What does The Unforgiven II mean?

Metallica: The Unforgiven II Meaning

Album cover for The Unforgiven II album cover

Song Released: 1998


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The Unforgiven II Lyrics

Lay beside me, tell me what they've done
Speak the words I want to hear, to make my demons run
The door is locked now, but it's open if you're true
If you can understand the me, than I can understand the you.

Lay beside me, under wicked...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    Slikar
    click a star to vote
    Mar 20th 2012 !⃝

    Lay beside me, tell me what they've done
    Speak the words I wanna hear, to make my demons run
    -
    He meets a woman who had a similar childhood to him.

    The door is locked now, but it's open if you're true
    If you can understand the me, than I can understand the you
    -
    He has closed himself off from the world and is considering opening up for her, as long as she is “true” and not like the rest of the world.

    Lay beside me, under wicked sky
    The black of day, dark of night, we share this paralyze
    -
    He believes he has found someone he can open up to, that they can be two against the world.

    The door cracks open, but there's no sun shining through
    Black heart scarring darker still, but there's no sun shining through
    No, there's no sun shining through
    No, there's no sun shining...
    -
    Sunlight is symbolic of purity and safety. He opens the ‘door’ to his heart, but she betrays him like the rest of the world, being impure like the rest of the world. ‘Black heart scarring still’ is saying how when he thinks that he cannot have anything worse happen, it does.

    Come lay beside me, this won't hurt I swear
    „She loves me not, she loves me still“, but she'll never love again
    She lay beside me, but she'll be there when I'm gone
    Black heart scarring darker still, yes she'll be there when I'm gone
    Yes, she'll be there when I'm gone
    Dead sure she'll be there...
    -
    In a sudden rage, he kills her. He tries to justify it by saying that she never loved him, but he realized that she did love him even though she lied / cheated / whatever. The meaning of ‘She’ll be there when I’m gone’ is pretty obvious; he is saying that he’ll see her again in heaven / hell / afterlife.

    Lay beside me, tell me what I've done
    The door is closed, so are you're eyes
    But now I see the sun, now I see the sun
    Yes now I see IT.....
    -
    After killing her, he closes back up and sees the sun. He feels safe being alone and closed off from the world, the world is only there to hurt him.

    I take this key (never free...) and I bury it (never me...) in you
    -
    Is symbolic of killing her for betraying him. He takes the key to his heart and buries it along with her.

    Because you're unforgiven too....
    -
    Is referencing the first song. In the first song, he called everyone who wronged him “Unforgiven,” so now he says she is “Unforgiven too”, the same as the world, out there only to hurt him.

  2. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 5th 2019 !⃝

    The best song ever made for me and I love it when it came out

  3. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 22nd 2019 !⃝

    James zodiac sign is ( Virgo ) , he belong to an earth , most of people who belong to an earth sign like taurus and Capricorn and virgo are materialism people and because of that they r always suffering from there weak believe , he always talk to life as a woman and he knows from deep inside that god ( Allah ) is treating him through life flow , james is a strong tough man always struggling against life force but he believes that he is a cursed man and he is suffering from karma and he knows that all his struggling and fighting against life are coming to an end and he know well that hell r waiting for him but at least he kept his own false pride ( Wrote by Hany Ashraf )

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 14th 2015 !⃝

    This song can be related to many things in our life. I could explain this song is about an inself war , where someone tries to keep love precious but the darkness and the unsincerity takes over everything and you just end up being and crying alone.It really has a bitter story within it which extremely moved me and make me love Metallica more!

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 2nd 2012 !⃝

    i think this song is about his mom and how bad he wants to be with her he once said that he watched his mother die and that he wants her back.This song is about HOW HE STANDS ALONE IN THIS HARD LIFE.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 6th 2011 !⃝

    I think that it is about letting it go.
    And i think that the phrase "So I dump the unforgiven....." depicts it very well.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 23rd 2011 !⃝

    When we are little child we think the world is of our own.day by day we realize that it is not true that dream may come true.if you are true or understand the nature then you may open the door of your luck or true or may be you.like you are not understand the girl you get or desire but if u r true with her then will she be come to u again? or she unforgiven too like the other nature like he or everybody has.

    Would everything be his on favour if he is true.or the world is full of unforgiven like the girl or u should bury your wish ,love because what you know or learn is turn fall from the day of your birth.so why so much unforgiven ? ? ? shuvo_sadman@ymail.com

  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 23rd 2011 !⃝

    when we are little child we think the world is of our own.day by day we realize that it is not true that dream may come true.if you are true or understand the nature then you may open the door of your luck or true or may be you.like you are not understand the girl you get or desire but if u r true with her then will she be come to u again? or she unforgiven too like the other nature like he or everybody has.

    would everything be his on favour if he is true.or the world is full of unforgiven like the girl or u should bury your wish ,love because what you know or learn is turn fall from the day of your birth.so why so much unforgiven ? ? ?


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