The Evil That Men Do

Album: Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (1988)
Charted: 5
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is based on a quote from William Shakespeare's tragedy Julius Caesar: "The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones." Bruce Dickinson says this sometimes before performing the song live, but with the quote slightly reversed. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Todd - Timmins, Canada

Comments: 7

  • Luke from Manchester, UkThis was released in 1988, Man On The Edge was in 1995.
    They sound similar because of the bassline which Steve Harris uses a lot.
  • Caitlin from Colmesneil, TxI hear you Donna. If it hadn't been for Maiden I wouldn't have ever picked up a copy of "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding or "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley. And it was really interesting, that the song helped me understand the book and the book helped me understand what they were talking about in the song!
  • Rachel from North Jersey, NjMy favorite Maiden song. i love the lyrics, i love the music and I love how Bruce delivers the vocals. I do believe this came before Man on the Edge, yes?
  • Joshua from London, EnglandThis song is real good, but bares some similarity to Man on the Edge
  • Donna from Ny , NyThey've always been interesting writers and some of their early songs actually made me go read. Not kidding. That's how I got interested in Coleridge. Laugh if you want, but it worked! I never thought of them as a negative band, the way they were publicly portrayed sometimes. Always good playing, adventurous and whole lot of fun.

    D.R., FL
  • Rae from Sydney, AustraliaHuh? i agree! iron maiden rules...
    the lovely thing is iron maiden helped created the'death' stereotypes... though, i thought a lot of the songs people do know the stories on the song, as it is based on novels/poems/events...
    such as this song is named from Julius Ceasar, and as part of a concept albulm, this is based on the Orson Scott Card Tales of Alvin Maker series...maybe im too much a bookworm :p
  • Drew from Butler, NjOne of my favorites. Iron Maiden is one of those bands that is stereotyped and no one ever really knows the great stories and thoughts behind the music.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Dwight Twilley

Dwight TwilleySongwriter Interviews

Since his debut single "I'm On Fire" in 1975, Dwight has been providing Spinal-Tap moments and misadventure.

Lita Ford

Lita FordSongwriter Interviews

Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.

Best Band Logos

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.

Jimmy Jam

Jimmy JamSongwriter Interviews

The powerhouse producer behind Janet Jackson's hits talks about his Boyz II Men ballads and regrouping The Time.

Charlie Benante of Anthrax

Charlie Benante of AnthraxSongwriter Interviews

The drummer for Anthrax is also a key songwriter. He explains how the group puts their songs together and tells the stories behind some of their classics.

Adam Young of Owl City

Adam Young of Owl CitySongwriter Interviews

Is Owl City on a quest for another hit like "Fireflies?" Adam answers that question and explains the influences behind many others.