A National Acrobat – English Lyrics

• By: Black Sabbath
• Album: Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the heavy world of 1970s British rock with 'A National Acrobat.' This song is perfect for learners looking to master the rhythmic flow of English rock lyrics and explore the expressive, gritty vocabulary used in early heavy metal music.

[English]

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 that 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 fate of those who never ran

...

You gotta believe, yeah

...

I'm talking to you

Well, I know it's hard for you

To know the reason why

And I know you'll understand

More 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

...

I want you to listen

...

I'm trying to get through

Love has given life to you

And now it's 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 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, haha!

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
universal /ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːrsəl/ B2	adjective - Relating to or done by all people or things in the world
destruction /dɪˈstrʌkʃən/ B2	noun - The action or process of causing so much damage to something that it no longer exists
conceived /kənˈsiːvd/ C1	verb - To become pregnant with or to form an idea in the mind
collide /kəˈlaɪd/ B2	verb - To hit each other with force
embryonic /ˌembriˈɒnɪk/ C2	adjective - In a very early stage of development
scorns /skɔːrnz/ C2	verb - To feel or express contempt or derision for
belies /bɪˈlaɪz/ C2	verb - To fail to give a true impression of something
fate /feɪt/ B2	noun - The development of events beyond a person's control
concern /kənˈsɜːrn/ B2	noun - A matter of interest or importance to someone
sown /soʊn/ C1	verb - To plant seeds in ground
curtain /ˈkɜːrtən/ A2	noun - A piece of material suspended at the top to form a covering
unknown /ʌnˈnoʊn/ A2	adjective - Not known or familiar
breath /brɛθ/ B1	noun - The air taken into or expelled from the lungs
wondering /ˈwʌndərɪŋ/ A2	verb - To desire or be curious to know something
memories /ˈmɛməriz/ A2	noun - The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information

Key Grammar Structures

• I am the world that hides the universal secret of all time

  ➔ Relative clause (Defining)

  ➔ "that hides" describes the noun "world" to identify which world is being referred to.

• I've lived a thousand times

  ➔ Present Perfect Tense

  ➔ "I've lived" indicates an experience that happened at an unspecified time in the past up to the present.

• The unborn child that never was conceived

  ➔ Passive Voice (Past Simple)

  ➔ "was conceived" is in the passive voice, showing the action was performed upon the subject "child".

• I'm trapped inside my embryonic cell

  ➔ Adjective participle as a complement

  ➔ "trapped" functions as an adjective describing the state of the subject "I".

• You gotta believe, yeah

  ➔ Modal of obligation (Informal)

  ➔ "gotta" is a contraction of "have got to," expressing a strong suggestion or necessity.

• I know you'll understand more when it's time to die

  ➔ Adverbial clause of time

  ➔ "when it's time to die" indicates the specific future moment when the main clause action occurs.

• You have to let your body sleep to let your soul live on

  ➔ Causative verb (let)

  ➔ "let" is used here to mean "allow," followed by the object and the bare infinitive.

• Love has given life to you

  ➔ Present Perfect Tense

  ➔ "has given" refers to an action started in the past that has a present result (you are alive).