BLACK SABBATH Lyric Analysis #1: "Black Sabbath"

Last edited by TrogDawn on Fri Jun 27, 2008 1:09 am; edited 2 times in total

OK, here's an idea I had this morning. Since many of us dig the Ozzy years of Sabbath, and since they have been so reviled by many in the church, let's dig into the lyrics from the first 8 studio albums with the classic line up and talk about exactly what we think they are saying. We'll go from the song "Black Sabbath", the first track on the first album, to "Swinging the Chain", the last track on Never Say Die.

Basically, just post your thoughts on and interpretations of the lyrics, good or bad. This is not a thread for debate, as everyone will probably have different ideas and there are not necessarily any "wrong" answers. All lyrical interpretation is really only speculation and nowhere near an exact science since none of us wrote the lyrics. Also, if you know of any info from interviews, etc. that you can provide to help with the discussion, please do so.

For me, I got interested in Sabbath not only because of their sound, but also because of the references to God in their lyrics. I'd like to pick the songs apart and find out just how prevalent those references are compared to references to satan/the occult and also how positive or negative those references are.

Here's the first one. When we have exhausted discussion on this one, we'll move to the next. Who's game? Troggish

"Black Sabbath" (from Black Sabbath, 1970)

What is this that stands before me?
Figure in black which points at me
Turn around quick, and start to run
Find out I'm the chosen one - Oh no!

Big black shape with eyes of fire
Telling people their desire
Satan's sitting there, he's smiling
Watches those flames get higher and higher
Oh no, no, please God help me!

This is the end my friend
Satan's coming 'round the bend
people running 'cause they're scared
You people better go and beware!
No! No! Please! No!

ultmetal wrote:: Hmm seems to be a warning about hell.

TrogDawn wrote:: Can you elaborate? What gives you that impression? (I'm not playing dumb, I just want this to be a detailed analysis)

I'll post my thoughts soon. I just want to get some other folks' input first.

ultmetal wrote:: Looks like a vision of Hell.

Watches those flames get higher and higher

The the inevibable terror sets in

Oh no, no, please God help me!

people running 'cause they're scared

Unfortunately once you are there, it's too late. Seperation from God, the second death, being for eternity.

TrogDawn wrote:: That is really interesting, man! I've never quite looked at it that way before.

See? I already have a different perspective on the song thanks to you!

Anybody else?

metalmetalmetal wrote:: the first stanza, sounds like he sees Satan, and he doesn't want to be with him, so he runs away from evil things

second stanza it seems like Satan is putting thoughts into your head deceiving you, and the fire represents sin maybe, Satan gets you to do sinful things and the more sin in the world the higher the flames go

third paragraph he warns people of Satan and his tricks and to flee from sin

ghosts of athanasius wrote:: Have you ever thought about your soul - can it be saved?
Or perhaps you think that when youre dead you just stay in your grave
Is God just a thought within your head or is he a part of you?
Is Christ just a name that you read in a book when you were in school?

When you think about death do you lose your breath or
Do you keep your cool?
Would you like to see the pope on the end of a rope
Do you think hes a fool?
Well I have seen the truth, yes Ive seen the light and Ive changed my ways
And Ill be prepared when youre lonely and scared at the end of our days

Could it be youre afraid of what your friends might say
If they knew you believe in God above?
They should realize before they criticize
That God is the only way to love

Is your mind so small that you have to fall
In with the pack wherever they run
Will you still sneer when death is near
And say they may as well worship the sun?

I think it was true it was people like you that crucified Christ
I think it is sad the opinion you had was the only one voiced
Will you be so sure when your day is near, say you dont believe?
You had the chance but you turned it down, now you cant retrieve

Perhaps youll think before you say that God is dead and gone
Open your eyes, just realize that hes the one
The only one who can save you now from all this sin and hate
Or will you still jeer at all you hear? yes! I think its too late

From AFTER FOREVER

I think when you consider the work it brings context. You take these two songs together and it appears warning against unbelief. It seemed to me that they never really got into the huge natas thing until DIO and then it was all a gimmick IMO.
However, that said, they do not seem to have an agenda to advance the things of God. The spiritual is balanced by the carnal on every album.

When you look at the song Black Sabbath, it reads to me a warning about the devil. It seems the protagonist is scared and wanting to resist but still prone to deception. Of course only Christ can deliver and also resist the devil and he will flee from you

metalmetalmetal wrote:: After Forever by Black Sabbath... but i don't think we were done discussing the first song

TrogDawn wrote:: I think that ghosts was using "After Forever" to illustrate his point about the s/t song. Am I right, ghosts?

criss3o wrote:: Very cool thread idea, Trog!!!

To me those lyrics are a warning to stay clear of the Devil! I've always considered that song a great Horror Movie to music!!!

spiritoradio wrote:: I'm not sure how to delve into this particular song, but the story of the song as told on "The Black Sabbath Story: Vol. 1" is that after they changed their name to Black Sabbath from the name Earth, a lot of "weirdos" or "characters" started showing up at their shows because of their name. One night someone came up to Geezer after the show and handed him a "spell" book that was from like the 16th century. Geezer didn't think too much of it when he brought it home and put it into a locked cabinet, but later that night he was awoken to a "Big black shape, with eyes of fire". That pointed at him then disappeared. The first thought in his mind was the book, so he got out of bed and ran to the cabinet, where the book was locked in, when he opened it the book was gone. Spooky hunh? So the lyrics are a story that Geezer wrote about that particular event.

candlemass wrote:: I thought Ozzy gave him that book?

TrogDawn wrote:: There's an easy way to find out. We can watch the Black Sabbath Story Vol. 1 and hear Geezer's story, eh?

candlemass wrote:: I thought "the chosen one" had to do with human sacrifice, as in a Satanic ritual?

Tall Tyrion wrote:: That's my opinion as well. I always saw the song as a (hopefully) hypothetical situation about someone getting caught up in a Satanic ritual and becoming an unwilling human sacrifice.

TrogDawn wrote:: That's interesting because the conclusion seems to depend on how you approach the interpretation of the song. If you approach it from the premise of evil, I can see how this conclusion could be reached. But if you approach it from a premise of good (i.e. "a warning" ), you get something more akin to what ultmetal, criss3o, ghosts and metalmetalmetal said above. Hmmm...

ghosts of athanasius wrote:: BTW you understood me correctly Trog

I was merely referencing After Forever to make a point about the song at hand

TrogDawn wrote:: Good. I'm glad I "got" you!

I have heard some people try to label them as a "Christian band" but I think your statement rings more true. And while I enjoy the fact that there are Christian references and references to God in places, they were hardly out to advance the Gospel. It was more like influence from their upbringing, IMO.

metalmetalmetal wrote:: yea i wouldn't consider them a Christian band, they just had Christian influences, especially Ozzy who still has Christian based songs such as "Believer"

and as far as info
for anybody who saw the movie Little Nicky
in the scene where a big portion of hell rose up to the park in NY, Ozzy used the same set designer from that scene to set up his next Ozzfest stage to look like similar to that

GODSWIZARD wrote:: This song would turn many peeps at my church off just by the bands look, music sound, and the fact that there are even references to satan AT ALL in the song.

They would put member look's + music sound + satanic references together and arrive at a pre-judgement and pre-supposition (correct or not) just from the first two things above. The satanic references would not be *picked apart* or *thought of* too much as the pre-judgement is just SET from the first two.

I've never, ever fit into my churches "musically" (i've been at three since salvation) and Ozzy era BS is both my favorite era of BS and also, BS is my favorite band.....period. Always has been and always will be.

These lyrics? I just get the fact that satan is a bad being. He will **** up you and your life if you let him. Only GOD will help you, can help you. Not so bad. Right on actually IMO.

wmcollis wrote:: Wow...never read the lyrics of Black Sabbath. The song takes on a whole new meaning. The words read so different by themselves than with the song.

Minimalist777 wrote:: Excellent Thread! Personally I would say the character is gong to hell, because of sin he has comitted in his life, he realizes its a very bad place to be and call on God for help, of course its to late. So the song is a warning against sin, especially the ocult.

silentwitness9 wrote:

Quote :: Who wrote the lyrics to "Black Sabbath"?

In the magazine Seconds, Geezer said " Ozzy came up with those lyrics about some of the experiences that I'd had.
I'd sort of dabbled in Black Magic, not practicing it, but I was interested in it. All these horrible things kept happening to me
-- a lot of my aunts and uncles started dying and I was seeing all these bloody things visiting me during the night.
I told Ozzy about all that and he wrote those lyrics as a warning about Satanism." (Seconds, #39, pg 63-64)

Taken From: http://www.black-sabbath.com/faq/faq.html#faq47

criss3o wrote:: This is such a good thread! Great communication!

I think it is important to note that Sabbath is not a Christian band , but is a band with Christian members! But not actively pursueing stronger faith Christians! That is to say, have any of you led hedonistic lives while not denouncing Christ? I lived many of my years Loving Christ yet not reading or believing the bulk of the Bible! These were my drug-addled years where I loved my fellow man, but not so much myself! Do you know what I mean? If you have ever been there I think you will relate to my veiws on Sabbath lyrics, becuase that is where I believe they were in their beliefs!!!

candlemass wrote:: I don't know if it's so much on what premise you approach the song with, but the lyrics themselves. In paticular; "find out I'm the chosen one", seems to speak of a coven leader who would choose one to be sacrificed, hermanutics 101!

bgast7851 wrote:: Great thread. I never really thought about analyzing Black Sabbath's lyrics too much. I remember though back in the day when I bought the first album, that I bought thinking that it was probably occultic, and at that time I thought it was cool. I thought that album was "too" heavy. Nothing else touched it when it first came out.

TrogDawn wrote:

candlemass wrote:: In paticular; "find out I'm the chosen one", seems to speak of a coven leader who would choose one to be sacrificed

But you're interpreting the entire song based on one line. The rest of the lyrics don't seem to follow suit - JMO.

TrogDawn wrote:: "Black Sabbath" (from Black Sabbath, 1970)

What is this that stands before me?
Figure in black which points at me
Turn around quick, and start to run
Find out I'm the chosen one - Oh no!

Big black shape with eyes of fire
Telling people their desire
Satan's sitting there, he's smiling
Watches those flames get higher and higher
Oh no, no, please God help me!

This is the end my friend
Satan's coming 'round the bend
people running 'cause they're scared
You people better go and beware!
No! No! Please! No!

OK, here's my take...

First of all, I am really drawn to the interpretation that ultmetal put forth because it caused me to look at the song in a different light and from a different perspective.

Previously, I always approached this song on a very subjective and visceral level. Based on the lyrics and their imagery (combined with the cover art), I always pictured a scene straight out of the Salem witch trials and the superstition and fear of that period of time. It almost seems to take place on what was probably a Sabbath day during Autumn, but something dreadful happened on this particular day (i.e. satan paid the little village a visit and scared the crap out of everyone). The person who is telling the story, in the first person tense, has found out something awful out of this event: that he has been chosen for something that terrifies him. I've never interpreted it as being that he was to be a sacrifice in some satanic ritual though, I always pictured it as much more of a 'B' grade horror movie type thing like Blood of Dracula or something similar to that, in that he was "chosen" to carry out some awful task that he did not want to do, but was "fated" to, if you will (almost like Oedipus in the Greek tragedy, who was fated to kill his father and marry his mother. He didn't want to do these things, but the actions he took to avoid his fate only led him straight into it).

I think the ambiguity of what this actually means is part of the attraction of the song though, because the listener is left to their own imagination to determine what is meant. This can be milder or worse than the writer intended, based on the experiences of the listener (which is the great thing about all art).

I also always appreciated that the main character cries out to God for help, even though that help never seems to arrive (during this song's lifetime anyway).

As far as what was intended by the writer, I have read accounts that are similar to what spiritoradio posted before. The most recent one I remember reading was in the liner notes of the Symptom of the Universe double disc compilation that came out a few years ago just prior to the box set being released. In those notes, Geezer mentioned that prior to that song's conception, he was actually messing around with the occult and black magic, etc. During that period (and I don't remember if he said it was a dream, a vision or a real physical event) he related having been "visited" by the "figure in black" as described in the first verse at the foot of his bed one night. He said it scared the hell out of him, but he felt that the message to him was "you've been messing around with evil, now either declare your allegiance or @#%$ off!" He spoke of choosing the latter option and abandoning his interest in the dark arts from that point forward. He also stated that the experience was the inspiration for the song "Black Sabbath" (in addition to the Boris Karloff movie bearing the same name - which also happened to be the inspiration for the band's name change from EARTH to BLACK SABBATH. I've seen the movie and it's TERRIBLE and has no relation or similarity to the band or the song other than the title! Not really even worth watching, IMO) and in fact that many of his lyrics came from dreams and nightmares he experienced. I don't remember if he specifically said that it was Ozzy or himself that wrote the lyrics, but I do seem to recall hearing or reading somewhere that it may have been Ozzy.

Anyway, that's what I think and know about it.

criss3o wrote:: Great Summary, Trog!

BTW, as I know the story, Geezer lifted the name from the movie having seen a poster, but not the movie! AND, I agree the movie stinks!!!

TrogDawn wrote:: That's true, now that you say it I remember reading that somewhere too. Smart man. That movie was a total waste of time, but back when I was utterly obsessed with these guys, I had to absorb anything and everything related to them. Let's just say it wasn't a keeper...

candlemass wrote:: Yea, I forgot about Geezer's explination of that song. I bought the movie too, when I saw Borris Karloff was in it I was stoked, what a let down!

TrogDawn wrote:: I'll leave this up for a couple more days, just to make sure that everyone who wants to has a chance to comment. Then we'll move on to "The Wizard"...

DRReeves wrote:: Just noticed this thread.
Most everything has already been said.
In England, not unlike America, what it means to be a "Christian" is a rather broad term.
The members of Black Sabbath were all pretty much "working class lads" raised in the church the way that most in the "South" in the US are raised.
Through out the years they have toyed with the whole occult thing, probably as a result of the name of their band and have reported on various good and bad experiences.
Clearly the imagery means far more to fans than the band itself, though as a marketing tool it has served them well.
Are any of these guys "really Christian" today?
Look at Ozzy, the way he lives, the things he says. He knows the truth and is aware that the truth is the truth...and in a strange sort of way attempts to live out what he feels is "better" (...than?)...is that Christian?
Well? Is it?

TrogDawn wrote:: Hey Dave, I appreciate your statements and questions but this isn't really a "is Sabbath Christian?" thread. This is basically just to analyze the lyrics of the songs on the first 8 albums in order to try and get a better picture of what many people think they might be talking about.

I personally never took Sabbath to be a "Christian band" or necessarily as Christians. I always just saw them as a band that had some positive references to God in some of their lyrics, probably influenced by their upbringing in the church - just like you said.

777Stryken777 wrote:: You know, one time Freddie Mercury was asked about the meaning in his lyrics, and he said, "If you see it, then it's there!" That's how I take this stuff. If you see a message that reminds you of scripture, then that's what you get out of it.

Remember, Truth remains true no matter who speaks it. So if Geezer Butler used Biblical principles in Sabbath tunes, then those words hold true no matter who sings them.

Just my two cents.

TrogDawn wrote:: Thanks for chiming in, Ian! Good point.

candlemass wrote:: "True poetry has no meaning, it just opens up doors, you walk through wich ever one you choose." J.D.M.

777Stryken777 wrote:: That is an excellent quote, CM! Who said it?

ghosts of athanasius wrote:: I believe that was Jim Morrison

» BLACK SABBATH Lyric Analysis #3: "Behind the Wall of...
» BLACK SABBATH Lyric Analysis #5: "Wicked World"
» BLACK SABBATH Lyric Analysis #6: "Sleeping Village&quot
» BLACK SABBATH Lyric Analysis #2: "The Wizard"
» BLACK SABBATH Lyric Analysis #7: "Warning"