Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath told Spin about his top five albums that he can’t live without. The list included Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin.” Butler even revealed the album track that inspired a Black Sabbath hit, saying: “If ever a song summed up an era, this album’s title track spoke for a whole new generation.” There were no electric guitars, bass, or drums; just a man with an acoustic guitar and great lyrics that properly captured the post-war age.
“‘With God on Our Side’ is still the greatest anti-war song ever written in my opinion, and it inspired me to write the lyrics for Sabbath’s ‘War Pigs.'” Dylan’s compositions reflected his pacifism, such as the words to ‘With God on Our Side.
‘ So, while Bob’s protest encouraged Geezer, his remarks were far worse. In 2019, he spoke to Metal Hammer: “Yeah, there were a lot of American bands talking about protest, like Bob Dylan, but they were living in style, and I was still stuck in Aston with no money, so I was writing from the heart.” Our lyrics were about what we were going through at the time, and we never imagined we’d make it out.” Below, you can hear Bob Dylan’s “With God on Our Side” tune from “The Times They Are A-Changin” album and Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.”
