The band is not to be confused with Zakk Wylde's solo project (sometimes known as Book of Shadows after its only album) or with Pride & Glory, Wylde's southern rock band.
History
In 1992, Ozzy retired after the No More Tears tour, which led Zakk to form his own solo band Pride & Glory, blending potent bluesy southern rock with heavy metal. In 1994 Ozzy decided to come out of retirement, and the numerous recording sessions for Ozzmosis took place. Around this time, Zakk was also offered the open guitar slot in Guns N' Roses and had a hard time deciding whether to tour with Ozzy or join Guns N' Roses. Neither project panned out. This gave Wylde the opportunity to record his own acoustic solo album, "Book of Shadows." After limited commercial success with Book Of Shadows, in 1998, Zakk and drummer Phil Ondich formed Black Label Society and recorded their debut album "Sonic Brew." Nick Catanese had been Zakk's touring rhythm guitarist since the Book Of Shadows tour (Zakk records all guitars on his albums). Craig Nunenmacher has been drumming for the band since 1919 Eternal (2001) following Phil's departure. Previous bass players include current Metallica bassist Rob Trujillo, former Megadeth 4-stringer James Lomenzo, and current Alice in Chains bassist Mike Inez, who also played with Zakk on the No More Tears, Ozzy tour.
The band had their song "Fire It Up" featured as a bonus song in the PlayStation 2 game Guitar Hero. Zakk Wylde has an avatar in the video game "Guitar Hero: World Tour", and the song "Stillborn" also appears.
Helpless
Black Label Society Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With dream comfort memory to spare
And in my mind I still need a place to go
All my changes were there
Blue, blue windows behind the stars
Yellow moon on the rise
Big bird flying across the sky
Leaves us
Helpless, helpless, helpless
Leaves us helpless, helpless, helpless
Baby can you hear me now?
The chains are locked and tied across the door
Baby, sing with me somehow
Helpless, helpless, helpless
Leaves us helpless, helpless, helpless
Helpless, helpless, helpless
Leaves us helpless, helpless, helpless
Blue, blue windows behind the stars
Yellow moon on the rise
Big birds fly across the sky
Throwing shadows on our eyes
Leaves us
Helpless, helpless, helpless
Leaves us helpless, helpless, helpless
Helpless, helpless, helpless
Leaves us helpless, helpless, helpless
There is a town in north Ontario
With dream comfort memory to spare
And in my mind I still need a place to go
All my changes were there
The lyrics of Black Label Society's song "Helpless" recount a nostalgic tale of the singer's memories of a small town in north Ontario. The town holds a special place in his heart as it was a place where he experienced comfort, dreams, memories, and significant changes in his life. The blue windows behind the stars and the yellow moon on the rise are reminiscent of the nights he spent gazing at the sky in the town. The imagery of the big bird flying across the sky, throwing shadows on their eyes depicts the singer's longing to be back in the town and relive those memories.
The repeated use of the word "helpless" in the chorus of the song adds to the feeling of longing and helplessness that the singer feels towards the town. The chains being locked and tied across the door symbolize the impossibility of returning to the place where he felt most at peace. The addition of the line, "Baby, can you hear me now?/ Baby sing with me somehow," expresses the singer's desire to be heard and understood in his longing for the town. Overall, the lyrics of "Helpless" tell a poignant story of nostalgia, longing, and helplessness.
Line by Line Meaning
There is a town in north Ontario
In the Northern part of Ontario, Canada, there exists a town
With dream comfort memory to spare
The town offers comfort and cherished memories
And in my mind I still need a place to go
The singer longs for a place to visit, and the town comes to mind
All my changes were there
The town holds significant memories of the artist's past changes and growth
Blue, blue windows behind the stars
The night sky has small blue windows behind the bright stars
Yellow moon on the rise
A yellow moon is ascending into the sky
Big bird flying across the sky
A large bird is soaring through the air
Throwing shadows on our eyes
The bird is casting shadows over the artist's eyes
Leaves us helpless, helpless, helpless
All of these sights leave the artist feeling helpless
Baby can you hear me now?
The artist is asking for someone's attention
The chains are locked and tied across the door
Something is preventing the singer from moving forward, represented by locked chains on a door
Baby, sing with me somehow
The artist is asking for someone to join them in song, possibly as a way of coping with their situation
Helpless, helpless, helpless
The singer is once again feeling helpless
Leaves us helpless, helpless, helpless
This feeling persists, and is shared by others
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BUCK RAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Deans Wayward Wolf
There is a town in North, Ontario
With dream comfort memory spare
And in my mind i still need a place to go
All my changes were there
Blue, blue windows behind the stars
Yellow moon on the rise
Big birds flying across the sky
Throwing shadows on our eyes
Leaves us helpless, helpless, helpless
Leaves us helpless, helpless, helpless
Baby, can you hear me now?
The chains are locked and tied
Across the door
Baby, sing with me somehow
Helpless, helpless, helpless
Leaves us helpless, helpless, helpless
Helpless, helpless, helpless
Leaves us helpless, helpless, helpless
Helpless, helpless, helpless
Leaves us helpless, helpless, helpless
There is a town in North, Ontario
With dream comfort memory spare
And in my mind i still need a place to go
All my changes were there
Deans Wayward Wolf
There is a town in North, Ontario
With dream comfort memory spare
And in my mind i still need a place to go
All my changes were there
Blue, blue windows behind the stars
Yellow moon on the rise
Big birds flying across the sky
Throwing shadows on our eyes
Leaves us helpless, helpless, helpless
Leaves us helpless, helpless, helpless
Baby, can you hear me now?
The chains are locked and tied
Across the door
Baby, sing with me somehow
Helpless, helpless, helpless
Leaves us helpless, helpless, helpless
Helpless, helpless, helpless
Leaves us helpless, helpless, helpless
Helpless, helpless, helpless
Leaves us helpless, helpless, helpless
There is a town in North, Ontario
With dream comfort memory spare
And in my mind i still need a place to go
All my changes were there
Jacob Gros
Zakk Wylde is a fucking human jukebox. He can do so many different things musically. He is so under appreciated by the masses.
The Blond Brogre
I've been listening to Zakk for years. I've seen him play 7 times. I have never heard this cover before, and it is beautiful.
Lucas Wilkinson
One of my favorite Neil young songs done by one of my other favorite artists. Can't go wrong
Pedro Hanna
Beautiful Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young cover. Zakk nailed it!!
Mike Lectric
Love this album!
Garrick Watkins
Zakk's covers are always good!
Nick Fuller
BLS music really hits ur heart sometimes
Mobile Tech
It sure does ,down to the soul
Scottish Trendkill
sometimes I feel so out of place and I want to run away from everything , but then I realise no matter what I do its gonna come back to me , I wish I wasnt here.