After previous iterations of the group – the Polka Tulk Blues Band and Earth – the band settled on the name Black Sabbath in 1969. They distinguished themselves through occult themes with horror-inspired lyrics and down-tuned guitars. Signing to Philips Records in November 1969, they released their first single, "Evil Woman", in January 1970, and their debut album, Black Sabbath, was released the following month. Though it received a negative critical response, the album was a commercial success, leading to a follow-up record, Paranoid, later that year. The band's popularity grew, and by 1973's Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, critics were starting to respond favourably.
Osbourne's excessive substance abuse led to his firing in 1979. He was replaced by former Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio. Following two albums with Dio, Black Sabbath endured many personnel changes in the 1980s and 1990s that included vocalists Ian Gillan, Glenn Hughes, Ray Gillen and Tony Martin, as well as several drummers and bassists. Martin, who replaced Gillan in 1987, was the second-longest serving vocalist and recorded three albums with Black Sabbath before his dismissal in 1991. That same year, Iommi and Butler were rejoined by Dio and drummer Vinny Appice to record Dehumanizer (1992). After two more studio albums with Martin, who replaced Dio in 1993, the band's original line-up reunited in 1997 and released a live album, Reunion, the following year; they continued to tour occasionally until 2005. Other than various back catalogue reissues and compilation albums, as well as the Mob Rules-era line-up reunited as Heaven & Hell, there was no further activity under the Black Sabbath until 2011 with the release of their final studio album and 19th overall, 13, in 2013, which features all of the original members except Ward. During their farewell tour, the band played their final concert in their home city of Birmingham on 4 February 2017. Occasional partial reunions have happened since, most recently when Osbourne and Iommi performed together at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Black Sabbath have sold over 70 million records worldwide as of 2013, making them one of the most commercially successful heavy metal bands. Black Sabbath, together with Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, have been referred to as the "unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal in the early to mid-seventies". They were ranked by MTV as the "Greatest Metal Band of All Time" and placed second on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" list. Rolling Stone magazine ranked them number 85 on their "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Black Sabbath were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. They have also won two Grammy Awards for Best Metal Performance, and in 2019 the band were presented a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sabbath
Studio albums
Black Sabbath (1970)
Paranoid (1970)
Master of Reality (1971)
Vol. 4 (1972)
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)
Sabotage (1975)
Technical Ecstasy (1976)
Never Say Die! (1978)
Heaven and Hell (1980)
Mob Rules (1981)
Born Again (1983)
Seventh Star (1986)
The Eternal Idol (1987)
Headless Cross (1989)
Tyr (1990)
Dehumanizer (1992)
Cross Purposes (1994)
Forbidden (1995)
13 (2013)
After All
Black Sabbath Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Will you forgive me for living?
Can't believe the things that they said
Wonderful day for a killing
It's killing me!
What do they do with your soul?
Is it just lying there busted?
Is there someone to be trusted with my mind?
Oh there's insufficient evidence
Of what just might come after
But sometimes out of nowhere
There's demented sounds of laughter
Are we all haunted by the ghost - imagination?
It just can't be, I've seen them there howling at the moon
Is it just me or does somebody else, believe this
Well I'm not alone and I'm not afraid
There's just one way to see after all
After all
After all
After all
What do you say to the dead?
Is there a place where it's burning?
It says in a book I once read
Yes, there's a chance of returning
Turn to me
The fundamental principles
Say nothing of forever
But those are voices that I hear
Or I'm just not so clever
It can't be me I know somebody else, believes this
Well I'm not alone, I'm not afraid
Just one way to see after all
After all
Coming after all
After all
After all
The lyrics to Black Sabbath's song "After All" explore existential questions about life and death while also reflecting on the society's view of death. The opening line, "What do you say to the dead?" sets the tone for a reflective piece on the singer's view of life and death. The line "Will you forgive me for living?" suggests a sense of guilt the singer feels for being alive while others may have lost their lives. The line, "Can't believe the things that they said, Wonderful day for killing, It's killing me" adds to the theme of guilt and reflects on society's view of death. The second verse of the song, "What do they do with your soul? Is it just lying there busted? When did you lose all control?" further explores the nature of death and the afterlife.
The chorus of the song, "There's just one way to see after all, after all, after all" emphasizes that the mysteries of life and death cannot be fully understood in this world. The lyric "Oh, there's insufficient evidence of what just might come after, but sometimes out of nowhere, there's demented sounds of laughter" again emphasizes the singer's confusion about life and death. The song concludes with the line, "Yes, there's a chance of returning, turn to me," reflecting the possibility of a kind of afterlife.
Line by Line Meaning
What do you say to the dead?
What words can you speak to those that have passed on?
Will you forgive me for living?
Do I need to beg forgiveness for continuing to exist while others have died?
Can't believe the things that they said
The absurd things they say about the dead are hard to accept.
Wonderful day for a killing
A day that seems ripe for death and destruction.
It's killing me!
The thought of death and its aftermath is causing extreme emotional pain.
What do they do with your soul?
What happens to a person's soul after death?
Is it just lying there busted?
Or does it simply cease to exist, broken and discarded?
When did you lose all control?
When did you lose the ability to control what happens to you after death?
Is there someone to be trusted with my mind?
Can anyone be relied upon to guide our souls into the next life?
Oh there's insufficient evidence
There is not enough verifiable proof about what happens after death.
Of what just might come after
Of what might happen in the afterlife.
But sometimes out of nowhere
Occasionally, unexpected things occur in life and death.
There's demented sounds of laughter
There are moments of crazy, unpredictable occurrences surrounding death.
Are we all haunted by the ghost - imagination?
Is our mind playing tricks on us and causing us to believe in ghosts and spirits?
It just can't be, I've seen them there howling at the moon
But I have seen supernatural events that I cannot explain.
Is it just me or does somebody else, believe this
Is it just me that senses these things or do others believe in the supernatural?
Well I'm not alone and I'm not afraid
There are others who also believe in ghosts and are not afraid of them.
There's just one way to see after all
The only way to truly know what happens after death is to experience it yourself.
What do you say to the dead?
What words can be spoken to the dead?
Is there a place where it's burning?
Is there a fiery place where the dead go to be punished?
It says in a book I once read
I once read a religious text that describes the afterlife.
Yes, there's a chance of returning
According to the book, there is a possibility of returning after death.
Turn to me
Trust in me and I will guide you through the afterlife.
The fundamental principles
Basic beliefs and values.
Say nothing of forever
They do not provide any guidance on what happens after death.
But those are voices that I hear
But I still hear the whispers of the supernatural.
Or I'm just not so clever
Or perhaps I am simply not intelligent enough to understand the truth.
It can't be me I know somebody else, believes this
It cannot only be me that senses the supernatural.
Just one way to see after all
The only way to truly know what happens after death is to experience it yourself.
Coming after all
Death is always coming, ultimately overtaking us all.
After all
In the end, after all is said and done, death is inevitable for us all.
After all
In the end, regardless of what happens after, we will all have to face death.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TONY IOMMI, GEEZER BUTLER, RONNIE JAMES DIO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
KRIS_ _1231
What do you say to the dead?
Will you forgive me for living?
Can't believe the things that they said
Wonderful day for a killing
It's killing me!
What do they do with your soul?
Is it just lying there busted?
When did you lose all control?
Is there someone to be trusted with my mind?
Oh there's insufficient evidence
Of what just might come after
But sometimes out of nowhere
There's demented sounds of laughter
Are we all haunted by the ghost - imagination?
It just can't be, I've seen them there howling at the moon
Is it just me or does somebody else, believe this
Well I'm not alone and I'm not afraid
There's just one way to see after all
After all
After all
After all
What do you say to the dead?
Is there a place where it's burning?
It says…
Epipsychidion Ozymandias
So haunting... Black Sabbath truly were metal masters, no matter who sang their songs.
Rob Mulry
Best Song on the Album!!!
Sammy Beck
Letters from Earth is also a badass song
Gothik Extravaganza
I disagree... albeit, only slightly.
Sammy Beck
This album was so different. All the music was more of a doom Black Sabbath Groove. Ronnie James Dio wasn't singing about rainbows and the future. We all know Dios sound and it wasn't in this album. How awesome is that. That Black Sabbath Tony Iommi sound with Ronnie on vocals. Can't get better than that
AdrianSmith2000
Sabbath inventó todo, heavy metal, doom metal, stoner metal, fulanito metal... etc etc... Tony you are God !!
Crossair
After all that time still a brillant song Cheers mate!
Ultimate Doomguy
The Demon's Dead. Doom 2, Refueling Base. Rock on, brothers!
S Shuford
The man was a metal god and still is just saying RIP DiO
KRIS_ _1231
What do you say to the dead?
Will you forgive me for living?
Can't believe the things that they said
Wonderful day for a killing
It's killing me!
What do they do with your soul?
Is it just lying there busted?
When did you lose all control?
Is there someone to be trusted with my mind?
Oh there's insufficient evidence
Of what just might come after
But sometimes out of nowhere
There's demented sounds of laughter
Are we all haunted by the ghost - imagination?
It just can't be, I've seen them there howling at the moon
Is it just me or does somebody else, believe this
Well I'm not alone and I'm not afraid
There's just one way to see after all
After all
After all
After all
What do you say to the dead?
Is there a place where it's burning?
It says…