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Woe to you, oh earth and seaFor the Devil sends the beast with wrathBecause he knows the time is shortLet him who hath understanding reckon the number of the beastFor it is a human numberIts number is six hundred and sixty-six
I left alone, my mind was blankI needed time to thinkTo get the memories from my mindWhat did I see? Can I believe?That what I saw that night was real and not just fantasy?
Just what I saw in my old dreamsWere they reflections of my warped mind staring back at me?'Cause in my dreams it's always thereThe evil face that twists my mind and brings me to despair
Night was black, was no use holding back'Cause I just had to see, was someone watching me?In the mist, dark figures move and twistWas all this for real or just some kind of Hell?
Six six six, the number of the beastHell and fire was spawned to be released
Torches blazed and sacred chants were praisedAs they start to cry, hands held to the skyIn the night, the fires are burning brightThe ritual has begun, Satan's work is done
Six six six, the number of the beastSacrifice is going on tonight
This can't go on, I must inform the lawCan this still be real, or just some crazy dream?But I feel drawn towards the chanting hordesSeem to mesmerize, can't avoid their eyes
Six six six, the number of the beastSix six six, the one for you and me
I'm coming back, I will returnAnd I'll possess your body and I'll make you burnI have the fire, I have the forceI have the power to make my evil take its course
According to the song's writer, Steve Harris, it was inspired by a nightmare he had after watching the film Damien: Omen II, in addition to the poem Tam o' Shanter by Robert Burns.
The song opens with a spoken word passage, read by English actor Barry Clayton, which quotes Revelation 12:12 and Revelation 13:18.
The track is known for its very long, high-pitched and guttural wail at the end of the intro, which AllMusic describes as "the most blood-curdling Dickinson scream on record"
