What does 666 The Number of the Beast mean?

Iron Maiden: 666 The Number of the Beast Meaning

Album cover for 666 The Number of the Beast album cover

666 The Number of the Beast Lyrics

"Woe to you, On Earth and Sea, for the Devil sends the
beast with wrath, because he knows the time is short...
Let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the
beast for it is a human number, its number is Six hundred and
sixty...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    whatupfud
    click a star to vote
    Jul 29th 2009 !⃝

    To the above interp. They AREN'T satanic. Iron Madien has for years writting about ALL things that are of interest them. Things historical,mystical,biblical,etc. This song is puts to lyrics the story that the bible tells of the rise of the antichrist. The lyrics you quoted say it all. "...the one for you and me." is stateing that the number or mark of the beast will be fousted apon all peoples. They aren't impling that we should all give in and recive the devil or do it willingly. It is just a story being told. Just becuase you write or a song such as this dosen't mean you worship anything dark. It aswell dosen't mean the same thing if you are a fan and listen..it is just a song telling a story like all of there.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 10th 2008 !⃝

    The opening lines of the song (not the lyrics), are a set of two quotes from the bible.
    "But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short." Revelations: 12 : 12 and "Here is wisdom . Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast , for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six." Revalations: 13: 18.
    The song may be about someone who has committed a severe sin. He knows that what he did is wrong but did not confess his sin. "'Cause in my dreams it's always there the evil face that twists my mind and brings me to despair" would explain that there is an evil in him that he cannot rid himself of. The fact that he sinned would also explain how the devil (the beast) is able to control him.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 30th 2009 !⃝

    Bible Verse References:
    "But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short." Revelations: 12 : 12 and "Here is wisdom . Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six." Revalations: 13: 18.

    These verses set the back drop for the songs message. First, the devil has come to us and second that his that his number is our number. This is to say, in a more plainly spoken manner, that we are the evil of the Earth.

    The next 8 or so lines represent a sin that the narrator has committed and now recollects in his dreams. The chorus and next few lines show a mass of people partaking in the sin. This makes the focus no longer on the narrator’s actions alone but humanity in general.

    “This Can’t Go on I must inform the law…but I feel drawn toward the evil chanting hordes” now shows how this narrator understands what is right and wrong, and understands he should end the evil, yet still feels drawn toward the evil actions anyway. The message of the song is then to show the hypocrisy of man – to show that those righteous and wicked alike are both the source of evil in the world and tend to perpetuate this evil despite understanding that their duty should be to end it.

    A little different analysis than most but the one I have found most sensible.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 1st !⃝

    The book of the Bible is Revelation, singular, not Revelations.

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 3rd 2022 !⃝

    This song is about nothing but a dream Steve Harris had. That's it.

    It was also the first Iron Maiden video Nicko McBrain appeared in. Bullshit you say? Ill bet ya fiver I'm right!

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 3rd 2022 !⃝

    This song is about nothing but a dream Steve Harris had. That's it.

    Fun fact: This was the first Iron Maiden video Nicko McBrain appeared in with the band. Bullshit you say? Ill bet ya fiver I'm right!

  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 3rd 2022 !⃝

    Fun fact: This was the first Iron Maiden video Nicko McBrain appeared in with the band. Bullshit you say? Ill bet ya fiver I'm right!

  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 10th 2021 !⃝

    Okay Guys! Explain me this then. Why is the drummer now a devout Christian? The reason is because he knows what he is doing in this band is completely wrong and against God and Jesus! I am so happy

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 10th 2021 !⃝

    Okay Guys! Explain me this then. Why is the drummer now a devout Christian? The reason is because he knows what he is doing in this band is completely wrong and against God and Jesus! I am so happy

  10. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 28th 2020 !⃝

    OFFS ... Plain and simple:

    The song was written by Steve Harris after he'd had a nightmare when he'd watched "The Omen 2". Nothing more than that. If it's a "satanic" song then WHY did the band perform it live on "Countdown" (an Australian music show in the 1980's)?

    And the band -- especially Bruce Dickinson -- fly fans in their plane AND have a British soccer / football team (unless after their games they all cavort around and hold demonic worship services for Satan who "made" them win the game ...)

    So ALL of you clowns who write that it's about "devil worship" or "anti-Biblical teachings": grow a brain.

    (I would suspect they're the same people who claim that Aussie rock band AC/DC (referring to the power conversion on a sewing machine), KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid = not Kings In Satan's Service), and Masters Of The Universe are satanic references as well)

  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 23rd 2018 !⃝

    The bass ( Steve Harris) player had a nightmare after watching the omen 2 and then wrote this song about it

    “ ‘cause in my DREAMS it’s always there, the evil face that twists my mind and brings me to despair,YYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH”

    Well I heard in an interview one time so I think this is true

  12. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 5th 2017 !⃝

    Jealousy kills find a job you love as mutch as these guys do! Up the irons

  13. kooljohn176
    click a star to vote
    Dec 20th 2015 !⃝

    It is well possible to be influence by a dream after wakeing up to write it down and make a song out of it the way IRON MAIDEN did. This happens a lot to conscientious people everyday, but this was not a normal dream the Protagonist was influence by to make music out of it. Living everyday reality in this complicated world could get difficult at times to understand our Presence in it by all the illusions of other people's reality that sometimes we may think that they are real for us that could influence us towards magical thinking anxiety. A unreality turning into worry paranoia revealing the symbolic forms to us in nightterrors and nightmares that haunt us in them. This dream to the Protoganist could be about a reality that is really taking place in the real world today that has been going on for a long time. I'am not saying this is a dream for some and turning into a nightmare for others from the point of view like in''Ion's Revelation'' where the 9 gods turned into the 9 sky monsters and 9 the muses Or the Bible's Revelation 13:1-2. Here the Protagonist in fear must inform the law[god] of the plan, because he doen't want to comform to the Satanic wrath of it's evil course on a global scale that want's to destroy the good intentions, to lead us away from a Novim dream for a healthier peaceful Planet for our future, that could turn into the Cat's ''Novim's Nightmare'' where the Protagonist feeling cursed and helpless nailed to the floor being born a ''Nine''. Only for the unrighteous one to take away his will and hope not to be in the house of god that he has the right to be in, unfortuantly only to wake up from his dream turned upside down into a nightmare in the real world reality to be used as a human number of the beast as the occultic patrotic symbol of pride by the 6 ponts, 6 triangles, and 6 sides of the hexagram=666 to fly for the evil course control, waiting for the new Alter to be raised again where once upon a time ''Torches blazed and sacred chants were raised, As they start to cry hands held to the sky,In the night the fires are burning bright, The rituals had began again that were held on course by this ''World Vision'' dream showdown of The Two fighting for this one seat world global control.

  14. kooljohn176
    click a star to vote
    Dec 14th 2015 !⃝

    A courageous song by IRON MAIDEN, it is possible to be influence by a dream after wakeing up to write it down and make a song out of it. This happens a lot to conscientious artists everyday, but this was not a normal dream the Protagonist was influence by to make music out of it. Living in our everyday reality in this complicated world could get difficult at times to understand our Presence in it by all the illusions of other people's reality that sometimes we may think that they are real for us that could influence us towards magical thinking. A anxiety turning into a worry paranoia revealing the symbolic forms to us in night terrors and nightmare dreams that many times are strange, frighting and wild that haunts us in them. This dream to the Protagonist could be about reality that is really taking place in the real world today that has been going on for a long time. I'am not saying this is like a dream for some, turning into a nightmare for others from the point of view in Revelation 13:1 Where here the Protagonist in fear must inform the law[god] of the plan, because he does not want to conform to the Satanic wrath of it's evil course on a global scale that wants to destroy the good intentions to lead him away from a ''Novim's'' dream for a healthier peaceful Planet for our future that could turn into The Cat's ''Novim's Nightmare'' where the Protagonist feeling cursed and helpless nailed to the floor being born of a ''NINE'' for the unrighteous one to take away his will and hope not to be in the house of god that he has the right to be in. Unfortunately only to wake up from his dream turned upside down into a nightmare in the real world reality to be used as a human number of the beast as the occultic Patriotic symbol of pride by the 6 points, 6 triangles and 6 sides of the hexagram=666 to fly for the evil course control, waiting for the New Alter to be raised again where once upon a time ''Torches blazed and sacred chants were praised, As they start to cry hands held to the sky, In the night the fires are burning bright'' The rituals had begun again that were held on course by this ''world vision'' dream showdown of The Two fighting for this One Seat World Global Control.

  15. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Aug 15th 2015 !⃝

    Look everyone. If people just did their research and stop being frozen (biased) by fear. Just because it's an assumed occult topic does not mean it's evil. Does anynow know what the occult really is from a real historical perspective? Do people really know the fact behind thing, not just reading and believing a man, or institution interpretation of things? Stop being a sheep lead by your ????? Lead by the blind and look at the facts. Use logic, god given reasoning, which was given to you as a gift for necessity. We are all human!

  16. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 10th 2014 !⃝

    I think its a combination of Harris' s dream and a subconcious explanation to hint at who the Beast is. in the first verse it does sound like someone troubled by a vision or a dream.then in the second verse he actually sees a vision of hell with "the figures move and twist". in the third verse it sounds like he sees a mass ritual of people brainwashed by "the evil face" when he says "satans work is done" the part with "torches blazed and sacred chants were raised" sounds like a hint at the rituals that Nero Caesar performed when he had christians dipped in oil and burned on torches in mass killings for his pleasure. Nero's name equals 666. when he says"but I feel drawn to the enchanted hoardes"it sounds like alot of people enchanted by this "beast" or Satan like when the German people were mesmerized by Hitler.then "I'm coming back, I will return" sounds like prophecies that say the Beast will come back at another time. There have been many bands who have songs with multiple meanings wether subcontious or not .

  17. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Sep 30th 2014 !⃝

    Whether you believe in God or not. It is a FACT that EVIL does exist so singing EVIL lyrics is undoubtedly ugly. But I think the
    question “Are these bands satanic” is irrelevant. The main question is what is the listener (brainwashed fan) is
    subconsciously thinking by chanting the Rothschild’s favourite number 666? For example I would consider a company like Monsanto a
    demonic entity. Who are no doubt EVIL.
    So again what is so cool about chanting this evil 666??
    Companies like Monsanto represent the number 666.
    So I don’t listen to ANY metal anymore because the constant suggestion AND PROMOTION of demons.
    Notice how defensive fans of these type of bands are???
    They are like a mad dog defending the rock stars million dollar castle??
    Now You can say “Satan does not exist all you like”.
    But you cannot say EVIL does not exist.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  18. brandonyork1975
    click a star to vote
    Jan 24th 2014 !⃝

    I think the song sounds awesome. However, this song troubles me. It doesn't tell anyone to take the mark, it only talks about someone taking it. Though as a Christian, I find that if I am entertained by this song the feeling I get is a negative one. When hearing this song it sounds more like it celebrates the mark of the beast rather than speak against it. This is the only song that Iron Maiden has that prefer to turn off. Strangely it also shares the same music tone as "the saints go marching in". That is an odd connection. I love heavy metal. I find it better off when it doesnt wander into religious matters.

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