DESCRIPTION:
Iron Maiden - Estadio Do Pacaembu, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Aug. 24, 1996, during '' The X Factour '' 1995-1996.

Fortunes Of War (Harris)

Blaze Bayley:Vocals
Steve Harris:Bass
Janick Gers:Guitar
Dave Murray:Guitar
Nicko McBrain:Drums

[Lyrics]

After the war and now that they've sent us homeward
I can't help but feel that I'm on my own
No one can see just what this conflict has done to
The minds of the men who are on their way home

I'm scarred for life but it's not my flesh that's wounded
So how can I face the torment alone
The vivid scenes and all the recurring nightmares
I lay there and sweat until it gets light

People say don't worry, say that time's a perfect healer
That the nightmares they will come to pass
Can't hear what they're saying, I am living in my own world
And I'm feeling trance-like all the time

I hear voices in my head, could I really be going crazy
In the night the visions seem so real
Do you care if you live or die, when you laugh are you really crying
You're not sure what's real anymore

Fortunes of war, fortunes of war
Fortunes of war, no pain anymore
Fortunes of war, fortunes of war
Fortunes of war, no pain anymore
Fortunes of war

Fortunes of war, fortunes of war
Fortunes of war, no pain anymore
Fortunes of war

Fortunes of war, fortunes of war
Fortunes of war, no pain anymore
Fortunes of war, fortunes of war
Fortunes of war, no pain anymore
Fortunes of war

Sometimes I wake, I feel that my spirit's broken
I wonder if I've the strength ... to carry on

Carry on
......................................
'Fortunes Of War ' is a song from Iron Maiden's album '''The X Factor'',released in 1995.

'Fortunes Of War' describes the mental anguish of a soldier returning from war - the nightmares, the voices, and the terrible memories. It makes a good counterpart to 'Afraid To Shoot Strangers' which describes the anguish of a soldier who is about to go off to war. It can also be linked to 'The Aftermath', although it hasn't got the same historical specificity and is delving in the dark thoughts of any soldier returning from any conflict of the 20th Century onward.

Steve Harris describes accurately what goes through the minds of those who fought when they are returned to civilian life and face those who only saw the conflict from afar: "I can't help but feel that I'm on my own, no one can see just what this conflict has done to the minds of the men who are on their way home." The feelings of misunderstanding and loneliness are heightened by contact with people who, as hard as they may try, simply cannot understand what an ordeal like combat can do to someone, and it is only natural that those who fought often seek their former comrades-in-arms in order to once again be surrounded by those who lived through the same hell and who understand. Those are mentally "scarred for life" and all too often have to face the aftermath alone, "the vivid scenes and all the recurring nightmares."

Those who have never been confronted to a combat situation dish out the usual banalities that "time's a perfect healer, that the nightmares they will come to pass" but they never really do. Most veterans end up "living in [their] own world" and often question their sanity ("Could I really be going crazy?"). Strength of character and sometimes professional help can provide the former combattants with the appearance of a "normal" life and put aside those mental scars, a necessary requisite to "carry on."

'The X Factor' is the tenth studio album by Iron Maiden, released in 1995. It is the band's first album to include Blaze Bayley, formerly of Wolfsbane, as vocalist, replacing Bruce Dickinson who left the band following their previous tour to pursue a solo career.

The album title came about in the early part of the recording. According to producer Nigel Green:

"We all felt that the way things were progressing - the songs, Blaze's new involvement, the sound, the commitment - the new album really would have that extra quality, that bit of magic, that X Factor. This became the working title for the album and we liked it, so we kept it. It is also very apt as this is our tenth studio album and "X" can bring up many images."

Supporting the album was the X Factour tour. Much like the tour for their following album, Virtual XI, it was cut short after Blaze suffered a violent allergic reaction to certain elements used on the stages where the band performed.

This is the second album (Piece of Mind being the first) that did not have a title track on it, as well as the first album to not feature the album title in any of the song lyrics.