Killing Yourself to Live
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “Killing Yourself to Live” | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by Black Sabbath | |||||
| Album | Sabbath Bloody Sabbath | ||||
| Released | 1 December 1973 (UK) January, 1974 (US) |
||||
| Recorded | 1973 | ||||
| Genre | Heavy metal | ||||
| Length | 5:45 | ||||
| Label | Castle Records (UK) Warner Bros. Records (US) |
||||
| Writer | Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward | ||||
| Producer | Black Sabbath | ||||
| Sabbath Bloody Sabbath track listing | |||||
|
|||||
"Killing Yourself to Live" is a song by heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath. It was first played live in concert during the tour for the band's 1972 album Black Sabbath, Vol. 4. A studio recorded version can be found on their 1973 album Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.
[edit] Song history
The song was written by bassist Geezer Butler during the Vol. 4 tour when he was in hospital for kidney problems due to heavy drinking. Drummer Bill Ward was also in hospital at the same time for severe hepatitis worsened by binge drinking. The band's lifestyle was beginning to catch up with them, so Geezer wrote a set of lyrics about the whole ordeal which became "Killing Yourself to Live". An earlier incarnation of the song can be heard on the records Live at Last and Past Lives.
