Black Sabbath Online: Never Say Die

Notes

Bill Ward sings lead vocals on Swinging the Chain.
There are music videos for Never Say Die and A Hard Road. However, they're just staged live footage with overdubbed music; they're not conceptual. Never Say Die has footage from "Top of the Pops".
Ozzy left and came back between this album and the last. During that time, Dave Walker replaced Ozzy. That version of Black Sabbath played live once, on the BBC Midlands 'Look Here!' programme, and did a version of Junior's Eyes. That version has different lyrics than this version, but the music is pretty much the same.
A Hard Road is the only time that Tony Iommi & Geezer Butler actually sing on any Black Sabbath record - they do backup vocals on this song.
Here's a note from Geezer Butler about the bass guitar he plays in the video for "A Hard Road":

"On the Hard Road video I used a Jay Dee custom bass, designed by me. Jay Dee was an apprentice to John Birch who built my basses and Tony's guitars in the early 70's. When John Birch died, Jay Dee inherited the company, and still makes custom instruments. He is based in Birmingham, England, which was also the hometown of Sabbath."
Here's a note from Geezer in October 2005 about the bass he played in the "Never Say Die" video:

yes I still have the Rik from the Never Say Die video. I bought it from Glenn Hughes in the mid 70's, and only ever used it once, and that was because my regular basses were detained by U.K. customs when we returned from outside the country. I didn't use it on Junior's Eyes, and wouldn't have used a pick anyway, as I never used a pick in the studio on Sabbath albums. I am currently playing Lakland basses, which are very much like old Fender basses in feel and sound.

Personal Note

This is probably my favourite of the Ozzy Sabbath albums, since the music on here is very varied. I wish it would get more attention from the fans, and I'd like to see some of the tracks brought back to the live set. The end guitar bit at the end of Johnny Blade is kick ass, and I love to shock people with Air Dance, several haven't believed it's Black Sabbath until I stop the music and pull out the CD. Also the title track would make a great concert opener.

NOTE: These lyrics are verified against the lyrics that appear in the "Black Box" booklet. Those lyrics were gone over by Geezer Butler (who wrote most of them anyway) for that set, and for that reason should be considered definitive.


	Never Say Die People going nowhere Taken for a ride Looking for the answers that they know inside Searching for a reason Looking for a rhyme Snow white parasite Partners in crime Don't they ever have to worry Don't you ever wonder why It's a part of me that tells you Oh, don't you ever Don't ever say die Never, never, never say die Sundays satisfaction Madness on the rise Truth is on the doorstep Welcoming the lies All dressed up in sorrow Got no place to go Hold tight do it right Taking it slow Don't they ever have to worry Don't you ever wonder why It's a part of me that tells you Oh, don't you ever Don't ever say die Never, never, never say die again Don't you ever say die Don't you ever say die Never say die Fading silver lining Writing's on the wall Children get together You can save us all Future's on the corner Showing us our time Slow down turn around Everything's fine There's no need to have a reason There's no need to wonder why It's a part of me that tells you Oh, don't you ever, don't ever say die Never, never, never say die


	Johnny Blade Tortured and twisted He walks the streets alone People avoid him They know the street's his home Cold blade of silver His eyes they burn so wild Mean as a tiger Society's own child Those that tried to burn him paid You don't do that to Johnny Blade He's the meanest guy around his town One look and he will cut you down Johnny Blade, Johnny Blade Life has no meaning And death's his only friend Will fate surprise him Where will he meet his end He feels so bitter Yes he's so full of hate To die in the gutter I guess that's Johnny's fate Rivals all across the land He kills them with his knife in hand He's the meanest guy around his town One look and he will cut you down Johnny Blade, Johnny Blade Johnny Blade, Johnny Blade Well you know that Johnny's a spider And his web is the city at night He's a victim of modern frustration That's the reason he's so ready to fight He's the one that should be afraid What will happen to you, Johnny Blade Oh he knows his future's decided And he ain't gonna change it no way He was born to die in the gutter He'll keep fighting till the end of his days Been alone all through his life His only friend is a switchblade knife He's the one who should be afraid What will happen to you, Johnny Blade You fool the people, who's fooling who It's time to listen, the fool is you

Junior's Eyes

Junior's eyes looked up to the skies in tears
He prayed that his maker
The giver and taker, would hear
Junior sighed as his hands reached out to the sky
Junior cried, the day that his best friend died
Yeah

You're coming home again tomorrow
I'm sorry it won't be for long
With all the pain I've watched you live within
I'll try my hardest not to cry
When it is time to say goodbye

Junior's eyes, they couldn't disguise the pain
His father was leaving
And Junior's grieving again
Innocent eyes watched the man who had gave everything
Junior's sorrow, he knew what tomorrow would bring

They're coming home again tomorrow
I'm sorry it won't be for long
With all the pain I've watched you live within
I'll try my hardest not to cry
When it is time to say goodbye

Junior's eyes looked into the skies once more
Now he knew well, this life was hell for sure
He desperately tried, his fingertips stretched to the stars
Reaching for reason, along with the time and the scars

They're coming home again tomorrow
I'm sorry it won't be for long
With all the pain I've watched you live within
I'll try my hardest not to cry
When it is time to say goodbye

NOTE: There was an alternate version of this song performed live by Sabbath in January of 1978 at a point when Ozzy was out of the band and Dave Walker was singing for Sabbath. That version has totally different (and mostly undecipherable) lyrics. If anyone finds lyrics to that version of Junior's Eyes, let me know).


	A Hard Road Old men crying, young men dying World still turns as Father Time looks on On and on Children playing, dreamers praying Laughter turns to tears love has gone Has it gone Oh, it's a hard road Oh, it's a hard road Poets yearning, lovers learning On this path of life we pass along Is it wrong Widows weeping, babies sleeping Life becomes the singer and the song Sing along Oh, it's a hard road Carry your own load Why make the hard road Why can't we be friends No need to hurry We'll meet in the end Why make the hard road Why can't we be friends No need to worry Let's sing it again Brother's sharing, mother's caring Nighttime falling victim to the dawn Shadows mourn Days are crawling, time is calling To the Earth another life is born Love line drawn Oh, it's a hard road Carry your own load Oh, it's a hard road Oh, it's a hard road We're living in sorrow Don't live in the past And look to the future Cause life goes too fast, you know


	Shock Wave There's no reason for you to run You can't escape the fate of the chosen one Black moon rising, in a blood red sky This time you realize that you're gonna die Leaving your body is your answer That's what you plan to do No dreaming, time you cheat death's master You're on your own going through Wind of mist has taken over your mind And you think you're on your own Don't believe you are the only one here Look around, you're not alone Feel the forces from another world Ghostly shadows fill your mind Evil power hanging over you As you freeze, you're life in time Look behind you! Somebody's calling Someone is near Feel yourself falling Crawling with fear You tell yourself you're dreaming You realize you're screaming You know that this shouldn't happen to you You tell yourself that it's scary too But there is nothing you can do, oh! Ghostly shadows from the other world Evil forces in your mind Trapped between the worlds of life and death Frozen in the realms of time Look behind you! You feel yourself falling, you're at the end of the line Your body is crawling, but your senses are blind Cold, cold feelings are running through your brain Ice cold fingers, running through your veins


	Air Dance She sits in silence, in her midnight world With faded pictures, of a dancing girl A distant dreamer on the seas of time Her happy memories, dancing through her mind In days of romance She was the queen of dance She'd dance the night away And as the seasons turn the days to years She holds her pictures, hears the silent cheers The days grow lonely for the dancing queen And now she dances only in her dreams In days of romance She was the queen of dance She'd dance the night away, away, away, away


	Over to You Born in the window, nobody's fool Raised in a prison you called a school Taught your religion Told what to do I handed my childhood over to you Traveling endlessly, I'm searching for mind I'm almost afraid of what I will find Wandering aimlessly, oh what can I do I handed my future over to you, to you Over to you Future looks blue What can I do Watching for freedom Fighting your wars Feeding our children Keeping your laws Someday you'll suffer Then what I'll do I'll hand all your promises Over to you Standing inside myself, I'm losing control You made me believe in the stories you told Waiting impatiently, what else can I do? I handed my future over to you, to you Over to you Future looks blue What can I do? Tears filled of sadness Sealed in my cell Whispering secrets What do they tell Mad politicians Can't tell it true I handed my children Over to you All over, over to you...

Breakout

Instrumental

Swinging the Chain

It's against my uniform
To be a civil judge
All the songs are history now
`Bout rock stars and their grudge
Let us cast our minds back
To thirty years or more
You took up all the vandals
Well Hitler beat `em all

And we're sad and sorry
Really sorry that it happened that way
Yes we're sad and sorry
But why'd you have to treat us that way

Compare ourselves with others
And cover them in sin
Oh, God what a terrible
A terrible state we're in
There must be some way out of here
A compromise that's right
If we cannot work it out
We're gonna have to fight

Yes we're sad and sorry
Really sorry that it happened that way
Yes we're sad and sorry
We cannot go on in those days

I'm talking about my brothers
Yeah, I'm talking `bout sisters as well
I wish you good luck
Good luck!

Oh, but the world's still on fire
Chain the hope you take on, liar
This fire
We're on fire, we're on fire, yeah...

NOTE: This last verse is not on the official lyrics sheet, but it is most definitely there. This last verse is my interpretation of the lyrics.