Sweet Leaf
ALRIGHT NOW!
Won’t you listen?
When I first met you, didn’t realize
I can’t forget you, for your surprise
you introduced me, to my mind
And left me wanting, you and your kind
I love you, Oh you know it
My life was empty, forever on a down
Until you took me, showed me around
My life is free now, my life is clear
I love you sweet leaf, though you can’t hear
Come on now, try it out
Straight people don’t know, what you’re about
They put you down and shut you out
you gave to me a new belief
and soon the world will love you sweet leaf
April 8th, 2006
This is the lead track on the Black Sabbath’s 1971 LP Master of Reality.
Stolen from allmusic.com:
“Black Sabbath had just tapped into a vicious hot streak on the album before this, so the anticipation for this album was quite high. Opening with a few seconds of a harsh cough (the sound of Tony Iommi choking on a joint between recording sessions), one of the greatest guitar riffs ever committed to record suddenly jumps out of the speakers and lays down its mid-tempo groove with gleeful abandon. Few bands outside of the psychedelic movement had professed their love for marijuana, but Sabbath avoided the hypnotic approach of those bands and went straight for the gut with their song. Boasting incredibly simplistic lyrics, Osbourne sounds downright happy as he tells the world how drugs have enhanced his life and introduced him to his mind. This may not be the healthiest message to preach, but the delivery spoke louder to the working-class metal fans they were catering to than any Country Joe and the Fish song ever could…In one song, the band managed to prove that metal can be fun, heavy doesn’t always mean evil, and drugs aren’t just for hippies and artists. Most of that is common knowledge now, but Sabbath was writing this in a time when metal was still considered a fad and critics tried to ignore the strides they were making. “Sweet Leaf” is maybe only below “Paranoid” in terms of the affect it would have on the genre, and it has a much better riff to boast.”
April 11th, 2006
This song belonged to Scotty Rager! He hit those drums hard for this tune.