The Prisoner

Producer

This song was inspired by a British television show of the same name. In it, a government agent is held captive in a village that seems idyllic but is actually a prison. He… Read More

Mar. 22, 19821 viewer42.1K views

The Prisoner Lyrics

[Intro]
We want information, information, information
Who are you?
The new number two
Who is number one?
You are number six
I am not a number, I am a free man!

[Verse 1]
I'm on the run, I kill to eat
And I'm starving now, feelin' dead on my feet
Goin' all the way, I'm nature's beast
Do what I want and do as I please

[Pre-Chorus]
Run, fight to breathe, it's tough
Now you see me, haha, now you don't
Break the walls, I'm comin' out

[Chorus]
Not a prisoner, I'm a free man
And my blood is my own now
Don't care where the past was
I know where I'm going, out

[Verse 2]
If you kill me, it's self-defense
But if I kill you, then I call it vengeance
Spit in your eye, I will defy
You'll be afraid when I call out your name

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[Pre-Chorus]
Run, fight to breathe, it's gonna be tough
Now you see me and now you don't
Break the walls, I'm comin' out

[Chorus]
Not a prisoner, I'm a free man
And my blood is my own now
Don't care where the past was
I know where I'm going
I'm not a number, I'm a free man
Live my life where I want to
You'd better scratch me from your black book
Cos I'll run rings around you

[Instrumental Break]

[Chorus]
Not a prisoner, I'm a free man
And my blood is my own now
Don't care where the past was
I know where I'm going
I'm not a number, I'm a free man
Live my life where I want to
You'd better scratch me from your black book
Cos I'll run rings around you
Not a prisoner, I'm a free man
And my blood is my own now
Don't care where the past was
I know where I'm going

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About

Genius Annotation

This song was inspired by a British television show of the same name. In it, a government agent is held captive in a village that seems idyllic but is actually a prison. He is known only as “Number 6,” and is constantly pressed for information.

The show’s episodes mostly revolved around Number 6 attempting to escape the village of madness, mind control, and identity erasure. These were themes not frequently explored in TV to that point.

Iron Maiden would return to this village prison on “Back in the Village,” the 6th track on Powerslave.