Genre Heavy metal | Length 5:17 | |
Released 21 July 1971 (1971-07-21) Recorded Island Studios, London, England Label Vertigo (UK)
Warner Bros. Records (US) Writer(s) Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward | ||
"Children of the Grave" is a song by Black Sabbath from their 1971 album Master of Reality. The song lyrically continues with the same anti-war themes brought on by "War Pigs" and "Electric Funeral" from Paranoid, adding in Geezer Butler's pacifist ideals of non-violent civil disobedience. Two previously unreleased versions of this song are released on the deluxe edition of Master of Reality. The first is a version with alternate lyrics, the second an instrumental version.
Contents
The song has been featured on several greatest hits and live albums. As well as being performed by Black Sabbath in concert, in its various incarnations, Ozzy Osbourne performed it in concert many times as a solo artist. It appears in the game, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock as a playable song. It is also referenced in the online game League of Legends as the name of the ultimate attack of the character Mordekaiser. It also is the background music for the opening level of the video game Brütal Legend.
One feature lost on CD, is that on vinyl the track was the last on the side, and continually looped a whispered "Children of the Grave". This looped part has an individual, yet rarely used name of 'The Haunting'.
Track listing
- "Children of the Grave" – 5:49
- "Children of the Grave" (Edit) – 3:50
White Zombie
The band White Zombie covered "Children of the Grave" (with slightly altered lyrics) for the Black Sabbath tribute album Nativity in Black. It was later released as a promo single in 1994. In 2014, Mac Sabbath, a fast food-themed Black Sabbath tribute band, recorded a parody version entitled "Chicken for the Slaves".
Tarot
Finnish metal band Tarot recorded a cover version of the song for their third studio album To Live Forever. A live version also appears on their live album, To Live Again.