Allmusic describes it as "perhaps the most celebrated of the band's extended epics; it's the tale of a prisoner about to be hanged, featuring some of Harris' most philosophical lyrics.
"[3] Several band-members have since stated that it is one of their favourite tracks, with Bruce Dickinson describing it as "fantastic" and that performing it live is like "narrating a movie to the audience.
"[2] It is one of the most covered songs in Iron Maiden's catalogue, with versions released by artists such as Dream Theater,[4] Machine Head,[5] Cradle of Filth[6] and Iced Earth.
Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood was the agent for Beckett and a teenage Steve Harris saw the band play this song live.
The group's lawyers had argued that Harris initially used the lyrics as a placeholder and did not have time to change them before the album's release.