Another Geezer Butler lyric with an amazing opening riff from Tony Iommi. “Killing Yourself to Live” talks about the craziness and futility of the music industry, just like the whole 1973’s Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, The song also talks about the rockstar life the bandmates were living at the time.
[Verse 1]
Well, people look and people stare
Well, I don’t think that I even care
You work your life away and what do they give?
You're only killing yourself to live
[Chorus]
Killing yourself to live
Killing yourself to live
[Verse 2]
Just take a look around you, what do you see?
Pain, suffering, and misery
It's not the way that the world was meant
It's a pity, you don't understand
[Chorus]
Killing yourself to live
Killing yourself to live
[Guitar Solo]
[Bridge]
I'm telling you, believe in me, nobody else will tell you
Open your eyes and see the lies, oh yeah
(Smoke it, get high)
You think that I'm crazy and, baby, I know that it's true
Before that you know it I think that you'll go crazy too
[Guitar Solo]
[Outro]
I don't know if I'm up or down
Whether black is white or blue is brown
The colors of my life are all different somehow
Little boy blue's a big girl now
So you think it's me who's strange
But you've never had to make the change
Never give your trust away
You'll end up paying till your dying day
Killing Yourself to Live was written by Geezer Butler & Tony Iommi & Bill Ward & Ozzy Osbourne.
Killing Yourself to Live was produced by Black Sabbath.
Black Sabbath released Killing Yourself to Live on Sat Dec 01 1973.
Our last truly great album, I think… And with the music, we’d managed to strike just the right balance between our old heaviness and our new, ‘experimental’ side.
—Ozzy Osbourne, I Am Ozzy