The Spell
Tony Iommi Glenn Hughes Lyrics


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It's taken your will and deep is the knife
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'
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

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

Overall Meaning

"The Spell" is a cautionary tale of consequences and regret. The opening lines describe how someone's will has been taken and they have been deeply wounded by a knife. The imagery here suggests that someone has been manipulated or hurt in some way. The next lines describe how this person took a chance where they shouldn't have gone and made a mistake that they can never come back from. The wheel of life is turning, and this person's karma is catching up to them. The chorus repeats the idea that it's hard to break the spell of one's own mistakes and that this person is living in their personal version of hell.


The second verse adds more detail to the story. Someone has done something so terrible that even the singer, who thought they knew this person well, can't understand it. The chorus repeats the themes of the first chorus - how this person has forsaken something important, and they can't break the spell of their own actions. The final lines of the song describe how this person has lost everything and has finally fallen, hearing the call of their own karma.


Line by Line Meaning

It's taken your will and deep is the knife
You've been weakened and hurt by someone or something, and the pain is immense.


The blood it will spill, the rest of your life
The effects of this hurt will be long-lasting and will continue to impact you as time goes on.


It's more than a glance, it's cold down below
This situation is more serious than it may appear on the surface, and it's deeply unsettling and uncomfortable for you.


You've taken the chance, where you shouldn't go
You took a risk that you knew deep down wasn't a good idea, and now you're paying the price.


The wheel of life is turnin'
Life moves forward, whether we want it to or not.


You never should have crossed the track
You made a mistake by venturing into dangerous territory.


Your karma is burnin'
Your actions have consequences, and you're now experiencing the negative effects of what you've done.


You know you never can go back
There's no way to undo what's been done, and you can't undo the past.


Why did you forsake, you had to take
You made a decision to prioritize your own desires over what you knew was right or responsible.


And now you're living in your hell
You're now experiencing the negative consequences of that decision, and it's a miserable situation to be in.


The vow you break, you try to shake
You didn't keep a promise that you made to yourself or others, and now you're struggling to get out of that situation.


But it's so hard to break the spell
It's incredibly difficult to change things once you've gone down a certain path and made certain decisions.


Now say what you must, and kill your design
You need to be honest with yourself and others about what you've done, and accept the consequences of those actions.


To ashes and dust, it chills to the spine
Things are coming to an end, and it's a scary and uncomfortable feeling.


I don't understand, thought I knew you well
Someone close to you may have made these mistakes, and you're struggling to reconcile the fact that you didn't see it coming.


It's so outta hand, you can't break the spell
Things have gotten to a point where it's beyond your control, and you don't know how to fix it.


And now you're all alone
You're facing the consequences of your actions by yourself, without support.


You've taken my advice
Someone may have warned you about the risks involved with your choices.


And you have never known
You didn't listen to that advice, and now you're experiencing the fallout.


I should have told you twice
The person giving advice may regret not being more forceful or clear with their warnings beforehand.


And you will hear the call
You'll be forced to confront the consequences of your actions head-on.


And now you start to fall
Things are getting worse, and you're losing control of the situation.




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GLENN HUGHES, ANTHONY IOMMI, BOB MARLETTE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@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!

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