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


Lyrics submitted by carlos_avdas, edited by RIck95

A National Acrobat song meanings
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  • +9
    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
  • +4
    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
  • +3
    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", Consciousness/God is the "universal secret of all time". "Destruction of the empty spaces" is what consciousness does, it illuminates (bring consciousness to) that which was dark/empty/unconscious before.

    "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, The thought and images" means Consciousness/God has been believed by all religions from time immemorial, from the Christian God, the Judaic God, the Hindu God, the religions of South America, the Indian religions, all have a different “conception” of Consciousness/God.

    "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, Consciousness/God cannot be born, so remains in its "Embryonic cell", 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 Consciousness/God scorns the little worlds/minds/face of man, and will never "see the cause of man". Belie is to run counter to or contradict. “The deathly darkness” is the belief that death is the dark/final end. “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”

    Also, continues the Consciousness/God concept in that Consciousness/God is presently beyond human comprehension, 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”

    Love/Consciousness/God “has given life to you”. Now it is up to you what you do with it. Consciousness/God is the “unseen eye of inner life” that “makes your 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 Consciousness/God is but the sower of life, 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 responsible for our own lives, not God/Conscioiusness).

    “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
  • +2
    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
  • +2
    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
  • +1
    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
  • +1
    General Comment

    Meanings Aside this is an Amazing song.

    Chris Ron February 23, 2007   Link
  • +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
  • +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
  • 0
    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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