After Forever

Song

Tour Dates

After Forever
Album	Master of Reality
Released	August 1971
Recorded	February – April 1971
Genre	Heavy metal, Christian metal
Length	5:27
Songwriter(s)	Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, Geezer Butler, Ozzy Osbourne
Producer(s)	Rodger Bain

After Forever is a song by the English heavy metal band Black Sabbath. It was first released in 1970 as the second track on the band's third studio album Master of Reality, and later was released unofficially as a single, with "Fairies Wear Boots" being the B-side, but failed to chart.

About

The song is about being open-minded and proclaiming a belief in the existence of God and the Christian faith. Due to it's up-tempo nature and faster pace compared to the rest of it's album, After Forever has been labeled as proto-speed metal, and is seen as influential in the development of the genre.

Live

After Forever was first performed in January of 1971, but would be dropped for the rest of the year after five performances and also opened a very small number of concerts in early 1972. After this, the song wouldn't be performed again until New Year's Evil 1998, remaining a permanent setlist fixture throughout all of 1999 as well. After this, the song would return as a setlist staple in 2005 as well as on The End Tour in 2016 and 2017.

Trivia

This song, along with "Lord of This World", are some of the earliest examples of Christian metal, also known as white metal, Jesus metal or heavenly metal, a sub-genre of heavy metal distinguished by its Christian-themed song lyrics. While the band itself isn't considered Christian overall, both Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler had Catholic backgrounds at least to some extent; Ozzy's mother Lilian was a non-practicing Catholic while Geezer was raised in a strictly Irish Catholic household, though he eventually grew disillusioned with organised religion in general.

Lyrics

Have you ever thought about your soul can it be saved?
Or perhaps you think that when you're dead you just stay in your grave
Is God just a thought within your head or is he a part of you?
Is Christ just a name that you read in a book when you were in school?

When you think about death do you lose your breath or do you keep your cool?
Would you like to see the Pope on the end of a rope do you think he's a fool?
Well I have seen the truth, yes I've seen the light and I've changed my ways
And I'll be prepared when you're lonely and scared at the end of our days

Could it be you're afraid of what your friends might say
If they knew you believe in God above?
They should realize before they criticize
That God is the only way to love

Is your mind so small that you have to fall
In with the pack wherever they run
Will you still sneer when death is near
And say they may as well worship the sun?

I think it was true it was people like you that crucified Christ
I think it is sad the opinion you had was the only one voiced
Will you be so sure when your day is near, say you don't believe?
You had the chance but you turned it down, now you can't retrieve

Perhaps you'll think before you say that God is dead and gone
Open your eyes, just realize that he's the one
The only one who can save you now from all this sin and hate
Or will you still jeer at all you hear, yes I think it's too late

Notes

• The original album jacket credited Iommi as the composer for the song (including the lyrics), but this was later changed in the "Black Sabbath Black Box Set" where it changed all credibility (including "Embryo" and "Orchid") to all band members.