prove me wrong

i can see that interpretation.

"The Unforgiven" is James Hetfield's most personal track of all Metallica songs. The song explores James' tumultuous childhood. His dad left the family when he was thirteen for no apparent reason -- only a mare note was left behind explaining his departure. James got really mad at his father for leaving them behind, given that he was the breadwinner of the family and that his mom wasn't as effective at being a single parent. She made a living painting stuff, but besides that, she wasn't able to properly take care of James and her daughter. Nevertheless they managed to push on... but not for long. His mom passed away when James was sixteen after a losing battle with cancer.

James never really had close friends. At school he was an outcast because he was "different" from the rest of his classmates. He was raised in a highly-christian family. So at school, when it was time for Science he left the classroom because he was told by his parents that science was not as important as God's powers. James has recently revealed in an interview that it really awkward standing in the hallway outside the classroom having to explain his situation to other teachers passing him by. At home his dad used to read him and his sister the Bible and he would get so emotional, in fact, to the point where he would almost cry in tears. James, on the other hand, was totally confused as to why his dad was crying and why he's not.



When James' mother was in deathbed, her relatives - who also happened to have a similar christian mindset - never really gave her any medicine or took her to to the hospital. They thought God would somehow take care of her but they were very wrong. Without a parent or close friends, James quickly fell into drinking. Even at some points in his adult life he was so addicted to it that his wife kicked him out of home. The Metallica documentary entitled, Some Kind of a Monster, released in 2001, shows James finally taking steps to address his alcoholism.



For "The Unforgiven" James Hetfield put his personal feelings stemmed from his childhood turmoil into lyrics. As he said in an interview, "personal wounds are a great thing to write about." This is somewhat of a complicated song, such that each individual line doesn't necessarily posses a deeper meaning, but rather you have have to collectively consider them together in a verse or chorus. So without further ado, let' do some rock n' roll analysis of this song.

Analysis of lyrics:

First verse is about James' experiences when he was around, say, five years old. He was beginning to learn about the christian science he was taught by his parents. The line that sums this up is, "The young boy learns their rules."

Second verse talks about James' struggles as he was growing up to into a teenager. At this point in time, he was old enough to realize that his parent's christian beliefs wouldn't stop his mom from passing away. So, from that moment on he promised himself never to follow the footsteps of his parents, as stated by "That never from this day / His will they'll take away."




Final verse discusses James' conflicting relationship with his parents. James "battled constantly" with himself due to the fact that the faith his parents put on God didn't help any of them at the end: his dad abruptly left his family, and his mom died soon afterwards. After dust had settled, James was all by himself, contemplating committing suicide as stated by, "The old man then prepares / To die regretfully. "

The chorus is loosely written, in which James states that had he thought contrary to the beliefs he was taught, he might have been able to save his mom life.

New blood joins this earth
And quickly he's subdued
Through constant pained disgrace
The young boy learns their rules

With time the child draws in
This whipping boy done wrong
Deprived of all his thoughts
The young man struggles on and on he's known
A vow unto his own
That never from this day
His will they'll take away

What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never be
Never see
Won't see what might have been

What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never free
Never me
So I dub thee unforgiven

They dedicate their lives
To running all of his
He tries to please them all
This bitter man he is
Throughout his life the same
He's battled constantly
This fight he cannot win
A tired man they see no longer cares
The old man then prepares
To die regretfully
That old man here is me

What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never be
Never see
Won't see what might have been

What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never free
Never me
So I dub the unforgiven

You labeled me
I'll label you
So I dub the unforgiven

Dude really did grow up in clown world. Damn.

Metallica has a lot of lyrics like this brb unforgiven brb fade to black brb the frayed ends of sanity, brb sanitarium

I listen to their first 5 albums every day

Not wrong, I've sung it to my son since he was born.

BRB The horsemen are drawing nearerrrrrr in leather steeds they ride they’ve come to take your liiiiiiife!

BRB for whom the bell tollllllls Time marches on on on!!!!!

BRB drain you if your sanityyy face the thing that should not be eehhhh!

BRB harvester of sorrooowww languages of the madd!!!

BRB wherever I may wonder wander wanderrr wherever I may roam yeah yeah yeah wherever I may roam yeah!