Children of the Grave

"Children of the Grave"
Single by Black Sabbath
from the album Master of Reality
B-side	"Solitude"
Released	21 July 1971 (1971-07-21)
Recorded	Island Studios, London, England
Genre	Heavy metal
Length	5:17
Label	Vertigo (UK) Warner Bros. Records (US)
Songwriter(s)	Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward
Producer(s)	Rodger Bain
Black Sabbath singles chronology
"After Forever" (1971) "Children of the Grave" (1971) "Iron Man" (1971)

"Children of the Grave" is a song by British heavy metal band 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.

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 video 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, and 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'.

The guitar and bass, as is common with Black Sabbath, are tuned down a minor 3rd. (Guitar C# F# B E G# C#.)

"Children of the Grave" was ranked the third best Black Sabbath song by Rock - Das Gesamtwerk der größten Rock-Acts im Check.

Track listing

1. "Children of the Grave" – 5:49
2. "Children of the Grave" (Edit) – 3:50

Cover versions

White Zombie

"Children of the Grave"
Single by White Zombie
from the album Nativity in Black: A Tribute to Black Sabbath
Released	1994
Recorded	1994
Genre	Heavy metal, Thrash metal
Length	5:50
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Geezer Butler Tony Iommi Ozzy Osbourne Bill Ward
Producer(s)	Bryan Carlstrom White Zombie
White Zombie singles chronology
"I Am Hell" (1993) "Children of the Grave" (1994) "Feed the Gods" (1994)

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".

Nepal

The Argentine thrash metal band Nepal recorded a cover version of the song for their third studio album, Manifiesto (1997).

Havok

American thrash metal band Havok included a cover of the song on their third studio album, Unnatural Selection (2013).

External links

• Template:MetroLyrics song