What does Fade To Black mean?

Metallica: Fade To Black Meaning

Album cover for Fade To Black album cover

Song Released: 1984


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Fade To Black Lyrics

Life it seems, will fade away
Drifting further every day
Getting lost within myself
Nothing matters no one else
I have lost the will to live
Simply nothing more to give
There is nothing more for me
Need the end to set me free

Things not...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    james
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    Sep 22nd 2014 !⃝

    This song is about depression and where it can lead too.
    "Life, it seems, will fade away
    Drifting further every day
    Getting lost within myself
    Nothing matters, no one else"

    He is constantly thinking about reality. Were born we grow up get old and eventually die. His depression takes over his life, lost in his thoughts nothing he does seems like it matters. Thinking if he were never born the world would keep spinning, Someone else would be doing his job, so why even bother anymore, nothing he does really matters.

    "I have lost the will to live
    Simply nothing more to give
    There is nothing more for me
    Need the end to set me free"

    This is the point he just gives up, his thoughts won't go away or change.
    He realizes the only way to ease his pain, to set his thoughts free is to take his own life.

    "Things not what they used to be
    Missing one inside of me
    Deathly lost, this can't be real
    Cannot stand this hell I feel"

    He remembers good times wishing he could relive his past when things weren't bad.
    He misses the way he was happy and so full of life. He realizes his thoughts and hates the way he feels.

    "Emptiness is filling me
    To the point of agony
    Growing darkness taking dawn
    I was me, but now he's gone"

    He feels like he's alone no one cares,
    He feels like people dont even want him to be here. The happy person he was before his thoughts took over will never come back he will always be sad lonely and hurt.

    "No one but me can save myself, but it's too late
    Now I can't think, think why I should even try
    Yesterday seems as though it never existed
    Death greets me warm, now I will just say goodbye"

    He doesn't tell people how he feels, what his thoughts on life are so nobody will try and stop him. He is determined to take his own life. Why bother. The days grow as long as his thoughts. The point of termination of life he imagines the reaper creating him with arms wide open. If people in this world dont want me maybe there is one in the next life.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 4th 2009 !⃝

    OKay
    I love this song. Not to sound like a pansy, but it is pretty beautiful. ok nevermind
    here's how it goes
    It could be about James Hetfield's stolen stage gear, which sent him into a deep depression, but that is not likely. most think that is the case, but it is not. In that case, the "suicide" in the song is James quitting Metallica. That is Wrong. I say that because he says "I have lost the Will To Live", "Death Greets me warm", and "Nothing Matters, no one else". This song is about a man (Portrayed By James) who is contemplating suicide, and then eventually does kill himself. That's why this song is so grim, because of the seriousness and sadness of the topic.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    punkemorocker
    click a star to vote
    Apr 3rd 2006 !⃝

    hmm, well I love this song, one of my favorite metallica songs, and not only becuase of the kick ass guitar, but it shows that people who you think look, or act tough, and really write something this emotionally involved, that's not wat the songs saying, I just wanted to make a note of that, but the song too me is pretty much about, well depressing things, about changning who you are, maybe to fit something your not, or not being able to ahve something u've set your life forand losing yourself, and getting futhur away form people you love, because your so worried about one thing, and you eventualyl start too die inside, adn there's nothign you can do, and your not sure, and you feel lost, so you might try to look for death, as a nice way out, and it looks as if the person in this song does die, and not necessarily ina physical sense, but more in an emotional sense

  4. anonymous
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    Jun 23rd 2022 !⃝

    James Hetfield wrote this song during a depressive episode following the band's equipment being stolen (including a rare amp that was given to him by his late mother) and being kicked out of their manager's house.

    To put it simply, Fade to Black describes a person who has lost everything and decides to commit suicide to end their pain.

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 8th 2018 !⃝

    I was told by a member of Exodus who started out as roadies and techs for Metallica that the song was about a person losing there spouse of many years. I won’t go into the line by line mentions because, well, I was stoned out of my mind so this all may be bullshit but I do know I talked to the guy cause I have the Polaroid

  6. militarymom11_16
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    Jan 12th 2018 !⃝

    It's about our military and all the suffering of our soldiers ..only my interpretation

  7. anonymous
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    Jan 12th 2018 !⃝

    I've loved this song for years and always thought it to be about our military on D day .."red" was bloodshed!

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  8. anonymous
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    Dec 14th 2017 !⃝

    I've always thought it was about the military, as Metallica has a lot of song dealing with the suffering of veterans. I think it's about a man who is trying his best to get through with d day. As it was so gruesome, and all the suffering from this day

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  9. anonymous
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    Sep 4th 2017 !⃝

    This song is about depression, it's what depression sufferers may feel, and what it can also lead to, with it being possible suicide.
    Life can sometimes seem to fade away, and drift further, but this is what it's like to have depression, it's a very sad song.
    It was written because of some stolen equipment which james' mother gave to him before she died.

    And I honestly think of Chester Bennington when I listen to this, because probably felt this

  10. anonymous
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    Jan 1st 2017 !⃝

    any one actually think to ever just ask James what the song means? I'd try there first...

  11. anonymous
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    Oct 18th 2016 !⃝

    **Punkemorocker**

    Your a moron the song is about depression and suicide nothing more nothing less...

  12. anonymous
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    Apr 23rd 2016 !⃝

    Back then in the early days metallica was on drugs (obviously) lars was too sensitive to narcs and started to get in the stage of suicide by drugs and at the time they were in england and hetfield and kirk plus lars put there thoughts and ideas together and made this song and they were stoned in the making so this would interperate depression and suicide.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  13. anonymous
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    Dec 15th 2013 !⃝

    Alright yes when i first heard this song, i thought straight away it was about suicide and it somewhat is, it is yeah a suicide song but the meaning behind why he wrote it is that..their band equipment was stolen while on tour and they were kicked out of their managers house. They were all really bummed out about it and this is where the song came from.
    It's not exactly the best meaning behind it but it's where the song originated from. Not suicide, although the lyrics are about suicide and it is a suicide song.

  14. anonymous
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    Nov 8th 2013 !⃝

    Honestly, it's about suicide, depression, self-harm, sadness, shit like that.

  15. anonymous
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    May 30th 2013 !⃝

    Does anyone know, in which song Metallica sings the words "fade to black"??

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  16. anonymous
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    Feb 17th 2013 !⃝

    I guess it is differant for everyone. Me myself feel the words like they are my own. Im going through a battle with drugs right now and have most more then anyone ever loose because of it and on top of that im dealing with mental issues as well that recently have taken over everything that the drugs didnt. So to me the song is saying everyday im getting more lost and mostly lost on myself feeli'g trapped helpless and like i have nothing elsr i can do.pain is an everyday thing along with a deep emptiness for all i have lost worst of all myself. Because what i am npw is not me,not the me i was but that exists no mote so much so that i cant remember a time when it did. Like he said, yesterday seems as though it never existed. Im not me anymore. I know only i can save or help myself but im so tired now and cant even try. And im not sayin i want to fie but apart of me just wants the death,meaning tje bad ending that i know is the end result to happen alrezdy tjrn maybe i can finally be free because i can give up. Shitty i kno just how it feels at times

  17. anonymous
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    Jun 24th 2012 !⃝

    Heroine. This fuckin song was written by dave mustane before its ride the lightning debut.

  18. anonymous
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    Apr 9th 2012 !⃝

    Suicide,man. Just suicide

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