Songfacts®:

• This song is about the crimes of Charlie Manson and his followers. In 1969 they killed five people at the home of actress Sharon Tate (including Tate, who was pregnant), then killed two more people the next day. When he was brought to trial, it was clear that Manson was deeply disturbed and dangerous.
• Phil Alexander, editor-in-chief of Kerrang! Magazine, contends that this song is about the Vietnam War, but it's somewhat ambiguous - remember that "Charlie" is also the slang term for Viet Cong used by US servicemen in that war. However, the lyrics make many references to the entire Manson incident.
• No Rest for the Wicked is the closest that Ozzy comes to a concept album. Throughout, the songs shame and blame the various wrongdoings of their subjects - from Jimmy Swaggart in "Miracle Man" to his own fans for idolizing him with "Hero." So that's how Manson fits in here as one of the bad guys.
• Charles Manson is thoroughly ingrained in music and celebrity culture, with an influence still felt today. People forget these days that he personally knew both Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys and Neil Young of Crosby Stills Nash & Young (whose song "Revolution Blues" was inspired by Manson). Not to mention that he wrote a large body of songs, which have been covered by the likes of The Beach Boys and Guns N' Roses. And after all, he resided in Topanga Canyon, California, where he hobnobbed with all these celebrities before killing some of them. If this seems to be a shocking lapse in judgment, consider that stone cold psychopaths have a superficial charm to them at first, making them good at getting their foot in the door.