The song “Marsh Witch Vision” sets up an album about Black Sabbath with the origin story of Ozzy Osbourne.

Track: “Marsh Witch Vision”
Album: Marsh Witch Visions (2017)

“Marsh Witch Vision” sets up the very closely named Marsh Witch Visions record as the story of Ozzy Osbourne. He works at the slaughterhouse and he’s in a band. This isn’t even the only Mountain Goats song about that, but as the entirety of Marsh Witch Visions is about The Ozzman, we spent some time learning his story. A line like “do six months for burglary, get a new tattoo” feels so blasé in delivery but represents a brutal period of time. 

When Marsh Witch Visions came out in 2017 I listened to it twice and then never revisited it. I didn’t grow up with Black Sabbath outside the parts you couldn’t escape as part of the collective consciousness. I don’t listen to metal and I’m not exactly in the generation where this music brings up a feeling of nostalgia. As a result, Ozzy Osbourne is more a character that’s interesting in how he’s in the world of pop culture than he is a rock god. I get it, but I also can’t get it. This album was never going to be my favorite, but I do like the quasi-title-track “Marsh Witch Vision.” It’s a pure story, told briefly, and it gives you a lot to think about. That said, I like “Song for Black Sabbath’s Second North American Tour” a little more and it largely does the same job. Darnielle’s fascination with Osbourne has led to a dozen or more songs so far, so there’s bound to be some overlap.