About the Song
Buried deep in the final tracklist of his 1983 album Bark at the Moon lies one of Ozzy Osbourne’s most haunting and introspective pieces — “Waiting for Darkness.” Far from the theatrical antics and heavy metal bravado he’s often known for, this song strips things down to something rawer: a cry from the void, laced with fear, doubt, and an aching search for meaning in a chaotic world.
Musically, the song opens with a melancholy tone — slower in tempo, but heavy in mood. The guitars, courtesy of Jake E. Lee, are clean but ominous, wrapping around Ozzy’s vocals like a fog settling in. There’s a steady pulse, but it doesn’t drive forward aggressively; instead, it lingers, like the feeling of dread just before midnight.
Lyrically, “Waiting for Darkness” is perhaps one of Ozzy’s most vulnerable moments on record. Lines like “You might laugh, but I empathize” and “I’ll be waiting for darkness ‘til it comes again” reflect not a monster, but a man, weary from years of living in the limelight and carrying the weight of both adoration and criticism. The song reads like a journal entry — an internal monologue on the edge of spiritual collapse, yet delivered with restraint and almost tragic calm.
What makes this song so impactful is how deeply personal it feels without ever becoming melodramatic. There’s no screaming, no fire and brimstone — just a quiet reckoning. In many ways, it feels like Ozzy looking in the mirror, questioning what remains when the music fades and the crowds go home.
Though it never became a single, “Waiting for Darkness” has gained a cult following over the decades. For many fans, it stands as one of the most emotionally resonant songs in Ozzy’s catalog — a reminder that behind the “Prince of Darkness” persona was always a deeply human heart, fragile and searching.