Written by Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith.
Performed by IRON MAIDEN.
Taken from the album PIECE OF MIND.

NOTE:
This song is about Miyamoto Musashi, a legendary
Japanese Swordsman.
Iron Maiden have never played this song live.

Transcribed by Oskar "The Seventh Son" Wigren.


Opening-riff:
E---------------|------------|
B---------------|------------|
G---------------|------------|
D---------------|------------|
A--4-7-4-2------|--(2)-------|
E--2-5-2-0------|--(0)-------|

E-------------------------------------------------|
B-------------------------------------------------|
G-------------------------------------------------|
D-------------------------------------------------|
A--4-7-4-2-7---4---4------------------------------|
E--2-5-2-0-5---2---2--2-2-2--2-2-2--2-2-2--2-2-2--|

E--------------------------------------|
B--------------------------------------|
G--------------------------------------|
D--------------------------------------|
A--7---4---4------------------------2--|
E--5---2---2--2-2-2---2-2-2--2-2-2--0--|

E------------------------------------------|
B------------------------------------------|
G------------------------------------------|
D------------------------------------------|
A--7---4---4-------------------------------|
E--5---2---2--2-2-2---2-2-2--2-2-2--2-2-2--|

E-------------------------------------|
B-------------------------------------|
G-------------------------------------|
D-------------------------------------|
A--7---4---4-----------------4--7--4--|
E--5---2---2--2-2-2---2-2-2--2--5--2--|

Verse:
     You killed your first man at 13
E-------------------------------------------|
B-------------------------------------------|
G-------------------------------------------|
D-------------------------------------------|
A--2--2-------------------------------------|
E--0--0--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0--|

     Killer instict, animal supreme
E---------------------------------------------|
B---------------------------------------------|
G---------------------------------------------|
D---------------------------------------------|
A--2--2------------------------------4-7-4-2--|
E--0--0--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0--2-5-2-0--|

Riff 2:
E------------------------------------------|
B------------------------------------------|
G------------------------------------------|
D------------------------------------------|
A--7---4---4-------------------------------|
E--5---2---2--2-2-2---2-2-2--2-2-2--2-2-2--|

E-------------------------------------|
B-------------------------------------|
G-------------------------------------|
D-------------------------------------|
A--7---4---4-----------------4--7--4--|
E--5---2---2--2-2-2---2-2-2--2--5--2--|

Chorus:
Sunlight, falling on your steel. Death in life is...
E--0-------------------|--3----------------------|
B--2-------------------|--3----------------------|
G--2-------------------|--0----------------------|
D--2-------------------|--0----------------------|
A--0-------------------|--2----------------------|
E----------------------|--3----------------------|

..your ideal, life is like a wheel
E--2----------------------|--0------------------|
B--3----------------------|--1------------------|
G--2----------------------|--0------------------|
D--0----------------------|--2------------------|
A-------------------------|--3------------------|
E-------------------------|---------------------|

E--3-----2--------|
B----3------3-----|
G------0-------2--|
D-----------------|
A-----------------|
E-----------------|

End of chorus.

Riff 3:
E--------------|------------------|
B--------------|------------------|
G--------------|------------------|
D--9---7-9-10--|--9-7------4-5----|
A--------------|------10-------5--|
E--------------|------------------|

E---------------------------|
B---------------------------|
G----------------7----------|
D--7-9-10---9-10-----4-5----|
A------------------------4--|
E---------------------------|

E------------------------------|
B------------------------------|
G----------------7---------11--|
D--7-9-10---9-10-----10-12-----|
A------------------------------|
E------------------------------|

E--------------------------------|
B------------------10---8-10-12--|
G--9-11-12---11-12---------------|
D--------------------------------|
A--------------------------------|
E--------------------------------|

End of riff 3.

Solo-riff:
E--------------------------------------------|
B--------------------------------------------|
G--------------------------------------------|
D--------------------------------------------|
A--4--------------------------------------2--|
E--2--2-2-2--2-2-2--2-2-2---2-2-2--2-2-2--0--|

Riff 4:
E----------------------------------|
B----------------------------------|
G----------------------------------|
D----------------------------------|
A----------------------------------|
E---2-2-2-3-3-3-4-4-4-5-5-5--6--7--|

E--------------------------|
B--------------------------|
G--------------------------|
D--------------------------|
A--------------------------|
E--3---4---5---6--7--8--9--|

End of riff 4.

Song-structure:
Opening-riff
Verse
Riff 2
Verse
Riff 2
Chorus (2 times)
Riff 2
Verse
Riff 2
Verse
Riff 2
Chorus (2 times)
Riff 3 (2 times)
Solo-riff (3 times)
Riff 4
Chorus (4 times)
END

Lyrics:

You killed your first man at 13,
Killer instinct, animal supreme,
By 16 you had learned to fight
The way of the warrior, you took it as your right.

Chorus:
Sunlight, falling on your steel,
Death in life is your ideal,
Life is like a wheel, rolling on and on

Through earth and water, fire and wind,
You came at last-nothing was the end,
Make a cut by fire and stones,
Take you and your blade and brake you both
in two-break you both in two


OSKAR WIGREN 1996-12-25