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)
Sweet Leaf
Black Sabbath Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Won't you listen?
When I first met you, didn't realize
I can't forget you or your surprise
You introduced me to my mind
And left me wanting you and your kind, oh yeah
My life was empty, forever on a down
Until you took me, showed me around
My life is free now, my life is clear
I love you, sweet leaf, though you can't hear, oh yeah
Come on now
Try it out
Straight people don't know, what you're about
They put you down and shut you out
You gave to me a new belief
And soon the world will love you sweet leaf, oh yeah, baby
Come on now, oh yeah
Try me out baby, alright, oh yeah
I want you part of this sweet leaf, oh yeah
Alright, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh try me out
I love you, sweet leaf, oh
The lyrics to Black Sabbath's "Sweet Leaf" seem to be a paean to marijuana, celebrating its ability to open up the mind and free one's spirits from the drudgery of everyday life. The song opens with Ozzy Osbourne addressing his listeners, urging them to pay attention to his words. He then reminisces about his first encounter with the titular "sweet leaf," which he didn't initially recognize but soon grew to love. He sings of the drug's ability to show him new ways of thinking and feeling, and how it helped to shake loose the malaise that had been weighing him down.
As the song progresses, Osbourne makes clear that he sees himself as an evangelist for cannabis, railing against the "straight people" who don't understand its power and warning that they are missing out on something truly special. He promises that soon the world will come to love "sweet leaf," and he invites the listener to join him in the experience, to "try it out" and see for themselves what all the fuss is about.
Overall, "Sweet Leaf" is a passionate and unapologetic celebration of marijuana culture, and of the sense of liberation and euphoria that many people associate with drug use.
Line by Line Meaning
Alright now
Let's get started and pay attention.
Won't you listen?
Please listen to what I am going to say.
When I first met you, didn't realize
When I initially encountered you, I didn't fully understand what you represent.
I can't forget you or your surprise
I can't forget you or the unexpected impact you had on me.
You introduced me to my mind
You helped me discover and understand my own mind.
And left me wanting you and your kind, oh yeah
Because of that, I crave more of what you bring to my life.
I love you, oh, you know it
I have a deep affection for you and you're fully aware of it.
My life was empty, forever on a down
My life felt unfulfilling and sorrowful, and that seemed like it would persist.
Until you took me, showed me around
Until I met you and learned what you represent.
My life is free now, my life is clear
My life feels unburdened and transparent now.
I love you, sweet leaf, though you can't hear, oh yeah
I hold you in high regard, even if you can't truly comprehend that.
Come on now
Let's go
Try it out
Give it a try
Straight people don't know, what you're about
People who don't partake in what you represent don't truly understand it.
They put you down and shut you out
These non-participants denigrate you and don't engage.
You gave to me a new belief
You provided me with a new perspective I didn't have before.
And soon the world will love you sweet leaf, oh yeah, baby
I expect that eventually everyone will appreciate and love what you bring to the table.
Come on now, oh yeah
Let's go, alright.
Try me out baby, alright, oh yeah
Give me a chance to experience what you have, okay?
I want you part of this sweet leaf, oh yeah
I want you to join in on this experience I value so much.
Alright, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh try me out
Okay, okay, okay, please let me give it a try.
I love you, sweet leaf, oh
I truly cherish what you provide, sweet leaf.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: John Osbourne, Terence Butler, Tony Iommi, William Ward
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Caleb Bliss
One of Sabbath's heavest and grooviest songs. Long live heavy metal \m/
Dick Dastardly
Stoner rock avant la lettre.
Paco Bird
Ozzy sounds like he was near the end of the tour and took one toke too many before this performance. I love how the guitar solo just takes off like our of nowhere. Iommi a true wizard.
J G
My fav sabbath song, so sad its not gotta lot of airplay. So Heavy when loud.
Joseph Williams
Yeah really I agree I think i've only heard Sweet Leaf being played on the radio on 106.1 Wrdu from where im from down here in N.C. like 3 times thru a 20 year period " they always playing the main - hits like Iron man , Paranoid etc...bc what about other great - guitar riffs by the Master Tony like " Sweet Leaf , Symptom of the universe, Psycho man , In the End , Sabbath Bloody Sabbath & more....
Scott Sargent
Play this at +1.25X it’s basically the studio version...
Joseph Williams
One of their Best Riffs 🎵😎
Henry Yates
Man, hearing his voice crack like that really makes me sad
Dave Anthony
That’s what happens with age and partying. Maybe you’re life is sad if that’s what gets you down.
Henry Yates
Real weak