This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
How could he know this new dawn's light
Would change his life forever?
Set sail to sea but pulled off course
By the light of golden treasure
Was he the one causing pain
With his careless dreaming?
Been afraid, always afraid
Of the things he's feeling
He could just be gone
He would just sail on
He'll just sail on
How can I be lost if I've got nowhere to go?
Searched for seas of gold, how come it's got so cold?
How can I be lost? In remembrance I relive
And how can I blame you
When it's me I can't forgive?
These days drift on inside a fog
It's thick and suffocating
This seeking life outside its hell, inside intoxicating
He's run aground like his life
Water much too shallow
Slipping fast, down with the ship
Fading in the shadows
Now a castaway
Blame all gone away
Blame gone away
How can I be lost if I've got nowhere to go?
Searched for seas of gold, how come it's got so cold?
How can I be lost? In remembrance I relive
And how can I blame you
When it's me I can't forgive?
Forgive me, forgive me not
Forgive me, forgive me not
Forgive me, forgive me not
Forgive me, forgive me
Why can't I forgive me?
Set sail to sea but pulled off course
By the light of golden treasure
How could he know this new dawn's light
Would change his life forever?
How can I be lost if I've got nowhere to go?
Searched for seas of gold, how come it's got so cold?
How can I be lost? In remembrance I relive
So how can I blame you
When it's me I can't forgive?
Would change his life forever?
Set sail to sea but pulled off course
By the light of golden treasure
Was he the one causing pain
With his careless dreaming?
Been afraid, always afraid
Of the things he's feeling
He could just be gone
He would just sail on
He'll just sail on
How can I be lost if I've got nowhere to go?
Searched for seas of gold, how come it's got so cold?
How can I be lost? In remembrance I relive
And how can I blame you
When it's me I can't forgive?
These days drift on inside a fog
It's thick and suffocating
This seeking life outside its hell, inside intoxicating
He's run aground like his life
Water much too shallow
Slipping fast, down with the ship
Fading in the shadows
Now a castaway
Blame all gone away
Blame gone away
How can I be lost if I've got nowhere to go?
Searched for seas of gold, how come it's got so cold?
How can I be lost? In remembrance I relive
And how can I blame you
When it's me I can't forgive?
Forgive me, forgive me not
Forgive me, forgive me not
Forgive me, forgive me not
Forgive me, forgive me
Why can't I forgive me?
Set sail to sea but pulled off course
By the light of golden treasure
How could he know this new dawn's light
Would change his life forever?
How can I be lost if I've got nowhere to go?
Searched for seas of gold, how come it's got so cold?
How can I be lost? In remembrance I relive
So how can I blame you
When it's me I can't forgive?
Lyrics submitted by Phonejack, edited by Ashram, McJeff, Backstreetboy
The Unforgiven III Lyrics as written by Kirk Hammett James Hetfield
Lyrics © Word Collections Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I believe this song has it very clear in the lyrics... It's like, someone does what he/she likes and goes out to do it as best they can, and in their own way... and then get side-tracked following money (light of golden treasure) and then the frustration of facing his/her own mistakes and not having anyone else to blame but themselves...
The first unforgiven was the one unforgiven by society. The second unforgiven was the one unforgiven by his/her mate. This, the ultimate unforgiven, is the self-unforgiven... The one who can't forgive himself for what he's done...
So far Metallica are impressing me with a different sound than they had so far, and i have no oppinion formed. One thing I am tired of hearing is: Better than St Anger.
St Anger IS, musically, not as good as what metallica had us used to, but it must be heard in context. St. Anger is a public vent of all the poison in Metallica. You just watch the documentary (Some kind of monster) to understand that... The sound comes out crude and raw and unrefined just like a feeling. Just like a spontaneous punch.
At least that's my oppinion. And in that context, the whole album fits like a glove.
yes thanks you for posting that. St. Anger wasnt even that bad anyway, its just a completely different sound. I really like the song the unnamed feeling, and i like frantic a lot too.If they didnt make that album, i dont think they could have gone anywhere, they were returning from rehab and their Load/reload phase.
Hey man,, I got Saint anger the moment it was sold at my local department store.. I was the first person in my town to buy it. It was the most looked forward to musical event in my life since g'n'r out out lies.. I was amazed.. unnamed feeling is boss.. st anger rocks hard to the balls.. and almost everything else on there made me cry it was so beautiful.. a breath of fresh air after the years of choking on people who cant write or rock.<br /> and now that this masterpiece is out there I hope metalllica gracefully leaves and does not end up like aerosmith falling off stages and breaking hips and roiling stones following doctor order to stay alive..
@leethal That's exactly what I though after having watched to the documentary. Thank you for your nice comment.
@leethal I don't agree with your interpretation of the metaphors; I've always considered this song to be James singing about himself pre-rehab, and considered light of golden treasure as beer. Makes sense to me. But english is not my first language.
@leethal I totally agree with your interpretation of these (unforgiven) songs!
Amazing lyrics... you can relate this song to so many things. Starting something, getting lost in the way to finally fall, blaming someone else or many for your mistakes, to latter realise that you haven't found peace within yourself and therefore won't be in peace with the world or with that person until you solve things within you. This time the unforgiven is oneself.
Borrowing from an important post from the "Unforgiven II" song meanings:
Unforgiven: A child becomes a lost soul after being beaten down by the conformist society
Unforgiven II: That lost soul is found by another.
Unforgiven III: That lost soul is accepting responsibility for his/her part in his bitter life:
"How can I blame you When it's me I can't forgive"
I duno if any1 else is noticing this or just me, but the intro of the song with the piano and esp b4 the guitar starts to play sounds exactly like 'ecstasy of gold' the tune that Metallica used to play before kicking off each concert from some western movie i think. Anyway its a great song from an even greater album, i think i would have loved it even more if they named it other than the unforgiven 3, i mean enough dweling on that title, name it forgive me or i duno heh, great song nevertheless.
@One4Metal that western movie was: "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly"
Bloch ur right they're not back coz they were never gone to begin with. All those who says Metallica are gone or back are not Tallica fans, they just like some albums, if u really are into metallica u'd appreciate all their work. one4metal i noticed also that the intro is a bit similar to the ecstasy of gold by Ennio Morricone, from the famous movie 'the good the bad & the ugly'.
This song is epic. My favorite song next to Fade, Bellz, and Damage Inc.
I think that this song along with judas kiss and my apocalypse are the best in the album. And the album kicks ass. We love you metallica
I like this song, everyone seems to be dissing it on youtube but, everyones always going to have the attitude of "NOTHING CAN LIVE UP TO UNFORGIVEN 1" well folks I think this song did it.
it's amazing, just like Metallica. Thank God they finally made up for St.Anger ! :)
Some of my favourite lyrics from James. Just impressive.
Metallica at its finest.