Released July 28, 1975
Re-Released February 28, 1996
Re-Released April 27, 2004 (Black Box)
Re-Released September 16, 2009

[ Lyrics | Tour Dates ]

Track Listing

Hole in the Sky
Don’t Start (Too Late)
Symptom of the Universe
Megalomania
The Thrill of it All
Supertzar
Am I Going Insane (Radio)
The Writ
Blow on a Jug – See Notes

Writing Credits

All songs written and arranged by Black Sabbath

Credits

Ozzy Osbourne – Vocals
Tony Iommi – Guitar
Geezer Butler – Bass
Bill Ward – Drums
Produced by Black Sabbath with Mike Butcher
Engineered by Mike Butcher/Robin Black
Tape Operator and saboteur: David Harris
Recorded at Morgan Studios London and Brussels
Mastered at Sterling Sound New York
English Chamber Choir arranged by Will Malone
1996 Remaster by Ray Staff @ Whitfield St Studios
1996 Reissue Design, art, and sleeve notes by Hugh Gilmour
2009 Remaster by Andy Pearce & Matt Wortham @ Wired Masters
2009 Sleevenotes: Jerry Ewing
2009 Design: Hugh Gilmour
2009 Project Management/Consultant: Jon Richards, Steve Hammonds, Hugh Gilmour
2012 Digital Remaster by Andy Pearce & Matt Wortham
2012 Vinyl Mastering by Greg Moore @ Masterpiece

Catalogue Numbers

LP NEMS 9119-001 (UK 1975)
CASS NEMS CSL-NEMS-3207 (UK 1975)
LP Warner Bros BS-2822 (US 1975)
CASS Warner Bros M5-2822 (US 1975)
LP PGPRTB LP-5546 (YUG 1975)
LP Vertigo 6366-115 (BRA 1975)
LP Vertigo 6366-115 (AUS 1975)
LP Nippon RJ-7043 (JPN 1975)
LP EDIGSA 16L-0150 (SPA 1980)
LP NEMS NEL-6018-2 (GER 1980)
LP NEMS NEL-6018 (UK 1982)
LP Victoria VLP-107 (SPA 1984)
LP Castle CLALP-202 (GER 1985)
CD Castle CLACD-202 (UK 1986)
CD Castle NELCD-6018 (UK 1986)
LP Vertigo 832-706-1 (NETH 1987)
CD Warner Bros CD-2822 (US 1987)
LP SNC C90-31089-009 (RUS 1990)
CD Essential ESMCD306 (UK 1996)
CD Castle CMTCD029 (UK 2000)
CD Sanctuary SMRCD036 (UK 2004)
LP Earmark 41028 (ITL 2004)
LP Earmark 41028-P (ITL 2004 – Picture Disc)
CD Universal 2716664 (UK 2009)
CD Universal UICY-94187 (JPN 2009)
LP Rhino R1-2822 (US 2011)
CD Universal UICY-25121 (JPN 2011)
LP Sanctuary 3715295 (UK 2012) – “Vinyl Collection”

Notes

One some pressings of the viynl/cassette (and the remaster CD), there’s a short 23 second song after The Writ (recorded at very low volume) called “Blow on a Jug”. It’s usually tacked onto The Writ, and isn’t a track on it’s own. It was Ozzy & Bill Ward goofing around in the studio, and never was intended for release.
The “Radio” in Am I Going Insane? (Radio) doesn’t mean there’s a different radio edit of the song – this is the only one.
“The Writ” was written about all the legal problems Black Sabbath had with their band management at the time.

Images

The following is the 1996 Castle CD back cover image

The following is the back cover image from the 2009 Universal Remaster CD.

The following are some images from the original Warner Bros US cassette tape release

The following are from the 2004 Earmark picture disc release.

The following are from the 2011 Rhino vinyl release.

Video

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.

Hole in the Sky

I’m looking through a hole in the sky
I’m seeing nowhere through the eyes of a lie
I’m getting closer to the end of the line
I’m living easy where the sun doesn’t shine

I’m living in a room without any view
I’m living free because the rent’s never due
The synonym of all the things that I’ve said
Are just the riddles that are built in my head

Hole in the sky
Gateway to heaven
Window in time
Through it I fly

I’ve seen the stars that disappear in the sun
But shooting’s easy if you’ve got the right gun
And even though I’m sitting waiting for Mars
I don’t believe there’s any future in cars

Hole in the sky
Gateway to heaven
Window in time
Through it I fly

I’ve watched the dogs of war enjoying their feast
I’ve seen the western world go down in the east
The food of love became the greed of our time
But now I’m living on the profits of crime

Don’t Start (Too Late)

Instrumental

Symptom of the Universe

Take me through the centuries to supersonic years
Electrifying enemy is drowning in his tears
All I have to give you is a love that never dies
The symptom of the universe is written in your eyes

Mother Moon, she’s calling me back to her silver womb
Father of creation takes me from my stolen tomb
Seventh Advent unicorn is waiting in the skies
A symptom of the universe, a love that never dies

Take my hand, my child of love, come step inside my tears
Swim the magic ocean I’ve been crying all these years
With our love we’ll ride away into eternal skies
A symptom of the universe, a love that never dies

Woman child of love’s creation, come and step inside my dreams
In your eyes I see no sadness you are all that loving means
Take my hand and we’ll go riding through the sunshine from above
We’ll find happiness together in the summer skies of love

Megalomania

I hide myself inside the shadows of shame
The silent symphonies were playing their game
My body echoed to the dreams of my soul
It started something that I could not control

Where can I run to now, the joke is on me
No sympathizing God, its insanity yeah

Why don’t you just get out of my life, yeah
Why don’t you just get out of my life, now
Why doesn’t everybody leave me alone, now
Why doesn’t everybody leave me alone, yeah

Obsessed with fantasy, possessed with my schemes
I mixed reality with pseudo god dreams
The ghost of violence was something I’d seen
I sold my soul to be the human obscene

How could this poison be the dream of my soul
How did my fantasies take complete control, yeah

Why don’t you just get out of my life, yeah?
Why don’t you just get out of my life now?
Why doesn’t everybody leave me alone now?
Why doesn’t everybody leave me alone, yeah?

Well I feel something’s taking me I don’t know where
It’s like a trip inside a separate mind
The ghost of tomorrow from my favorite dream
Is telling me to leave it all behind
Feel it slipping away, slipping in tomorrow
Got to get to happiness
Want no more of sorrow

Realized when to hide
How I tried to get away from you now
Now am I right if I fight
That I might just get away from you now
Sting me!

Well I feel something’s giving me the chance to return
It’s giving me the chance of saving my soul
Pictures of demigod are fading away
I’m going backwards but I’m in control
Feel it slipping away, slipping in tomorrow
Getting back to sanity, providence of sorrow

Was it wise to disguise
How I tried to get away from you now
Is there a way that I could pay
Or is it true I have to stay with you now

How I lied, went to hide
How I tried to get away from you now
Am I right in my fight?
That I might just get away from you now
Suck me!

I’m really digging schizophrenia, the best of the earth
I’ve chase my soul in the fires of hell
Peace of mind eluded me but now it’s all mine
I simply try but he wants me to fail
Feel it slipping away, slipping in tomorrow
Now I’ve found my happiness, providence of sorrow

No more lies, I got wise
I despise the way I worshipped you yeah
Now I’m free let me see
That now instead, I won’t be led by you now
Free!

The Thrill of it All

Inclination of direction, walk and turn and twist adrift
With the children of creation, futuristic dreams we sift
Clutching violently we whisper with a liquefying cry
Any deadly final answers that are surely doomed to die

Won’t you help me Mr. Jesus
Won’t you tell me if you can
When you see this world we live in
Do you still believe in Man?
If my songs become my freedom
And my freedom turns to gold
Then I’ll ask the final question
If the answer could be sold

Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it
‘Cause I’ve got no reason to lie
Forget your problems that don’t even exist
And I’ll show you a way to get high, oh yeah
Oh yeah

So come alive, you know you’re magic to me
Remember freedom is not hard to find
Time to stop all your messing around
Don’t you think that I know my own mind, oh yeah
Oh yeah

Why can’t you believe, I’m not here to deceive
Do you always have to be told
For you and your problem you can never give up
Long before the answer was sold, oh yeah
Oh yeah

Supertzar

Instrumental

Am I Going Insane? (Radio)

Everybody’s looking at me
Feeling paranoid inside
When I step outside I feel free
Think I’ll find a place to hide

Tell me people
Am I going insane, insane
Tell me people
Am I going insane, insane

Every day I sit and wonder
How my life it used to be
Now I feel like going under
Now my life is hard to see

So tell me people
Am I going insane, insane
Tell me people
Am I going insane, insane

So I’m telling all you people
Listen while I sing again
If I don’t sound very cheerful
I think that I’m a schizophrene

So tell me people
Am I going insane, insane
Tell me people
Am I going insane, insane

The Writ

The way I feel is the way I am
I wish I’d walked before I started to run to you
Just to you

What kind of people do you think we are?
Another joker who’s a rock and roll star for you
Just for you

The faithful image of another man
The endless ocean of emotion I swam for you
Yeah, for you

The shock troopers laying down on the floor
I wish they’d fallen into my private war with you
Yeah, with you

Are you metal, are you man
You’ve changed a lot since you began
Yeah, began

Ladies digging gold from you
Will they still dig now you’re through
Yeah you’re through

You bought and sold me with your lying words
The voices in the dark that you never heard came true
Yeah came true

Your fallen phallic god dismembered and gone
A poison father with his poisonous son, that’s you
Yeah, that’s you

I beg you please don’t let it get any worse
The anger I once had has turned to a curse on you
Yeah, curse you

All of the promises that never came true
You’re gonna get what is coming to you, that’s true
Ah, that’s true

Are you Satan are you man
You’ve changed in life since it began
It began

Vultures sucking gold from you
Will they still suck now you’re through

(Cats, Rats)

The search is on so you just better run
And find yourself another way
Rob the dead, they don’t feel a thing
Leave the living for another day

(Rats, Rat)

You are nonentity, you have no destiny
You are a figment of a thing unknown
A mental picture of a stolen soul
The fornication of your golden throne

A smiling face it means the world to me
So tired of sadness and of misery

My life it started some time ago
Where it will end, I don’t know
I thought I was so good
I thought I was so smart
I feel my world is torn apart

But everything is gonna work out fine
If it don’t, I think I’ll lose my mind

I know, I know, I know, yeah yeah I know
Listen to me while I sing this song
You might just think the words are wrong
Too many people advising me
But they don’t know what my eyes see

But everything is gonna work out fine
If it don’t I’m gonna blow my mind

Blow on a Jug

Blow on a Jug
Everybody come on – blow on a jug
Be like me and blow on a jug
I want you to blow on a jug
Everybody begin – blow on a jug