Iron Maiden - The Trooper - Meaning of the song
"The Trooper" is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released as the second single on 20 June 1983 from the band's fourth studio album, Piece of Mind (1983). It was one of only a few songs to get much radio airplay in the United States, thus peaking at No. 28 on the US Mainstream Rock charts. It also achieved success in the United Kingdom, peaking at No. 12 in the UK Singles Charts as well as gaining a much better reception than the band's previous single, "Flight of Icarus".
The Crimean War, fought between Imperialist Russia on one side and France, the United Kingdom, Sardinia, and the Ottoman Empire on the other side from 1853 to 1856, is the subject of "The Trooper." The Crimean War is regarded as the first "modern" combat, with technological advancements that influenced the evolution of contemporary warfare. An era of Anglo-Russian dominance in Europe came to an end with the war. The Crimean Peninsula, the Balkans, and the Black Sea were the main battlegrounds. More precisely, "The Trooper" is about the Battle of Balaclava, which took place during the Crimean War (October 25, 1854).
The Trooper - Lyrics
You'll take my life but I'll take yours too You'll fire your musket but I'll run you through So when you're waiting for the next attack You'd better stand there's no turning back The bugle sounds, the charge begins But on this battlefield no one wins The smell of acrid smoke and horse's breath As I plunge on into certain death Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh The horse he sweats with fear we break to run The mighty roar of the Russian guns And as we race towards the human wall The screams of pain as my comrades fall We hurdle bodies that lay on the ground And the Russians fire another round We get so near yet so far away We won't live to fight another day Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh We get so close, near enough to fight When a Russian gets me in his sights He pulls the trigger and I feel the blow A burst of rounds takes my horse below And as I lay there gazing at the sky My body's numb and my throat is dry And as I lay forgotten and alone Without a tear I draw my parting groan Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh