Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath Meaning

Song Released: 1970

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Black Sabbath Lyrics

{Record version}
What is this that stands before me?
Figure in black which points at me
Turn around quick, and start to run
Find out I'm the chosen one
Oh no!

Big black shape with eyes of fire
Telling people their desire
Satan's sitting...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Feb 14th 2010 report

   This song is definitely about how Iommi recieved the sacred guitar PICK OF DESTINY from satan hisself! Hence all those riffs that no mortal alone could EVER figger out on his own.
2. anonymous

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   Mar 13th report

   People are Portuguese Men of War, their birth would indicate logic, their death, an accident, and their continued lives, logic again. The Keep Walt Disney In Suspended Animation Society is a prayer that this logic not be disrupted.
3. kooljohn176

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   May 8th 2015 report

   This song was errie and spooky when it first came out about the Protaganist looking at Satan sitting there that points his finger at him and also wathching the shadows in black fighting each other in this Black Sabbath song where they are also running from themselfs with the hope in God to save the people and the Protaganist not to be caught by Satan to get burn.
4. anonymous

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   Jun 9th 2014 report

   According To Black Sabbath The Band, The Song Was Inspired By An Experience That Geezer Butler Had Related To Ozzy Osbourne. In The Days Of Earth (The Band's Original Name), Geezer Butler Painted His Apartment Matte Black, Placed Several Inverted Crucifixes, And Put Many Pictures Of Satan On The Walls. Osbourne Gave Butler A Book About Witchcraft. He Read The Book And Placed It On A Shelf Beside His Bed Before Going To Sleep. When He Woke Up, He Claims He Saw A Large Black Figure Standing At The End Of His Bed. The Figure Disappeared And Butler Went To Get The Book, And It Was Gone.
5. Coulditbe

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   May 31st 2013 report

   It was the fear of the Black Plague, hovering over them like death has its reaper. And the reason for satan laughing is there was no cure, and fire was the only answer, because the disease would infect your very soul. Spreading his wings meant the plague spread by him merely opening his wings so you could be saved from it by giving into satan, which then his open wings meant he was welcoming you into his protection and fold. So satan was laughing because he knew you would choose hell to be cleansed from the plague by fire and protected by it from his ever blessed and cleansing with fire. Which back then was the only way to rid people of the plagues wrath, was by the fires twitching flames flicking to destroy the unbearable disease that killed so many, and satan was having a ball with all the newcomers. Then the pope threw all those bodies in the water, apparently to put out hells fire in them. But he claimed it was to cleanse them with blessed water.
6. anonymous

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   Feb 3rd 2013 report

   This song is about screwing around with Satanism and karma biting you back. Geez, awesome guitar solo in there...gives me freakin' chills. :3
7. anonymous

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   Jul 8th 2011 report

   I don't know if this also works in English, but in Dutch the so called 'Zwarte Vrijdag' (Black Friday/Black Sabbath), is a name for the 31st of January 1919. On this 'Black Sabbath' there were huge fights in Glasgow, many people died or got hurt. I think this song was made to show the fear and the danger of that day.
8. anonymous

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   May 18th 2011 report

   if u read ozzy's book "I Am Ozyy"
   he says how it was Geezer Butler's dream
9. Natejitsu

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   Jun 27th 2009 report

   The anonymous one is wrong, it was Geezer Butler that saw it at the foot of his bed. By the way, this is song interpretation, not inspiration.
10. anonymous

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    May 18th 2009 report

    Tony iommy woke up and standing at the foot of his bed was a dark figure with a rams head so the next day he told ozzy and he wrote a song about it
11. AFIfanNo1

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    Jan 8th 2009 report

    This song is, simply put, a story in the form of a song. Its a story of a man who witnesses Satan coming to earth. And he is told by the Morning Star that he is to be the Antichrist (tells me I'm the chosen one). I could be wrong, but I could be right...

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