Jake E. Lee Recalls How Ozzy Osbourne “Stumped” Him During 1983 Performance of “War Pigs”

On July 5th, all of heavy metal took a moment to honor the legacy of Ozzy Osbourne. Marking his last performance with the original lineup of Black Sabbath, the Prince of Darkness thanked fans as he took the stage. And with Ozzy ending his time in the spotlight, many musicians and singers recalled some of their fondest memories of the icon. And adding his voice to the conversation, Jake E. Lee shared a hilarious moment when Ozzy forgot the lyrics while performing “War Pigs” back in 1983. 

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Given the years of drugs, alcohol, and late nights, it made perfect sense that Ozzy might forget a lyric or two. But shortly after Lee joined Ozzy on stage, he was hesitant about playing with such a legend. But the musician found out that even legends are human. Speaking with Guitar World, he recalled, “We were doing ‘War Pigs’ and it’s the first verse, and Ozzy looks at me and mouths, ‘What are the words?’ I knew the words, but he stumped me. I wasn’t expecting that.” 

[RELATED: The Story Behind the Song Ozzy Osbourne Co-Wrote for Black Sabbath Bandmate Tony Iommi’s Solo Debut]

Jake E. Lee Shocked Over How The New Lyrics To “War Pigs” Worked Out

Not knowing how to take the question, Lee didn’t even know how to respond. And with Ozzy looking at him, the musician admitted, “I didn’t want to say the wrong words, so I just said, ‘I don’t know…’ So he started singing ‘Old MacDonald Had a Farm!’”

That’s right. Although Ozzy performed the song countless times, he simply forgot the lyrics at that moment and decided to switch them with a children’s song. And how did it play out? Well, with the song called “War Pigs” and Old MacDonald having a farm, it seemed to work. “It worked perfectly! It was genius.” He added, “It was like, ‘Old MacDonald haaaad a faaarm, he had some pigs with an oink oink here, and an oink oink therrrrrre!’”

While Ozzy and Lee powered through the performance, the musician never forgot how the audience reacted to the changed lyrics. “I remembering looking at the punters in the front row, and they were just like, ‘What the f**k is going on?!’”

(Photo By Larry Busacca/Getty Images)