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Genius Annotation

As the opening track of the influential Black Sabbath album, Paranoid, “War Pigs” was originally titled “Walpurgis.” Walpurgis Night takes place on the 30th April to mark the eve of the feast day of Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century English missionary to the Frankish Empire. It is also believed to be the night of a witches’ meeting or sabbath. The instrumental outro is entitled, “Luke’s Wall.” It is one of the most-covered songs in history and is frequently ranked among the greatest rock songs of all time.

The song talks about war and—like the hippies—Black Sabbath was totally against it, specifically the Vietnam War (occurring at the time), and although Geezer Butler has stated that:

[“War Pigs” is] totally against the Vietnam War, about how these rich politicians and rich people start all the wars for their benefit and get all the poor people to die for them.

And in an interview with Mojo in 2017:

Britain was on the verge of being brought into it, there was protests in the street, all kinds of anti-Vietnam things going on. War is the real Satanism. Politicians are the real Satanists. That’s what I was trying to say.

Ozzy Osbourne has said that:

[The group] knew nothing about Vietnam. It’s just an anti-war song.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Black Sabbath say about "War Pigs"?
Genius Answer

“Walpurgis” [which was the original title of the song] is sort of like Christmas for Satanists. And to me, war was the big Satan. It wasn’t about politics or government or anything. It was [about] evil. So I was saying “Generals gathered in the masses/Just like witches at black masses” to make an analogy. But when we brought it to the record company, they thought “Walpurgis” sounded too Satanic. And that’s when we turned it into “War Pigs.” But we didn’t change the lyrics, because they were already finished.

Geezer Butler, Noise Creep

Why was the instrumental outro called "Luke's Wall"?
Genius Answer

The title “Luke’s Wall” is most likely an homage to the band’s two-man road crew, Geoff “Luke” Lucas and Spock Wall.

Who originally came up with the name of this song?
Genius Answer

The original title of “War Pigs” was “Walpurgis,” written by the bassist and lyricist Geezer Butler. But when they brought it to the record company, they thought “Walpurgis” sounded too Satanic. And that’s when Black Sabbath turned it into “War Pigs.” But they didn’t change the lyrics, because they were already finished.

Credits
Produced By
Mixing Engineers
Lead Vocals
Phonographic Copyright ℗
Recorded At
Regent Sound Studios and Island Studios (London, England)
Release Date
September 18, 1970
War Pigs Is A Remix Of
View War Pigs samples
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