In 2004, Iommi was ranked number one on Guitar World's "100 Greatest Metal Guitarists of All Time", and in 2011, ranked 25th in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". On 13 October (Europe) and 1 November (United States) 2011 Iommi's autobiography was published, entitled Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven and Hell with Black Sabbath. On 9 January 2012, it was announced that Iommi had been diagnosed with early stage lymphoma.
The Spell
Iommi Lyrics
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The blood it will spill, the rest of your life
It's more than a glance, it's cold down below
You've taken the chance, where you shouldn't go
The wheel of life is turnin'
You never should have crossed the track
Your karma is burnin'
Why did you forsake, you had to take
And now you're living in your hell
The vow you break, you try to shake
But it's so hard to break the spell
It's so hard to break the spell
Now say what you must, and kill your design
To ashes and dust, it chills to the spine
I don't understand, thought I knew you well
It's so outta hand, you can't break the spell
The wheel of life is turnin'
You never should have crossed the track
Your karma is burnin'
You know you never can go back
Why did you forsake, you had to take
And now you're living in your hell
The vow you break, you try to shake
But it's so hard to break the spell
Why did you forsake, you had to take
And now you're living in your hell
The vow you break, you try to shake
But it's so hard to break the spell
And now you're all alone
You've taken my advice
And you have never known
I should have told you twice
And you will hear the call
And now you start to fall
I see you lose your grip
And now you start to fall
The wheel of life is turnin'
You never should have crossed the track
Your karma is burnin'
You know you never can go back
Why did you forsake, you had to take
And now you're living in your hell
The vow you break, you try to shake
But it's so hard to break the spell
It's so hard to break the spell
The song begins with a description of the consequences of making choices that lead one down the wrong path. The singer has made a grave error in judgment and now feels trapped in a vicious cycle from which there seems to be no escape. The metaphor "deep is the knife" is used to convey a sense of pain and hopelessness. The singer is warning the singer that they have gone too far and that there is no coming back from the situation they have gotten themselves into.
The second verse expresses the singer's confusion and disappointment at the singer's choices. The singer's decision-making has resulted in their isolation and inability to escape the consequences of their actions. The singer tries to help the singer, telling them to let go of their harmful intentions, but it is seemingly too late. The chorus repeats the lines "why did you forsake?" and "it's so hard to break the spell" to emphasize the singer's sense of regret and futility.
In the third and final verse, the singer observes that it is too late for the singer, and they must now live with the consequences of their actions. The metaphor "ashen and dust" is used to represent the destruction caused by the singer's behavior. The singer also expresses their regret for not warning the singer more emphatically. Overall, the song conveys a sense of hopelessness and regret for choices made in the past that cannot be undone.
Line by Line Meaning
It's taken your will and deep is the knife
Your free will has been stolen from you, and the emotional pain is as deep and damaging as a sharp knife.
The blood it will spill, the rest of your life
Your suffering will continue for the rest of your life, leaving behind a trail of emotional scars and pain.
It's more than a glance, it's cold down below
The situation is much worse than it appears on the surface, and it chills you to the bone.
You've taken the chance, where you shouldn't go
You made a decision to venture into dangerous territory, and now you're in too deep.
Your karma is burnin'
The cause and effect of your actions is coming back to haunt you.
Why did you forsake, you had to take
You betrayed someone or something you cared about, and you felt like you had no other choice.
And now you're living in your hell
Your actions have caused you to live a life full of torment and pain.
The vow you break, you try to shake
You made a promise that you couldn't keep, and now you're struggling to get out of the situation.
But it's so hard to break the spell
The situation has an unseen hold on you that makes it difficult to escape from its grasp.
To ashes and dust, it chills to the spine
The consequences of your actions are so severe that it makes you feel ice-cold and fills you with dread.
It's so outta hand, you can't break the spell
The situation has become unmanageable, and you feel powerless to escape its control.
You never should have crossed the track
You made a mistake by venturing into dangerous territory that you should have avoided.
And now you start to fall
The consequences of your actions are catching up to you, and you're slowly but surely losing your grip on the situation.
It's so hard to break the spell
The situation has an unseen hold on you that makes it difficult to escape from its grasp.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GLENN HUGHES, ANTHONY IOMMI, BOB MARLETTE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nimrodjoeTV
The BEST IOMMI and HUGHES tune EVER!!!!!! including 7th star
@KAOTSOUKI
Best of the album
Exceptional drumming.
@akaboo69
awesome i like how everything Iommi does sounds like sabbath
@dnch
tommi is sabbath
@cristian-tl6df
@f*ck google "tony" y not "tommy".
@jonashermes
@Eduardo Hidalgo Tony + Iommi = Tommi
@TommyDeNitro
Definitely the greatest album which Iommi and Hughes have ever made !
@radicalthoughts
I think Hughes sounds great on these tracks.
@jayfalco8635
He Always Sounds Great.. Glenn Rules!! ❤
@greggharpel2516
It's the same riff that was at the end of the studio version of Heaven and Hell stretched way out. Genius!