By Viktorea Venus – HeavyMetalBuzz.com
Before War Pigs became the ultimate metal protest anthem, it was something far darker, stranger, and dripping with occult imagery. It was called “Walpurgis.”
Yeah, you heard me right. The Black Sabbath classic you know from Paranoid didn’t start out as a straightforward anti-war blast — it began life as a pagan horror show of witches, rituals, and apocalyptic visions. And the story of how it transformed is pure Sabbath magic… with a middle finger aimed at war profiteers.
From Witches to War
In 1969–70, Sabbath’s lyricist Geezer Butler was sketching out a song that used Walpurgis Night — the European festival tied to witchcraft and bonfires — as a metaphor for the evil in the world. Picture it: generals and politicians as the witches at the “black masses,” orchestrating destruction while the rest of us suffer.
It was more twisted horror film than political rally cry, and the original lyrics leaned heavy into the occult:
“Witches gather at black masses
Bodies burning in red ashes…”
But there was a problem. Black Sabbath was already getting crucified in the press as “Satanic” (newsflash: they weren’t), and the record label didn’t want to pour gasoline on that fire. So Geezer sharpened his pen, stripped away most of the witchcraft references, and went straight for the jugular — turning Walpurgis into the blunt, furious anti-war statement “War Pigs.”
The Vietnam Shadow
This was the height of the Vietnam War, and Sabbath were watching politicians and generals send young men to die while they sat safe and rich. In Butler’s words:
“It was about evil people, leaders of the world… all the politicians who were sending kids off to be slaughtered.”
Walpurgis vs. War Pigs: Lyric Show-Down
| Walpurgis (Original Early Version) | War Pigs (Final Studio Version) |
|---|---|
|
“Witches gather at black masses Bodies burning in red ashes On the hill the church in ruin…” |
“Generals gathered in their masses Just like witches at black masses…” |
|
“Carry banners which denounce the Lord … anoint my head with dead rat’s blood…” |
Focus on condemning war profiteers — evil as political corruption. |
Hearing the Original
- YouTube – Black Sabbath “Walpurgis” early version
- The Ozzman Cometh – official release of the BBC session version
- Paranoid Super Deluxe Edition – includes alternate takes
Final Viktorea Verdict
Walpurgis is the ghost in the machine of War Pigs. It’s the shadow-verse Sabbath nearly unleashed: darker, more blasphemous, but ultimately reshaped into a timeless, pissed-off anti-war anthem. Seeing the lyric evolution side-by-side? That’s Sabbath magic — and rebellion crystallized.
Listen to Walpurgis with the lights down and the volume up — you’ll hear the bones of War Pigs before it marched into history. It’s darker. It’s nastier. And it proves that Sabbath weren’t just heavy… they were dangerous.