Lyrics of Alexander the Great by Iron Maiden
My son ask for thyself another kingdom
For that which I leave is too small for thee
Near to the east
In a part of ancient Greece
In an ancient land called Macedonia
Was born a son
To Philip of Macedon
The legend, his name was Alexander
At the age of nineteen
He became the Macedon King
And he swore to free all of Asia Minor
By the Aegean Sea
In 334 B.C
He utterly beat the armies of Persia
Alexander the Great
His name struck fear into hearts of men
Alexander the Great
Became a legend amongst mortal men
King Darius the third
Defeated fled Persia
The Scythians fell by the river Jaxartes
Then Egypt fell
To the Macedon King as well
And he founded the city called Alexandria
By the Tigris river
He met King Darius again
And crushed him again in the battle of Arbela
Entering Babylon
And Susa, treasures he found
Took Persepolis, the capital of Persia
Alexander the Great
His name struck fear into hearts of men
Alexander the Great
Became a God amongst mortal men
A Phrygian King had bound a chariot yoke
And Alexander cut the ‘Gordian knot’
And legend said that who untied the knot
He would become the master of Asia
Hellenism he spread far and wide
The Macedonian learned mind
Their culture was a western way of life
He paved the way for Christianity
Marching on, marching on
The battle weary marching side by side
Alexander’s army line by line
They wouldn’t follow him to India
Tired of the combat, pain and the glory
Alexander the Great
His name struck fear into hearts of men
Alexander the Great
He died of fever in Babylon
Historical Background
In short: The song is about the Life and conquests of Alexander the Great.
Alexander the Great – The Man Who Conquered the World
Some men rule kingdoms. Others change the course of history.
Iron Maiden’s Alexander the Great isn’t just a song—it’s a battle cry echoing through the ages. This is the story of the man who took a small kingdom and turned it into the largest empire the world had ever seen.
Let’s break down the legend.
“My son, ask for thyself another kingdom, for that which I leave is too small for thee.”
These are the words of King Philip II of Macedon, speaking to his son—Alexander. Even before he ruled, his destiny was clear: Macedonia was just the beginning.
At 19 years old, he became king. And instead of defending his throne, he looked outward—toward Persia, toward Egypt, toward the edges of the known world.
He wasn’t here to inherit power.
He was here to take it.
The Campaign of Conquest
Alexander didn’t just fight battles. He crushed empires.
334 B.C. – The Persian War Begins
“By the Aegean Sea, in 334 B.C, he utterly beat the armies of Persia.”
At the Battle of Granicus, Alexander obliterated the Persian forces. King Darius III underestimated him. That was a mistake.
333 B.C. – The Gordian Knot
“A Phrygian King had bound a chariot yoke, and Alexander cut the ‘Gordian Knot’.”
A prophecy said that whoever untied this legendary knot would rule Asia. Alexander? He didn’t untie it—he cut it with his sword. That’s who he was: no patience for puzzles, only results.
331 B.C. – The Fall of Persia
“By the Tigris River, he met King Darius again, and crushed him again in the battle of Arbela.”
At the Battle of Gaugamela (Arbela), Alexander ended the Persian Empire. King Darius ran. His own men betrayed and killed him. Persia belonged to Alexander now.
Egypt – The Birth of Alexandria
“Then Egypt fell to the Macedon King as well, and he founded the city called Alexandria.”
Egypt didn’t just surrender—they made him a Pharaoh. He built Alexandria, a city that would become a center of knowledge, culture, and power.
Alexander wasn’t just a conqueror. He was a visionary.
The Breaking Point – India and the Limits of Glory
“Marching on, marching on, the battle-weary marching side by side.”
Alexander pushed into India. But after 12 years of war, his men had enough. They had conquered everything. They had faced elephants, monsoons, and exhaustion. They refused to go further.
Alexander, undefeated in battle, was defeated by fatigue.
The Death of a God
“He died of fever in Babylon.”
In 323 B.C., Alexander died at just 32 years old. The cause? Fever, poison, or sheer exhaustion—no one knows for sure. But one thing was certain:
The empire he built was too big for any man to rule. After his death, it fractured.
But his legacy never faded.
Why Alexander the Great Still Matters
- He spread Greek culture across the world. Hellenism shaped everything from philosophy to art to government.
- He changed warfare forever. His tactics are still studied in military academies today.
- He became a legend. No conqueror before or after could match his speed, ambition, and vision.
“His name struck fear into hearts of men.”
Damn right it did.
The Lesson?
Alexander wasn’t the strongest. He wasn’t the richest.
But he had one thing no one else had—an unbreakable will to win.
His story proves that greatness isn’t given. It’s taken.
And sometimes, one man really can change the world.