A National Acrobat (2009 Remaster)

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I am the world that hides the universal

Secret of all time

Destruction of the empty spaces is my

One and only crime

I've lived a thousand times

I found out what it means to be believed

The thoughts and images

The unborn child who never was conceived

When little worlds collide

I'm trapped inside my embryonic cell

And flashing memories

Are cast into the never ending well

The name that scorns the face

The child that never sees the cause of man

The deathly darkness that

Belies the face of those who never ran

Well I know its hard for you to know the reason why

And I know you'll understand when it's time to die

Don't believe the life you have will be the only one

You have to let your body sleep to let your soul live on

Love has given life to you and now its your concern

Unseen eye of inner life will make your soul return

Still I look but not to touch

The seeds of life are sown

Curtain of the future falls

The secret stays unknown

Just remember love is life

And hate is living death

Treat your life for what its worth

And live for every breath

Looking back I've lived and learned

But now I'm wondering

Here I wait and only guess

What this next life will bring

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General Comment

I think its fairly obvious that the song is sung from the point of

View of an unborn child who "Destroyed the empty spaces" by

Filling up an empty womb [you destroy an empty space by filling it].

The child has gone through many reincarnations (I've lived a thousand

Times), as will all people (Don't

Believe the life you have will be the only one).

The line (When little worlds collide I'm trapped inside my embryonic

Cell) means the 'collision' of the sperm and egg,

At which point the soul forgets its past life (And flashing memories

Are cast into the never ending well).

The lines (Curtain of the future falls,

The secret stays unknown) simply mean that the

Soul forgets the previous life with each new life.

The baby tells us that it is necessary to die so that we can move on

To our next life (You have to let your body sleep to let your soul

Live on), and advises us at the very end of the song to love each

Other, to live our lives fully, and look forward to our next life.

The song has excellent lyrics,

Really quite positive and inspirational,

And even more impressive having come from a heavy metal band.

AndreAndreon September 13, 2008 Link

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+9

General Comment

Yes, geezer sat around after a good wank and was inspired by the

Sticky stuff that landed on the carpet.

He studied it closely and was lead to write

An ode to it. i'm glad some can see the truth.

Gregorybrianon May 14, 2007 Link

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+4

Song Meaning

This song is about Universal Consciousness as it

Appears (or, rather, does not appear) to us humans.

"I am the world that hides the universal Secret of all

Time Destruction of the empty spaces is my One and only crime"

To us, we in the "world",

"Destruction of the empty spaces" is what consciousness does,

It illuminates (bring consciousness to)

"I've lived a thousand times I found out what it means to be

Believed The thoughts and images The

Unborn child who never was conceived"

"I've lived a thousand times" is just another way of saying I've

Lived forever, its intimation being that humanity lives

Past the present life, is reincarnated and lives forever.

"I found out what it means to be believed,

All religions from time immemorial, from the Christian God,

The Judaic God, the Hindu God, the religions of South America,

The Indian religions,

"The unborn child who never was conceived" Consciousness has never

Been fully captured by any religion,

As that is impossible, so it remains "unborn" and "never conceived".

"When little worlds collide I'm trapped inside my embryonic

Cell And flashing memories Are cast into the never ending well"

"Little worlds" are the small minds of humanity. When they collide,

Its "flashing memories" of itself "are cast into the never ending

Well" of infinity to be born somewhere else where little minds are

Not the norm and give consciousness

Its vital room to be born and grow.

"The name that scorns the face The child that never sees the cause of

Man The deathly darkness that Belies the fate of those who never ran"

Continues the ideas of the previous stanza in that the name of

And will never "see the cause of man".

Belie is to run counter to or contradict.

"Those who never ran" are those who never adopted the beliefs of the

Human race (they never ran that race). So,

Deathly darkness is what those who adopt human beliefs believe,

But those who "never ran" know differently,

In that they know that death is not the end.

"Well I know it's hard for you to know the reason why And I know

You'll understand when it's time to die Don't believe the life you

Have will be the only one You have to let

Your body sleep to let your soul live on"

But perhaps humans will understand when they are in the

Afterlife. And that death is the only way "to let your soul live on".

"Love has given life to you and now its your concern Unseen eye of

Inner life will make your soul return Still I look but not to touch

The seeds of life are sown Curtain of

The future falls The secret stays unknown"

Now it is up to you what you do with it.

Soul return" to itself.

"Still I look but not to touch" reiterates that our life is ours to

Do with as we wish. "The seeds of life are sown,

Curtain of the future falls" again stating that Universal

Not the liver of the life it sows and that we are responsible to live

Our own life. "The secret stays unknown" merely says that we still

Don't get it, don't understand (that we are

"Just remember love is life And hate is living death Treat your life

For what it's worth And live for every breath Looking back I've lived

And learned But now I'm wondering Here I wait

And only guess What this next life will bring"

This stanza is a bit of "Black Sabbath" morality.

This stanza is pretty self-evident as to what the writers of National

Acrobat believe how human beings should live;

The last phrase leaves them (and all of

Us) guessing "what this next life will bring".

Not sperm. Not abortion. A well constructed, well conceived,

Totally missed, heavy metal tour-de-force on Universal

Consciousness and humanity's

Relationship (or, rather, lack thereof) with It.

KnowingPoeton March 01, 2015 Link

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+3

General Comment

Ah, now that you say so, it makes perfect sense.

But I don't see how the title A

National Acrobat fits into the subject matter.

Testaheadon March 06, 2003 Link

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+2

General Comment

Geezer wrote it about sperm and how lucky you are to be

The only one out of the billions of sperm to make it through.

Sabbra21on July 26, 2002 Link

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+1

General Comment

Meanings Aside this is an Amazing song.

Chris Ron February 23, 2007 Link

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+1

General Comment

To kratosaurion

"Here I wait and only guess what this next life will bring."

It can well interpreted as the new life

As a human instead of the one as a sperm.

P.S. no need to say idiot to anyone... except you.

SurfGreenon May 31, 2008 Link

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+1

General Comment

Oh my the guitar in this is absolutely amazing.

Just could be my favourite sabbath

Song, so good. i'm so skating to this.

Skimthefaton September 19, 2008 Link

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+1

General Comment

Just remember...

Try to think the lyrics at the age that the

Creator create it! the younger the better...

Dont look in front of their lifes... the system eat them...

See Ozzy now... and what he is doing...

It is a big, very big... SLAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Madmarxon August 01, 2010 Link

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+1

General Comment

I love this song, i never really knew what it was about but i was

Always some what drawn to it... and now that i know what it's about,,

It's really weird because i always joke about how

We're 'the chosen one's' haha and now... it makes sense.

Zekey babyon November 04, 2004 Link

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Artists - B

Black Sabbath

The Ozzy Osbourne Years

A National Acrobat Lyrics

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