Soundgarden - Into The Void (Sealth) - Black Sabbath

Badmotorfinger/SOMMS 1992

How can you buy or sell the sky
Or the warmth of the land it's strange to us
We don't own the freshness of the air
Or the sparkle of the water
How can you buy them from us
The white man doesn't understand our ways
For he's a stranger who comes in the night
And takes from the land just what he needs


Oh yeah

The earth is not his brother but his enemy
And when he has conquered it, he moves on
He leaves his father's grave and his birthright
His birthright is forgotten
The air is precious to the red man
For all things share the same breath
The white man won't notice the air he breathes
Like a man dying for many days


All right now


The whites must treat the beasts of his land
As his brothers not his enemy
Tell me what is man without the beasts
I'll bet he will die of loneliness
Yes


One thing we know that the white man will
We know our god is the same god
You may think you wish to own him
Own him as you wish to own our land
But he is the body of man
And the earth is precious to him
Continue to contaminate your bed
And you will suffocate in your waste
In your waste

These lyrics are correct. Every lyric website, as well as the other posted videos on youtube, are wrong!*

The lyrics, adapted by Chris Cornell, are derived from a screenplay written by Texas Professor Ted Perry. (If you search "Chief Sealth Speech Ted Perry" you can compare his fictionalized speech to the lyrics for "Into the Void".
Chief Sealth never wrote the "letter" to the president that this is based on. However he did deliver a famous speech in 1854, which is quite different than this, but even it is suspected to be far from his actual words.

"Into The Void (Sealth)" was released on Badmotorfinger/"SOMMS". You can read the postcard Soundgarden sent me in '92 that prompted me to go buy it.
It was a limited time two disc release.
The title of the extra disc, "Satanoscillatemymetallicsonatas" is a palindrome, reading the same backwards as forwards.

Satan Oscillate My Metallic Sonatas
satanoS cillateM yM etallicsO nataS

* Where they all get it wrong:
"He treats his brother like his enemies
When it's completed he moves on"
Should be:
The earth is not his brother, but his enemy
And when he has conquered it, he moves on"

Even in the printed lyrics for "Into the Void (Sealth)" from the SOMMS cd release, these lines are left out. (Don't know if that was an oversight or on purpose).
I used the fictional "letter" from Perry's screenplay to obtain the correct lyrics.

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• (Sealth)
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[amccann7]

I dodnt know soundgarden covered this Sabbs tune; awesome.

[clayopalstar]

@amccann7,

Love seeing your comments Amy!

This cover has so much history and backstory.

Hit the "Show more" tab to get the real story.

You've done a damn good cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" yourself if I'm not mistaken... for everyone out there, it's "War Pigs Collaboration (Black Sabbath Cover)".

[amccann7]

@clayopalstar thanks David, but I really think our best one is the Wizard.

[clayopalstar]

@amccann7

After a listen, I think you're right! The violin was a great touch...

Amy's version of The Wizard: The Wizard - (Black Sabbath) Collaboration

[Noxid666]

ah its good but sabbath is sabbath they are untouchable.

[maddie28100]

This is probly one of the best Sabbath covers I've heard. Kyuss covered this also. Which is also very epic.