Nicko: I told 'im straight out not to do it again Bruce: What's 'e supposed to do? What's 'e?... Nicko: I'm not gonna go out n' apologize for sayin' that to 'im... Bruce: 'E's NOT! Nicko: ...'e was outta fuckin' order Bruce: 'E's not out of order Bruce: Wha' 'appens... Nicko: Bruce Bruce: ...if I fucking go n' tell somebody to do somethin', 'e goes "No, fuck off! I'm not gonna do that." Nicko: Listen, Bruce... Bruce: Then 'e's out of order Nicko: Bruce... Bruce: But 'e goes n' tells 'im to go n' do something... Nicko: ...I'm not concerned wif, wif, wif, wif, wif other people that can't fuckin' talk to me on stage, who don't know 'ow to fuckin' communicate wif me... Bruce: But 'e's not out of order tryin' to do it Nicko: ...'e did not know 'ow to communicate wif me Steve: (walking towards tape recorder) Some cunt's recording this! (tape shuts off)

Submitted by Dahmers Fridge — Mar 25, 2026

There goes the siren that warns of the air raid, then comes the sound of the guns sending flak Out for the scramble we’ve got to get airborne, got to get up for the coming attack Jump in the cockpit and start up the engine, remove all the wheel blocks there’s no time to waste Gathering speed as we head down the runway, gotta get airborne before it’s too late Running, scrambling, flying Rolling, turning, diving, going in again Running, scrambling, flying Rolling, turning, diving Run, live to fly, fly to live, do or die Won’t you run? Live to fly, fly to live Aces high Move into fire at the mainstream of bombers, let off a sharp burst and then turn away Roll over, spin round and come in behind them, move to their blindsides and firing again Bandits at eight o’clock move in behind us, ten ME-109’s out of the sun Ascending and turning our Spitfires to face them, heading straight for them I press down my guns Rolling, turning, diving Rolling, turning, diving, going in again Rolling, turning, diving Rolling, turning, diving Run, live to fly, fly to live, do or die Won’t you run? Live to fly, fly to live Aces high

Submitted by Nargaroth — Apr 24, 2025

Are you ready? Have ya missed anybody he? One, two, one, two, three, four! I've been trying, trying so hard I've been crying, crying in the dark Don't forsake me, the time of mine is near Don't ever break me and the world that brought me here Sick and lonely, waiting for the dawn Sick and lonely, wondering what to do Can you hear me, when I say to you "You give me your hand, I'll give mine to you"? Ah-ah-ah-ah Ah-ah-ah-ah When the king of twilight shows me I will take ten steps to see Forty leaves I pay for freedom For a chance to be free For a chance to be free Ah-ah-ah-ah Ah-ah-ah-ah When the king of twilight calls you Take a step and you will see We all need a quick solution For a chance to be free For a chance to be free Free! Ah-ah-ah-ah Ah-ah-ah-ah When the king of twilight shows me I will take ten steps to see Forty leaves I pay for freedom For a chance to be free For a chance to be Free

Submitted by Dahmers Fridge — Mar 25, 2026

Woe to you, o'er Earth and Sea For the Devil sends the beast with wrath Because he knows the time is short Let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the beast For it is a human number Its number is six hundred and sixty-six I left alone, my mind was blank I needed time to think, to get the memories from my mind What did I see? Can I believe That what I saw that night was real and not just fantasy? Just what I saw, in my old dreams Were they reflections of my warped mind staring back at me? 'Cause in my dreams, it's always there The evil face that twists my mind and brings me to despair Yeah Night was black, was no use holding back 'Cause I just had to see, was someone watching me? In the mist, dark figures move and twist Was all this for real, or just some kind of hell? Six-six-six, the number of the beast Hell and fire was spawned to be released Torches blazed and sacred chants were phrased As they start to cry, hands held to the sky In the night, the fires are burning bright The ritual has begun, Satan's work is done Six-six-six, the number of the beast Sacrifice is going on tonight This can't go on, I must inform the law Can this still be real, or just some crazy dream? But I feel drawn towards the chanting hordes Seem to mesmerize, can't avoid the eyes Six-six-six, the number of the beast Six-six-six, the one for you and me I'm coming back, I will return And I'll possess your body and I'll make you burn I have the fire, I have the force I have the power to make my evil take its course

Submitted by Dahmers Fridge — Mar 25, 2026

(drumming and singing in the background)... Oh..Oh! You cheeky! You slimeball! What did you do that for, you rotten terror Dave? You f'king put my own voice and verbals in the... you know, they've heard me trying to sing this f'king song now. Well how ya doing out there, you lot? Eh? Welcome yet again to Nicko's "not alot of people know that, or knew that, or still don't... I don't know, whatever it is now days... number six." You are absolutely devastatingly spoiled, the lot of ya. You're out there in your greasy sweaty debauched horrible stinking little palms and fingers and all those horrible little bits and pieces that go on your hands... Are now the proudest of possibly the most amazed Iron Maiden fans to own 2 Minutes To Midnight, Rainbow's Gold, Mission From 'Arry... hoho! We shall talk about that later... And as you heard, that rotten Dave there will be tiddling the knobs in the control room, decided to wack the microphone on... Aces High, King Of Twilight, Number Of The Beast live! Oh you gosh, you've got such a package there! How can you still be sane, after this? I mean, goodness gracious, listen to me, I've been playing it for six years! Hahahaa! Anyway, no! Oh gosh, (sings) two minutes to midnight.... cha! Released the 6th of August 1984. My third single with the band. I guess that must make the band's eleventh or tenth single, whenever. Don't write in and say, "Nick I've got it wrong." or else I'll... (hits the microphone)... give you some of that! And, it got to number 11 in the charts and this great British... oh by the way, earlier on I was thinking of trying to think... you know we had the Bleeding Bojack Company, which we all know who that is by now, right? Now there was another company that I sort of mentioned prior to this little speech I'm giving to you now, and I won't actually tell you who it was, but the kind of... the... the abbreviation of this I suppose you'll get it from, but I though we could call them the Mighty Tight Veg, what do you think? I mean, they haven't got any clue, have they? You know, I mean, nevertheless! Hahaha! Now then, we all know who they are, cause they've wimped out. Nevertheless, we still got to number 11 in the great British charts thanks to you guys again, and girls, and all them little guyettes and guygirls and znznzn... all them people sort of whatever out there... First released single off the Powerslave album, and yet again this album was recorded in the Bahamas. Yes sir, mmmm hmmm! Now, as we all know, 2 Minutes To Midnight, great song, good video... the first story format that the band had ever put out on a video rather than just sort of crazy stuff and... and... the norm, you know. Hehehe. Rainbow's Gold was a song written by some friends of the band's, a guy called Terry Sles... Slesser, sorry Terry I didn't mean to get it wrong... Terry Slesser and a guy called Kenny Mountain who ah... in a band called Beckett together, I do believe. I might have go that wrong... so f'king hell what if I have! You gonna do something about it? Huh huh? Come over here! Anyway, now then, on the butt end of this here single was a track called Mission From 'Arry. See? Now, those of you out there, still to this day some of you think that this was a coreographed piece of entertainment for all you guys and girls. Well I can tell you it f'king well was not. It was in fact the, if only, the very f... only argument I've ever had with Steve Harris. We were onstage in Allantown Pennsylvania one evening... this was on the Piece Of Mind tour... when... although it was released on the back of a Powerslave single, it was actually recorded on the Piece Of Mind tour. And, I was doing a drum solo... you know, new boy in the band, do a drum solo Nick... get on with it. So in this period of time, Steve would go off to the back of the gig and change his... if he had a dodgy bass string, or he... normally he would... but what happened on this night, he was changing the battery on his remote, or his... should I say his transmitter. So, he sent this guy around to tell Mike my drum tech to tell me to extend my drum solo, cause he weren't ready. But he didn't tell my drum tech, he told this guy who was sitting at the back of the gig who was one of the riggers, a guy called Paul who's no longer with the band, I wonder why? No, anyway, he said to him, "tell Nick to extend his drum solo." So I'm playing... (makes drum noises).... and all that shit, and I gets a tap on the back and this guy says "Ooy!" I go, "What!" "Ooy! Blahahaey!" I go "What!" He's going "Heyheyhey ehey!" and he's pointing to Steve. I'm going, "EH?" He's going, "ah ah heyheyhey!" I'm going, "WHAT!!!" He's going, "WAHEHAAHAHAYYY!" I said, "FUCK OFFFFFF!!!" Hahah... Jesus Christ, he made me FUCK!!! Oh! Anyway, what could I do? I stopped, I gone absolutely wally, so I've come off the gig anyway... and cut the... to make a long story even longer, I've come off the gig and I gone in the dressing room and I said, "That f'king geezer at the back of the gig! What the f'king hell does he think he's doing? There he is, he's giving me all these verbal signs and all this stuff right?" I said, "I couldn't understand him, he was about three feet behind me instead of coming up and shouting in my lughole." Harris said, "I sent him." I went, "You what?" He said, "I sent him." I said, "What the f'king hell you doing sending him around to give me messages?" He said, "Well, I... you know... play a bit more and you know, need a bit more time to change my bass thing-a-me-bob." And I said, "I f'king care about that, this geezer made me fuck!" He said, "Well look, you better go and appologize to him." And I said, "F'king right I am! I f'king appologizing to him, he made me fuck!" He said... hahaha! That's the argument. We argued about fifteen twenty minutes, and it all calmed down, and Bruce came in and he got a bloody cassette in his back pocket, and he said, "Oy Nick, what would happen if he tried to tell you the lighting truss was going to fall on your head?" And I said, "Don't you f'king well start!" And 'Arry said, "yeah, he's got a good point, doesn't he?" So we started the argument again and Bruce recorded it. And then at the end of this Mission From 'Arry you'll remember this... 'Arry says... he grabs the tape... just before he grabs it, he sees this tape in the pocket and he's going "some (beep)'s recording this!" Hahahaha! So he got the tape, and that's basically how that all happened. But anyway, after this extravaganza, we thought it was so funny we had to let you guys hear it. And that's the only serious argument I've ever had with Steve in my life... or my life. So, that just about gives me enough time in this little "not alot of people know that number six, part six, or whatever", to tell you just a tad about Aces High, which as you know has got King Of Twilight on it, and Number... NOB! of.. Number Of The Beast live. This song was released 22nd of... no it wasn't... heh! It was, it was released 22nd of October 1984. Chart position 20 that got to. Now, at the time we were rehearsing the Powerslave album, Steve was writing this single, I started to learn to fly airplanes in Jersey. And, I'd come home from the aerodrome, and I'd have the old... you know, twisting the old ends of the mustache, twiddling the old various bits and pieces... the hat and the goggles and the scarf... "Woah, tally-ho Biggles! You've bandits at six o'clock low, coming out of the sun, 12 o'clock high! Watch out, full power, bomb's away Biggles!" You know, all that good stuff. And I think it sort of slightly influenced Steve to write this song, you know, about those 2nd World War spitfire pilots and those guys. Hey, shhh... just between you and me, Steve... he doesn't like to fly. He hates it, he think's I'm an absolute nut case! But, you don't tell him I told you, will you, because he'd be very upset. Anyway, Aces High, King Of Twilight.... great! What a package this one is for you! I wish I had more time to explain some more of the stories on 2 Minutes and things like that, around that time. But I really do have to go now, I'm running out of time. Oh yes, just a little joke for you before I leave. Have you heard the one about the two queers? The were fighting over a manhole! Hahahahah! See ya, I'm off! Bye!

Submitted by BloodShrine — May 09, 2026

2 Minutes to Midnight / Aces High

1 - 2 Minutes to Midnight

2 - Rainbow’s Gold

3 - Mission From ’Arry

4 - Aces High

5 - King of Twilight

6 - The Number of the Beast

7 - Listen With Nicko! Part VI