Geezer Butler, bassist of Black Sabbath, recently discussed the misconceptions about the band’s iconic songs and the deeper messages within their lyrics.
Widely recognized as the pioneers of heavy metal, Black Sabbath took their name from the English title of the Italian horror film “I tre volti della paura“. Their use of horror-inspired themes and dark aesthetics often led to associations with Satanism. However, as bassist Geezer Butler explained in a recent interview with “Lifeminute“, much of this perception was driven by marketing rather than the band’s true intent.
During the interview, Butler reflected on how certain Black Sabbath songs resonate with him now, even describing some as ‘cringy.’ When asked to specify a track, he admitted “One called — that I wrote — called ‘Gypsy‘”. Expanding on why it stands out, Butler added: “Maybe because I wrote it, and I hate listening to stuff that I’ve written. Just the whole thing about it is just, I don’t know… It’s weird.”
Being the primary lyricist during Black Sabbath‘s early days, Butler‘s approach to writing evolved significantly over the years. Comparing the creative momentum of their formative period to the challenges faced while working on their final studio album, “13“, he revealed: “When we did the last album, “13“, it was like pulling my hair out trying to think of some. Because when you’re successful, and you got a house with the swimming pool out the back and everything, it’s hard to get inspired by things.”
Butler also discussed how the band’s image contributed to misunderstandings of their music. Although their name and visuals invited accusations of Satanic influence, Butler pointed out the irony of these assertions. As one of rock’s most outspoken Christians, he explained how songs such as “After Forever” conveyed deeply spiritual messages: “A lot of the stuff was misinterpreted, I think, just because of the name of the band, Black Sabbath. The song “After Forever” was purely… It’s like the most Christian thing you could ever listen to.”
In later discussion, he added: “It’s about losing your faith. People think that they’ve lost the faith, and then on the deathbed, what are they going to do on the deathbed? Are they going to get the faith and suddenly believe in the whole thing again or not?”
Even the legendary track “Black Sabbath” — a favorite among occult fans — was created with a completely different purpose in mind. Butler shared: “And the song “Black Sabbath” was against… Because there was a big black magic thing going on in England at the end of the ’60s — everybody was getting into black magic and Satanism and all that kind of stuff. So the song “Black Sabbath” was actually warning people about getting into black magic and Satanism.”
The misunderstanding was especially pronounced in the U.S., where the band faced a cultural backdrop heavily rooted in Christianity. Butler expressed his astonishment at how their music was perceived on the other side of the Atlantic: “And nobody really cared about it in Europe and England. So when I got to America, I couldn’t believe how big Christianity still was. And all these people that were trying to turn pro-Christianity lyrics. They were trying to make it against us, and they completely misinterpreted us.”
