Children of the Grave
An anti-war song recorded with Iommi's guitar tuned down a step and a half.
Black Sabbath, from Master of Reality (1971)
- Written by
- Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward, Ozzy Osbourne
- Released
- 1971
- Length
- 5:18
- Album
- Master of Reality
The lyric continues the anti-war themes of War Pigs and Electric Funeral from Paranoid. Iommi tuned his guitar down a step and a half for it, and Ward played percussion on the track. Osbourne wrote in his autobiography that it was the most kick-ass song they had recorded. A single edit runs 3:47 and was paired with Solitude.
Kerrang ranked it sixth among the 20 greatest Sabbath songs in 2020, and Louder Sound put it fifth in a list of 40 in 2021. White Zombie covered it on the tribute album Nativity in Black, issued as a promo single in 1994. Lamb of God played it at Back to the Beginning on 5 July 2025 and released the cover as a single the next day.
Covers and versions
- White Zombie (1994) On Nativity in Black, with slightly altered lyrics.
- Lamb of God (2025) At Back to the Beginning, released as a single the next day.
More songs by Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath, Paranoid, Iron Man, War Pigs, Snowblind, N.I.B., Sweet Leaf, Planet Caravan, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Sources
- Children of the Grave, Wikipedia
- Master of Reality, Wikipedia