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)
Wasp / Behind the Wall of Sleep / Bassically / N.I.B.
Black Sabbath Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Deadly petals with strange power
Faces shine a deadly smile
Look upon you at your trial
Chill and numbs from head to toe
Icy sun with frosty glow
Words that grow read to your sorrow?
Feel your spirit rise with the breeze
Feel your body falling to its knees
Sleeping wall of remorse
Turns your body to a corpse
Turns your body to a corpse
Turns your body to a corpse
Sleeping wall of remorse
Turns your body to a corpse
Now from darkness, there springs light
Wall of Sleep is cool and bright
Wall of Sleep is lying broken
Sun shines in, you have awoken
Oh yeah!
Some people say my love cannot be true
Please believe me, my love, and I'll show you
I will give you those things you thought unreal
The sun, the moon, the stars; all bear my seal
Oh yeah!
Follow me now and you will not regret
Leaving the life you led before we met
You are the first to have this love of mine
Forever with me 'til the end of time
Your love for me has just got to be real
Before you know the way I'm going to feel
I'm going to feel
I'm going to feel
Oh yeah!
Now I have you with me, under my power
Our love grows stronger now with every hour
Look into my eyes, you'll see who I am
My name is Lucifer, please take my hand
Oh yeah!
Follow me now and you will not regret
Leaving the life you led before we met
You are the first to have this love of mine
Forever with me 'til the end of time
Your love for me has just got to be real
Before you know the way I'm going to feel
I'm going to feel
I'm going to feel
Oh yeah!
Now I have you with me, under my power
Our love grows stronger now with every hour
Look into my eyes, you will see who I am
My name is Lucifer, please take my hand
The lyrics to Black Sabbath's medley of songs, Wasp / Behind the Wall of Sleep / Bassically / N.I.B., are particularly cryptic and eerie, typical of the songwriting of the band's frontman, Ozzy Osbourne. The first section, Wasp, describes deadly visions within a flower with strange powers, and faces that shine a deadly smile upon the listener at their trial. The imagery is haunting, and the lyrics describe a sensation of being paralyzed and frozen with fear. The second section, Behind the Wall of Sleep, references a wall that causes a feeling of remorse as it metaphorically turns the listener's body into a corpse. The third section, Bassically, is instrumental, but leads into the final, most famous section, N.I.B., whose initials stand for "Nativity In Black." This song appears on the eponymous first Black Sabbath album, and it tells the tale of a person who is in love with Lucifer.
The song's lyrics are open to interpretation, particularly with Ozzy being known to write nonsensical or ambiguous lines. However, it is possible to deduce that the song touches upon themes of the supernatural and the occult, particularly with the devil's name being mentioned towards the end of the song. The wall of sleep in the song may be a metaphor for some type of barrier keeping the listener from reaching their full potential. In the final section of the song, Ozzy sings as Lucifer and tries to convince someone to follow him away from their previous life.
* Black Sabbath's "Wasp/Behind the Wall of Sleep/Bassically/N.I.B." medley is one of their most famous songs and is often performed live by the band.
* The song was originally called NIB (Nativity in Black) before being adapted into the medley on their first album.
* The distinctive riff from the song's final section (N.I.B) was composed by bassist Geezer Butler, and the song gets its name from the acronym that spells out his name.
* The song is known for its dark and haunting tone, and it is often considered one of the defining tracks of the heavy metal genre.
* Despite its popularity, the song was never released as a single.
* The lyrics to the song are often interpreted as being about Satan, though the band members have stated that it was never intended to be taken that way.
* The cover art for the album featuring the song was designed by Marcus Keef and features a black and white photo of a woman's hands holding roses.
* Black Sabbath was originally called Earth but changed their name after discovering there was another band of the same name in existence.
* The song was included on the soundtrack to the 1992 film "Encino Man."
* The song was once covered by Metallica during a live performance.
Chords (as played by Black Sabbath):
[intro riff]
G:——————————————————————————————————————————
D:——————————————————————————————————————————
A:——————————————————————————————————————————
E:—0—3—5—3—0—3—5—3—0—3—5—3—0—3—5—3—
[bass riff]
G:—————————————————————————
D:—————————————————————————
A:—0—0—0—0————————————————
E:—————————————3—0———————
[chorus riff] (for Bassically)
G:———————
D:———————
A:———————
E:—0—3—5—
Line by Line Meaning
Visions cupped within a flower
Imaginations trapped within an alluring flower
Deadly petals with strange power
The attractive flower carries a deadly power
Faces shine a deadly smile
The beings in the vision have an evil grin
Look upon you at your trial
They watch and judge you in a trial of life
Chill and numbs from head to toe
A cold sensation that creeps over the body
Icy sun with frosty glow
The light that shines feels cold and lifeless
Words that grow read to your sorrow?
Do the words that arise bring feelings of sadness?
Words that grow read no tomorrow?
Will the words that develop never have a tomorrow?
Feel your spirit rise with the breeze
Sensing your soul soar with the wind
Feel your body falling to its knees
Succumbing to the force and collapsing to the ground
Sleeping wall of remorse
The oppressive barrier of regretful thoughts
Turns your body to a corpse
It transforms you into a lifeless shell
Now from darkness, there springs light
A ray of hope shines from a place of darkness
Wall of Sleep is cool and bright
The barrier of slumber is refreshing and vibrant
Wall of Sleep is lying broken
The barrier of rest now crumbles
Sun shines in, you have awoken
The light shines through, and you're awakened
Some people say my love cannot be true
Some question the legitimacy of my love
Please believe me, my love, and I'll show you
Trust me, and I'll prove my love to you
I will give you those things you thought unreal
I will give you everything you ever dreamed of
The sun, the moon, the stars; all bear my seal
Everything you see and perceive reveals my influence
Follow me now and you will not regret
Join me on this journey, and you'll be satisfied
Leaving the life you led before we met
Say goodbye to your old life, and follow me
You are the first to have this love of mine
You're the first to experience my affection
Forever with me 'til the end of time
You'll be with me for eternity
Your love for me has just got to be real
Your love for me must be genuine
Before you know the way I'm going to feel
Wait until you experience the intensity of my emotions
I'm going to feel
I can't control these emotions
Now I have you with me, under my power
You're now with me and under my control
Our love grows stronger now with every hour
Our love strengthens with each passing moment
Look into my eyes, you'll see who I am
Gaze into my eyes, and you'll know who I truly am
My name is Lucifer, please take my hand
I'm Lucifer, and I want you to follow me
Contributed by Camden B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@paulacoronelvillacres6262
Vengence cupped within the flower
Deadly petals with strange power
Faces shine a deadly smile
Look upon you at your trial
Chill that numbs from head to toe
Icy sun with frosty glow
Words that go read to your sorrow
Words that go read no tommorow
Feel your spirit rise with the breeze
See your body falling to it's knees
Sleeping wall of remorse
Turns your body to a corpse
Turns your body to a corpse
Turns your body to a corpse
Sleeping wall of remorse
Turns your body to a corpse, come on
Come on
Now from darkness there springs light
Wall of sleep is cool and bright
Wall of sleep is lying broken
Sun shines in you have awoken
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, come on, I can't fuckin' hear you
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Mr. Geezer Butler
Thank you
@charlie-wizzdoggwilliams5691
When you listen to early Black Sabbath it truly is an eargasm.
@MrBenjaminm1
It’s the only sabbath I really listen to🤘🏼
@mason3872
I listen to their first six albums plus heaven and hell and mob rules.
@ericstrunck3611
I listen at 430 Am is that too early? Oh yeah !!!!
@michaelknight6387
Truly a band that was the "sum of its parts" but as a guitarist who has tried in vain to find rhythm sections that can properly play some of these songs I have alot of admiration and love for the combo of Ward and Butler. Rudimentary, perfect, always serving the song. Jazz on steroids.
@gtstangman96
Couldn't agree with you any more
@Mike-kv5pl
That Bass, that guitar, those drums...they are as one.
@kissel2294
Bro. Totally. Those 3 guys are just unmatched. They make basic blues/rock sound like an orchestra
@kenkovar2647
Geezer bass insane
@kennyrogers3919
All that in a 3 piece 😳🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻