<P> "Hallowed Be Thy Name" has remained in almost all of the band's set - lists since the album's recording, the only exceptions being the Maiden England World Tour 2012--14, and the second leg of the Book of Souls World Tour in 2017 . 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 ." 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 ." </P> <P> It is one of the most covered songs in Iron Maiden's catalogue, with versions released by artists such as Dream Theater, Machine Head, Cradle of Filth and Iced Earth . Iron Maiden also recorded the song as part of Channel Four's 2007 television series, Live from Abbey Road, while a version recorded for BBC Radio 1 in 2005 was used as a B - side on "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg" single . The song's title is a line from the Lord's Prayer . </P> <P> A section of the lyrics are lifted from Beckett's 1973 song "Life's Shadow". Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood was the agent for Beckett and a teenage Steve Harris saw the band play this song live . Harris and Murray settled with one of the credited songwriters, Robert Barton . The other songwriter, Brian Ingham, has sued Iron Maiden for his share of the profits from the song . Ingham was unaware of the matter until 2011 and Barton claimed to be the sole songwriter during the original settlement . </P> <P> On 12 March 2018, it was reported that the band had settled the case out of court . 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 . A spokesperson for the band states that they settled out of court for pragmatic reasons and to avoid escalating legal fees . </P>

Iron maiden - hallowed be thy name (studio version)