Ozzy Osbourne says Lemmy once wrote three songs, read a book in four hours

Lemmy Kilmister was not only a rock icon; he was also an underestimated songwriter who penned several massive songs for his friends.

The Motörhead bassist and frontman began collaborating with Ozzy Osbourne in the early-'90s. His work helped the Prince of Darkness win his first-ever Grammy award in 1994.

Speaking recently with BBC Radio 2 about Lemmy's priceless contributions to his catalog, Ozzy recalled the pair's work on "Mama, I'm Coming Home."

"I'm good at starting lyrics, but I can't finish them," Ozzy admitted. "He'd write a bunch of lyrics for my songs ... I'd give him a tape... and I tell him, 'Tell me what you think. And I have a bunch of these lyrics whenever you can.'"

The Ozzman handed over his ideas and a World War II book he admitted he'd yet to read, expecting Lemmy to get back to him in a few days. Instead, Lemmy told him to "come back in about four hours."

When Ozzy returned, he couldn't believe how much Lemmy had gotten done.

“So I got back, and he goes, ‘What do you think about these?’ And I go, ‘Oh, great.’ He then goes, ‘What about these?’ I go, ‘Oh, you got two?’ He goes, ‘No, I got another one – three.’ I go, ‘You have written three sets of lyrics?’ He said, ‘Yeah … and that book was crap!’ I said, ‘What book?’ He says, ‘The book you gave me.’”

Like many people who befriended Lemmy over the years, Ozzy thought the world of him, praising him for being a straight-shooter and far more intelligent than his prickly demeanor let on.

"He was amazing!" Ozzy added. "You look at people like Lemmy and you think, 'Oh, he's a yob.' But he was very well-educated."

Lemmy's surviving Motörhead bandmates Mikkey Dee and Phil Campbell hope to organize a concert tribute to their late-frontman later this year to celebrate his life and music.