Metallica: Until It Sleeps Meaning

Song Released: 1996

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Until It Sleeps Lyrics

Where do I take this pain of mine
I run but it stays right by my side

So tear me open and pour me out
There's things inside that scream and shout
And the pain still hates me
So hold me until it sleeps

Just like the curse, just like the...

1.  

   anonymous

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   Oct 12th 2012, 16:43 report

   
   

   its about devil and how he alwayes gets into mankind an make people choose the wrong choise (from The beggning of mankind just like you see in the video:adam and The Apple)and now he suffers from it (the man) and asking god for help

   
   
   
   

2.  

   anonymous

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   Jul 18th 2012, 23:03 report

   
   

   "The lyrics of the song, written by Hetfield, address his mother's battle with cancer. They can be seen as either describing the emotional pain he feels for the loss, or the physical pain his mother was feeling while she was ill. Both of his parents were Christian Scientists, and did not believe in medicine. The lyrics are also interpreted as dealing with anger issues. Hetfield's father, Virgil, died in late 1996, during Metallica's Load tour." - Wikipedia
   
   However, songs are meant to be interpreted by the listener typically. i wanna find all the weird symbolism and odd stuff in the video. thats what needs 'interpreting'

   
   
   
   

3.  

   anonymous

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   Apr 4th 2012, 01:14 report

   
   

   NOT ABOUT FOLLOWING THE DEVIL AT ALL
   Clearly about pain (and not nescessarily the phisical kind).I could believe it to be about his mother but then some parts just don't sound right (the pain sure consumed her on the final days but she never tried to get rid of it)
   It's more like an inner conflict: "So tear me open and pour me out There's things inside that scream and shout"
   He has all that inside him but never shares his pain and then it consumes him inside. He's finally trying to get over it, be open about it, ask for help.
   It could be related to the band or just someone else on the grips of depression. Could relate to that a lot on my darker days...song fits that perfectly: you feel the pain inside and not strong enought to be open about it, then you search for help and decide to stop this pain and see you can fight it.
   Also in many cases depression can get to the point of the person thinking of himself as the center of all tragedy and kinda like the only one with the problem (So tell me why you've chosen me)

   
   
   
   

4.  

   Dominic Whosboomz

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   Mar 19th 2012, 12:41 report

   
   

   It could also be interpreted as a drug addiction. It could be interpreted both ways.

   
   
   
   

5.  

   anonymous

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   Jul 12th 2011, 02:15 report

   
   

   Cancer, his mom and dad

   
   
   
   

6.  

   anonymous

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   Jun 25th 2011, 00:09 report

   
   

   First of all why do people say that the meaning of a song is either related to the band or if it was on a game the song has to be related to the game.
   
   Well now that i got that out in the open, i think this song is about the pain us humans face through out our life because if you see the video each band member is having some type of pain. Because the whole chorus where it says it holds you so bad, it is saying the pain will hold on to you until you forget about like when the song says until it sleeps. and the other lyrics are just saying what you might feel during the your pain and what you want to do to yourself.

   
   
   
   

7.  

   anonymous

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   May 6th 2010, 09:56 report

   
   

   Where do I take this pain of mine?
   I run but it stays right by my side (this is saying that the devil will never leave those who are banishing him after they have invited them)
   
   So tear me open, pour me out
   There's things inside that scream and shout
   And the pain still hates me
   So hold me until it sleeps (he is talking about his past of following the devil)
   
   Just like the curse, just like the stray
   You feed it once and now it stays
   Now it stays (the devil stays with someone forever)
   
   So tear me open but beware
   There's things inside without a care
   And the dirt still stains me
   So wash me until I'm clean (same)
   
   It grips you, so hold me
   It stains you, so hold me
   It hates you, so hold me
   It holds you, so hold me
   Until it sleeps (this stanza is in God's point of view. He is saying that the devil does all these things but if you hold on to God then the devil will go)
   
   So tell me why you've chosen me
   Don't want your grip, don't want your greed
   Don't want it (back to the author...he is asking the devil why he has chosen him)
   
   I'll tear me open, make you gone
   No more can you hurt anyone
   And the fear still shakes me
   So hold me until it sleeps
   
   It grips you, so hold me
   It stains you, so hold me
   It hates you, so hold me
   It holds you, holds you, holds you until it sleeps
   
   I don't want it, want it, want it, want it, want it...No (he don't want to be bad)
   
   So tear me open but beware
   There's things inside without a care
   And the dirt still stains me
   So wash me 'til I'm clean
   
   I'll tear me open, make you gone (he'll rip out the demon in him and be clean)
   No longer will you hurt anyone
   And the hate still shapes me
   So hold me until it sleeps
   Until it sleeps

   
   
   
   

8.  

   anonymous

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   Mar 23rd 2010, 12:31 report

   
   

   No. It's about his battles with Alcohol.

   
   
   
   

9.  

   Metallicamaniac666

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   Nov 28th 2009, 04:44 report

   
   

   Actually both The God that failed and mama said both deal with james' mom's death by cancer mama said is more of a recoincilliation song for james (if you read my interpretation of mama said you would know). Until it sleeps, believe it or not, stands for his dad's and mom's death by cancer, drug abuse and how once you get high you are addicted to it, and James' Alcohol abuse and how much he drank during the production of Load. This song is a great way of relievig stress and depression

   
   
   
   

10.  

    anonymous

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    Sep 16th 2009, 08:54 report

    
    

    No, it's about his dad, "the god that failed" is about his mom.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
    
    
    
    

11.  

    segpatrol94

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    Apr 9th 2009, 01:24 report

    
    

    It's about Hetfeld's mom's battle with cancer.

    
    
    
    

12.  

    DaMirrorLink

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    Mar 20th 2009, 04:45 report

    
    

    @Neal67
    
    no, its not.
    
    its about cancer, i was the one who originally posted the song, it is about how his mother had cancer and it slowly ate her body, and since they did not believe in medicine, she did not seek treatment and did nothing to stop it, but it died with her too.

    
    
    
    

13.  

    Neal67

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    Feb 22nd 2009, 19:35 report

    
    

    The song is about addiction. Plain and simple.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
    
    
    
    

14.  

    anonymous

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    Nov 17th 2008, 07:21 report

    
    

    It's a song about cancer, which his mom died from, it describes how it took over the body and eventually kills them.