Metallica: The God That Failed Meaning

The God That Failed Lyrics

Pride you took
Pride you feel
Pride that you felt when you'd kneel
Not the word
Not the love
Not what you thought from above

It feeds (it feeds)
It grows (it grows)
It clouds all that you will know
Deceit
Deceive
Decide just what you...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   keesh1482

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   Nov 13th 2008 !⃝

   This song is written about James Hetfield's mother. She died of cancer. Because of her extreme religeous beliefs she refused any treatment and cited that God would save her. After her death Hetfield wrote this song from his mother's eyes about "The God That Failed."

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Nov 20th 2007 !⃝

   I believe that this song is about Hetfield's parents' strong faith in God and how that it imposed on their health as they died. Their faith ment they did not allow medicine and, subsequently, died. Hence, The God that Failed.
3. anonymous

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   Sep 26th 2017 !⃝

   A somekind of a mean song written under difficult circumstances. Which is about ''the god that failed'' Someone special, that the Protagonist seems to always have loved dearly. The Protagonist is taking it very personally after witnessing Someone's whole life that gave it all to this god by faith and trust. Forwanting Him to cure this person of the disease, when it was needed the most, but unfortunately He did not. All according to the Protagonist point of view who has takin this Person's death to heart and soul, that now hurts him very badly. Where he's really feeling that this god actually has stolen everything that was just and good from this Individual Person, even up to the last day, according to the Protagonist understanding. Which left him feeling down and hurt with anger, when his loved one sadly died. In a terrible sad way, this song reminds me of Those persons with a ''understandable anger'' about ''the god that failed'', especially when He was needed the most during and after WW2. When many people throughout the world must've felt kind of similar about the god They only thought They knew through the Synagouges and the Catholic Church that failed Them with Their loved ones at the end. where sadly on the overall this distanced us further away from knowing or not wanting to know the true god of the Bible.
4. anonymous

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   Feb 25th 2016 !⃝

   I believe the song is about James' thoughts and feelings when his mother died. Maybe at that moment he felt God failed him (James) by taking his mother. "Not what you thought from above". He never thought God would let his mom die and yet she did hence in his eyes God Failed. When my mom passed I felt anger towards God. I know it wasn't him or his fault. A lot of emotion is going through your mind and things get said that aren't meant.
5. anonymous

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   Oct 3rd 2015 !⃝

   It's about James' parents. They had such a deep faith in Scientology and God, and part of that faith is not taking any modern medicine when sick. In return, they died of cancer and possibly could have lived if they received treatment, but it was against their religion
6. anonymous

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   Oct 17th 2014 !⃝

   The title of the song is not god failed it's "the god that failed" so he talks about the god as seen by his mother so stop your fucked up religious shit. Everyone has his own vision of god. if you re so dumb to believe that god can only be interpreted in your way you are still immature and still underestimating how complex is the god concept. God is so great that he needs more than narrow minds to understand him. if anyone could understand this and focus in his own understanding of god ore than discussing each other's belief, everey religious quarrel would cease. with all my respect.
7. anonymous

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   Dec 15th 2013 !⃝

   The song in question is about James mother, yes. How she was sick, yes. But it's written in James views of his mother. I've seen interviews and watched DVD's where James does state that he is not bashing God. He is just saying that in the specific religion that his parents believed in (Christian Science) God would cure what ailed you. But since his mother didn't make it, it's not exactly true, he was just stating this. He write a lot about his personal experiences and emotions and this was just another one of those songs.
8. anonymous

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   Oct 1st 2013 !⃝

   well 1st my english is not my langauge so sorry if i talk bad 2nd i am a christian but i don't believe that god heals everyone its just when your time is done its done its just stupid to think that you don't need a doctor god made us smart to heal ourselves god doesn't do everything you have to save your body yourself
9. anonymous

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   Apr 4th 2012 !⃝

   The thing is obvious: either if you believe or not in any god his mother did so. She also believed her faith would heal the cancer and refused medical support (that's part of the belief of a quite big part of christians as some already said).
   What he does say is that her believing only faith should keep her alive and refusing care failed. Her faith blinded her to the fact that medicine could save her and still not be evil.
   "It clouds all that you will know"
10. anonymous

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    Aug 17th 2011 !⃝

    God created our brain so we could create medicine and get the ability to cure such diseases , I still respect james because we would all sometimes say stuff when we are mad but he shouldnt say that about god coz god never fails and hes perfect but still a fan of metallica but id never lsn to that song ever.
11. anonymous

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    Apr 17th 2011 !⃝

    The song is about Hetfield's mother dieing and she was a christian scientist, refusing the help from doctors and saying god would help her.
12. anonymous

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    Mar 4th 2011 !⃝

    This is a harassy! How can he say that God failed. God is perfect and he never wrongs. Besides God never intended for James mother to have cancer. It is part of human cells and bacteria. God never directly punishes anyone or curses any. God is a good God, and the reason James mother died was because she was not afraid to die. God have her life after death. Alot of people think that just cause they pray and pray and God never heals someone, right away they blame God. God had nothing to do with it. Im sure if God wanted to save her He would have. But since she gave her life to Christ, she was not afraid to die. Because it ment finaly having eternal life. If you choose to accept Christ into your life, He gives you eternal life after you die.
    
    Also James sings, "The healing hand held back by the deepen nail, Follow the God that failed." James thinks that just because Christ died on the cross, that he failed. The healing hand, is Christs hands that heald all the sick in the land. James says, "Follow the God that failed." I dont believe He failed, infact He succeded in doing what God His Father sent Him to do. Die on the cross. But I give James credit anyways, cause he advices us to follow Christ. But Christ did not fail. Once again, if James was looking for a miracle to heal his mothers sickness, and didnt get that miracle, he thinks that Christ failed in healing his mother. But succeded in saving her by giving her eternal life. So do what James says and Follow God.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
13. anonymous

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    May 19th 2010 !⃝

    Its so dumb to give up on God because your family member died like seriously. Think about it...if you ever want to see the person again and the person was a TRUE Christian and they're in Heaven....if you give up on God and lose your faith then you'll go to hell and not see them.....dumbpeople
    
    and to me it soundz like he's talking about the devil...because the devil wanted to be God and people are sinful think thet satan is God

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
14. Brooder

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    Sep 13th 2009 !⃝

    All of you guys are correct. It was about his mother passing from cancer, and refusing to use medicine based on her religious beliefs, which was Christian Science according to an article I read.
15. japan4

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    Jul 2nd 2009 !⃝

    You guys are right, it's also about him giving up on God because of his mother.

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