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This song is about a man who travels through time and sees the end of the world. On his way back to Earth to warn the human race, he goes through a magnetic storm and is turned to iron. Nobody believes him about the end of the world and he gets mad, taking his rage out on the human race, thus bringing about the end of the world that he saw. (thanks, James - Nottingham, England)
This was the second Black Sabbath single in the US, but it was not released as a single in England. When their first single, "Paranoid," was released a year earlier, a lot of kids would show up at Sabbath shows just to hear the one song. The band did not want to become a "Singles Band" and alienate their core fans.
A new version was included on the 2000 Black Sabbath Reunion album. It won the Grammy that year for Best Metal Performance.
Bob Rivers did a Christmas parody of this called "I Am Santa Claus." It was one of his first Twisted Tunes.
This was the biggest US hit for Black Sabbath. It got very little radio play, but developed a cult following, which led to enough sales to give it a chart position.
The distorted vocals at the beginning that say "I am Iron Man" were made with a talkbox, which is an electronic device hooked up to a guitar amp. The guitarist then forms sounds into a tube that run through the box and create the effect.
Ozzy recorded a new version of this for the 1994 Black Sabbath tribute album Nativity In Black.
Ozzy recorded a version of this with Busta Rhymes in 1998 for Busta's album Extinction Level Event. The track was renamed "This Means War." The version with Busta Rhymes was included on the 2000 Black Sabbath tribute album Nativity In Black II.
On his 2001 song "Gets Me Through," Ozzy referenced this in the line, "I'm not the antichrist or the Iron Man."
This has been covered by Marilyn Manson, Alice in Chains, Butthole Surfers, Add N To (X), Busta Rhymes, Therapy, NOFX, Auburn U. Band, Sir Mix-A-Lot, Tim McCarthy, Heavy Voltage, DYS, Tanzwut, EMO, Amoco Renegades, Dead Alewives, Replacements, The Cardigans, The Mats, and Offspring. (thanks, Brett - Edmonton, Canada)
In the film
School of Rock, this is the first riff that Jack Black teaches the guitarist in the band. He also teaches him "
Smoke On The Water" by Deep Purple and "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC. (thanks, Tom - Trowbridge, England)
This song is sampled in Futurama episode number 29 - "Anthology of interest 1," where a 500-foot tall Bender flies to earth with the main riff audible in the background. (thanks, Daniel - Sydney, Australia)
In 2007, Nissan used this in commercials for their pickup trucks. (thanks, Steve - Kitchener, Canada)
Pro wrestling tag team The Road Warriors used this song as their entrance theme in the early-mid '80s. (thanks, gibson_x - Timmins, ON)
This was featured in the 2008 film by the same name, based on the Marvel Comics Superhero. (thanks, Mike - Mountlake Terrace, WA)
This was featured as a playable song in Guitar Hero 1. (thanks, Airk - Skagway, AK)
Frank Zappa once surprised members of Black Sabbath by covering this song with his own band at a gig that Sabbath attended.
Comments (101):
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Iron Man is Jesus.
Ozzy is singing about how everyone has turned his back to Jesus and one day we will all be sorry. here it goes.
Has he lost his mind // Can he see or is he blind?
A statement of faith... someone claiming to be the messiah's sanity would be questioned... is he enlightened or blind to the problems of the world.
Can he walk at all, or if he moves will he fall?
Recall Jesus's struggle to get to the cruxification, stumbling and falling several times as he carried the burdeon's of man's sin (the cross)
Is he alive or dead // has he thoughts within his head?
Will he survive his own mortality?
Well just pass him there // Why should we even care?
Man turns his back and chooses not to listen to the teachings.
He was turned to steel // In the great magnetic field
Key word "the" not a great magnetic field... the great magnetic field... heaven. Turned to steel, could be the symbolic icon the crucifix worn by many practiced by few.
Where he traveled time // for the future of mankind
He died to save mankind, but lives forever (travels time) because of his faith
Nobody wants him // He just stares at the world
Statement on the loss of faith
Planning his vengeance // That he will soon unfold
Day of reckoning, how many of us will stand the test?
Now the time is here // for iron man to spread fear
Armeggedon... fear of god.
Vengence from the grave // kills the people he once saved
Since nobody followed his teachings... he failed in his quest.
Nobody wants him // they just turn their heads
People turned there back to Jesus
Nobody helps him // Now he has his revenge
Day of Reckoning
Heavy boots of lead // fills his victims full of dread
They will walk the heavier path in the afterlife
Running as fast as they can // Iron man lives again
When Jesus comes back, we will fear him, not welcome him, because of what we made of this world.
I am NOT a religious person, exactly the opposite... which is why I love this song... a big "eff-you" to established religion. I'm reminded of a Gandhi quote, "I know your Christ, I like his teachings, I just wish more Christians were like him."
Last night I had this strange revelation as I was falling asleep after a negative attack. During the attack even my dogs got involved. My dogs are outside and the dark heavy force cam down then dissipated and I even saw what appeared to be small black and bluish triangular shapes dissipating around my floor then disappearing.
Anyways I am about to fall asleep and then all these thoughts come into my head at once.
Pennsylvania is known for its Iron mines as well as coal mines. Pennsylvania and Ohio along Lake Erie have huge steel mill factories.
They rip core elements out of the earth, open gaping holes, and transport the elements to the shored of lake Erie where they melt it down in hellish conditions. I know, I almost worked in one until they told me about the heat and the fires and the molten steel.. at $6.50 an hour to work in hell? Sorry, I walked out.
Anyways, iron/steel has magnetic properties and magnetic properties have antigravity manifestations … obviously you have seen a magnet can repel another magnet if turned a certain way, and lift it with unseen forces.
UFOs are understood to have magnetic and antigravity properties, and they appear always over Lake Erie area right over the steel mills and surrounding areas. Why so concentrated there? From what I have been reading it seems there are more UFO sightings, abductions and all kinds of weird stuff going on in the Erie area, even more than A51!
And I know fine powder airborne steel/iron products from factory grindings that make high tech stuff can have an effect on people.
I just KNOW that there is some symbiotic relationship between the Iron ore, the steel mills, and the UFOs and aliens. I even think that some of the so called ‘aliens” are not from space, but from Inner earth, and are here because they were dug up, portals opened, and their core elements used in antigrav propulsion are used in huge factories around Erie lake in concentrated amounts enough that they can manifest their craft and themselves.
The scientific evidence of how magnetism works easily proves this. A small magnet may lift another piece of magnetized steel only an inch or so by antigrav… but what about TONS of steel, thousands of tons of steel.???? All concentrated into one area…???
I also know when I was contacted by Orion aliens (from space) they showed me their energy source which was a combination of crystals, a jell like living substance, and PURE IRON. The pure iron rods spread from the central "brain" of the craft out to the outer hull. I even knew the chemical designation for it at one time... but lost it. (That was 10 years ago.... OMG, today & this whole week !!! Feb 1999.) Their iron has antigrav properties, but it is not like earth iron which is considered a more corrupt form of iron.
Enough of this....!!!! Anyone want the real interpretation to Black Sabbaths Iron Man??? This JUST came to me and fits EXACTLY this scenario!!!!
"Has he lost his mind?
Can he see or is he blind?
Can he walk at all,
Or if he moves will he fall?
Is he alive or dead?
Has he thoughts within his head?
Well just pass him there
Why should we even care?
He was turned to steel
In the great magnetic field
Where he traveled time
For the future of mankind
Nobody wants him
He just stares at the world
Planning his vengeance
That he will soon unfold
Now the time is here
For iron man to spread fear
Vengeance from the grave
Kills the people he once saved
Nobody wants him
They just turn their heads
Nobody helps him
Now he has his revenge
Heavy boots of lead
Fills his victims full of dread
Running as fast as they can
Iron man lives again!"
The feeling you get from the oppression in the area is like boots of Lead... it is heavy and dark, and GRAY!
he was turned to steel in the great magnetic field???? Oh you are so busted now sucker! No one has ever been able to interpret that song correctly. And their daughter is my friend... and no she didn't tell me. he traveled time for the future of mankind? Why does he kill the people he once saved... He used to be left alone in earth. He is an elemental and no one cared to know... they tore him apart and melted him down. Oh this is so frikken clear. this is easy now. He stares at the world through all the iron based stuff manufactured. Torn apart, ripped up and melted down. Turned to steel in magnetic field around lake Erie, the steel capital of the world!!!
But now I have a problem.... it says no one helps him and I feel sad even though he kills and destroys constantly....
I am crying my eyes out right now and can hardly see. I can write no more.... I will write later....
***Iron Man*** (Private message to friends)
XXXX, that message about Iron Man is NO joke.....It makes all the sense in the world!So then I start wondering how we could come to a truce and a cease fire., how would we even communicate?? I began to pray and meditate and suddenly got in my mind "lisas high powered magnets"Lisa had bought 5 super high powered magnets a couple years ago. They have very high antigrav powers and you almost cannot even pull a nail off them if they are all together. She used them to try and shut of her implant by holding them to her head!!!They are small, about a half inch or less round. and they are super strong little suckers...I began to search frantically, knowing they were in a sewing box somewhere and hoping Lisa didnt take them. Last I knew they had been in the bathroom... Guess what... right on the table next to the computer is where I JUST located them!!! I have them here right now....damn XXXX, these little suckers are strong. They stick together and I can hardly pull them apart. their antigrave properties elevate them over 1" from each other if I flip them around, but they are just tiny disks. they are held together between 2 pieces of round flat steel that Lisa said was her magnets in a little craft! And she left them here for me!!!! Moved them right next to where I work!!!And they are so strong I actually felt my fingers tingle when I reveresed them to antigrav mode, and I even feel tingling in my head now... wow. this is no kidding XXXX....Something heavy is going on......Ok, I am holding them in my hand now and held them just near my head and felt their energy... Its like a drug almost..."Iron Man" is busted, Lisa left her magnets here... she has told me her implant is magnetic and optical.....Now what do I do? Communicate with it???? I think it might even be elements of the earth left here long ago by aliens and ripped apart by man....good God what have I stumbled upon????Phil, those magnets erase memories. I just caught em!!!! iw as going to search 2 things just now and I totally forgot!Plus I cannot arange the magnets in the circular patter of 5 on the disks. they jump and connect to each other so I just left them as 3 and 2 stacked and threw them back in the sewing box. Lisa had them arranged flat on the disks, the 5, just like the Taken craft!!!!Oh now this is becoming heavy stuff. Phil something is happening in my brain. That power is awesome but it is also scary because it is doing something to me as we speak......Lisa!!!!!!!!No nothing bad about Lisa... she is POWERFUL!!!!!!You could even ask her if she owns those magnets... it's true....XXXX, all the steel things that were attached to the disk in the sewing kit are highy magnetized. a little box of pins picks up her black (anthracite or malachite???) necklace, her hair clips. Even that stuff is tingling. I need to put it all back in the box. It's like a magic box with great power....I'm sealing it for now....
I put it to you, Greg!
Also, the massive bass drums at the beginning perfectly enhance the menace of the song.
Great band, from Ozzy's demonic vocals, to Tony's ponderous lead, to Geezer's downright scary bass, and don't forget Bill Ward's thunderous drums on this piece.
They don't make bands like this anymore.
E G GAA BABABAG G A A
I can see how this song could be read deeper, such as being about Jesus, but I believe this is simply a story being told through song.
In the great magnetic field
Where he traveled time
For the future of mankind" I think he is talking about how the son of god was turned to flesh to save mankind and then the people kill him and how all that crazy stuff will down like in revalations when he comes back. But this is just my take on it
That's what I have heard.
http://www.mogensmusic.com/pages/music/freemusic/liveatbinghamton.html
It's about someone who is extremely different, possibly a bit crazy, but good, and sacrifices himself, literally or not literally, for humakind. But, they don't help him or acknowledge his goodness. After sacrficing himself, he sees how everyone treats him, the same as before, nobody cares. He's always held a grudge against humanity, despite his best wishes to help, so he comes back with newfound rage and goes berserk on everyone, and....yeah.
"I! I! I! I!" and everyone joins in. I love it.
It uses the metaphor of the iron man in the story to describe the effects of drungs. I am surprised that nobody has posted a comment like this before
-Barbie,Randle,WA
Lighten up. The meaning of the song is enjoy the artistry. To protest injustice through songwriting is a gift for the masses.
It's only rock and roll, but I like it.
Best song on the Paranoid album! Whole albums
amazing,especially the first side and Fairies
Wear Boots.