Children of the Grave – English Lyrics

• By: Black Sabbath
• Album: Master of Reality

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

Revolution in their minds

The children start to march

Against the world in which they have to live

And all the hate that's in their hearts

They're tired of being pushed around

And told just what to do

They'll fight the world until they've won

And love comes flowing through, yeah

...

Children of tomorrow live in the tears that fall today

Will the sun rise up tomorrow bringing peace in any way?

Must the world live in the shadow of atomic fear?

Can they win the fight for peace or will they disappear? Yeah

...

So you children of the world listen to what I say

If you want a better place to live in spread the word today

Show the world that love is still alive, you must be brave

Or you children of today are children of the grave, yeah

...

Children of the grave

...

Children of the grave

...

Children of the grave

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
revolution /ˌrev.əˈluː.ʃən/ B2	noun - a forcible overthrow of a government or social order
march /mɑːrtʃ/ B1	verb - to walk in a military manner with regular measured strides
atomic /əˈtɒm.ɪk/ B2	adjective - relating to an atom or atoms or to nuclear energy
grave /ɡreɪv/ B2	noun - a place of burial for a dead body
shadow /ˈʃæd.əʊ/ A2	noun - a dark area or shape produced by an object blocking light
brave /breɪv/ A2	adjective - ready to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage
disappear /ˌdɪs.əˈpɪər/ A2	verb - to cease to be visible
peace /piːs/ A2	noun - freedom from disturbance; tranquility
hate /heɪt/ A2	noun - intense dislike
tired /ˈtaɪəd/ A1	adjective - in need of sleep or rest; weary
tear /tɪər/ B1	noun - a drop of clear salty liquid secreted from the eye
mind /maɪnd/ A2	noun - the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences
fight /faɪt/ A2	verb - to take part in a violent struggle involving the exchange of physical blows or the use of weapons
alive /əˈlaɪv/ A2	adjective - not dead; living
flowing /ˈfləʊ.ɪŋ/ B1	verb - moving steadily and continuously in a current or stream

Key Grammar Structures

• Against the world in which they have to live

  ➔ Relative clause with preposition + which

  ➔ The structure "in which" is a formal way to show the relationship between "the world" and the verb "live".

• They're tired of being pushed around

  ➔ Passive gerund after adjective + preposition

  ➔ Using "being pushed" describes a state of receiving an action, following the adjective "tired of".

• They'll fight the world until they've won

  ➔ Future perfect in a time clause

  ➔ The present perfect "have won" is used after "until" to indicate completion before the main action continues.

• Children of tomorrow live in the tears that fall today

  ➔ Relative clause with 'that' as the subject

  ➔ "That" functions as the subject of the relative clause, replacing "tears".

• Will the sun rise up tomorrow bringing peace in any way?

  ➔ Participial phrase (modifying the main clause)

  ➔ "Bringing" is a present participle providing additional information about the potential outcome of the sun rising.

• Must the world live in the shadow of atomic fear?

  ➔ Modal verb 'must' for necessity or obligation

  ➔ Using "must" expresses a rhetorical question about whether this situation is absolutely necessary.

• If you want a better place to live in spread the word today

  ➔ First conditional sentence

  ➔ This uses "if + present simple" to talk about a real and possible situation in the future.

• Or you children of today are children of the grave

  ➔ Coordinating conjunction 'or'

  ➔ "Or" introduces a warning or consequence of failing to take action mentioned earlier.