Lay beside me and tell me what they've done
And speak the words I wanna 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 then I can understand the you

Lay beside me, under wicked sky
Through black of day, dark of night, we share this, paralyzed
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

What I've felt, what I've known
Turn the pages, turn the stone
Behind the door, should I open it for you?

Yeah, what I've felt, what I've known
Sick and tired, I stand alone
Could you be there?
'Cause I'm the one who waits for you
Or are you unforgiven too?

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 hearts 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?

What I've felt, what I've known
Turn the pages, turn the stone
Behind the door, should I open it for you?

Yeah, what I've felt, what I've known
Sick and tired, I stand alone
Could you be there?
'Cause I'm the one who waits for you
Or are you unforgiven too?

Lay beside me, tell me what I've done
The door is closed so are your eyes
But now I see the sun, now I see the sun
Yes now I see it

What I've felt, what I've known
Turn the pages, turn the stone
Behind the door, should I open it for you?

Yeah, what I've felt, what I've known
So sick and tired, I stand alone
Could you be there?
'Cause I'm the one who waits
The one who waits for you

Oh, what I've felt, what I've known
Turn the pages, turn the stone
Behind the door, should I open it for you? (So I dub thee unforgiven)

Oh, what I've felt
Oh, what I've known
I'll take this key and I'll bury it in you
Because you're unforgiven too

Never free, never me
'Cause you're unforgiven too, oh oh


Lyrics submitted by elmoz, edited by KgelVlusha, Ashram

The Unforgiven II Lyrics as written by Kirk Hammett James Hetfield

Lyrics © Word Collections Publishing

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

The Unforgiven II song meanings
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  • +26
    General Comment

    Unforgiven: A child becomes a lost soul after being beaten down by the conformist society

    Unforgiven II: That lost soul is found by another.

    Jigokusabreon April 12, 2002   Link
  • +11
    General Comment

    My interpretation probably doesn't matter at this point because so many others have posted already, but I'll give it a go anyway. I feel the lyrics describe an introverted guy who finally finds a girl that understands what it means to be lonely. The "door" spoken of in the song is the guy's soul, and the girl is the only person who has ever been able to make it "crack open." She dies ("The door is closed, so are your eyes"), and he goes on waiting for death, alone again, because she was the only one with the "key" to his soul. I can almost relate to this song...I've yet to meet that girl.

    TheF16Falconon July 04, 2003   Link
  • +8
    General Comment

    "Lay beside me, tell me what they've done" He's find another person, who has gone through the same ordeal he has, society rejects them both, and tries to get her to confide and console in him her experiences and demons of her past.

    "Speak the words I wanna hear, to make my demons run The door is locked now, but it's open if you're true" He wants her to say things that will help ease the darkness he in consumed in. The door symbolising his secrets, the demons, the darkness, pain, suffering, and memories of his past which he will expose and confide to her if her actions are genuine and are really out of love & compassion. The door also symbolises the passage to freedom and the gateway to redemption. He wants her to help him find solace and bury the burdens of his past.

    "If you can understand the me, than I can understand the you" If she can understand what he's gone through and has been in similar circumstances than surely he can understand what she's gone through as well.

    "Lay beside me, under wicked sky The black of day, dark of night, we share this paralyse" He is asking her to join him in the "darkness" with the demons that haunt them. Every passing second they are consumed in this pain and suffering they both feel for their own as well as each other’s ordeals, "paralysing" them in the process.

    "The door cracks open, but there's no sun shining through Black hearts scarring darkness still, but there's no sun shining through" They both seek solace and comfort in each other hoping for redemption. The "Sun shining" through the door symbolises the redemption, the forgiveness they both desperately seek to overcome their demons behind the door to their past.

    "Black hearts" symbolising their own two hearts, still in the "Darkness" with their demons. (When I say demons I don't mean literally, I mean it figuratively as in "demons" symbolising their woes, negative experiences, haunting memories of their past etc)

    "What I've felt, what I've known Turn the pages, turn the stone Behind the door, should I open it for you" He reflecting what he was taught and programmed to believe whilst growing up by the world, society 's norms, the system, His parents, other people and God. He wondering if he should help her seek redemption by opening the door for her, after all she's trying to help him (refer to what i said before about what I think the door symbolises)

    "Yeah What I've felt, what I've known Sick and tired, I stand alone Could you be there, 'cause I'm the one who waits for you Or are you unforgiven too?" He's faced his battles and the demons of his past alone and wonders if she can be with him as he "turns the pages" of his past like a storybook and reads it out a loud to her and help him see through it not alone but together, relieve him of his pain and memories by sharing them with her.

    If you notice, when you tend to share your problems with some one else it feels as though they share half the weight of your burden, yeah well that’s what I'm trying to say here. He contemplates if she's like him too . . Unforgiven that is.

    "Lay beside me, this won't hurt, I swear" He's trying to convince her to help him confide his darkness in her and promises it won't affect her in anyway, or hurt her in the process (which is a load of bull, because how can not another person's experience especially that of a person whom you love not kill you, to know that muthafckers out there have broken them)

    "She loves me not, she loves me still, but she'll never love again" As he's telling her all his secrets, he's unsure if she stills loves him the same still, or if her love for him changes.

    "She lay beside me, but she'll be there when I'm gone Black hearts scarring darker steel, yes, she'll be there when I'm gone Yes, she'll be there when I'm gone" He's saying that he'll be able to be "forgiven" because of her but the thing is he'll be forgiven before her and he will no longer have to live in the "darkness" with his demons as he has found redemption at last. She on the other hand is still unforgiven and thus lies in the darkness with her demons alone.

    "What I've felt, what I've known Turn the pages, turn the stone Behind the door, should I open it for you" Like I said before I think the chorus is the "aftermath" of him finally seeking redemption and leaving the darkness, since it's in past tense with the "I've". Now that he's free, he wonders if he should "open the door", help her find redemption as well.

    "Yeah What I've felt, what I've known Sick and tired, I stand alone" Even though he's found redemption and is free of his demons, he's alone and misses her.

    "Could you be there, 'cause I'm the one who waits for you Or are you unforgiven too?" He's wondering if she could join him and leave the darkness of her demons and find forgiveness too. He'll wait for her on the other side of the door, where he's found redemption and accepted his demons.

    "Lay beside me, tell me what I've done The door is closed, so are your eyes" He's come back and returns to ask her what she thinks of him now, now that she knows everything terrible of his past (The door was open for her to enter and see into his memories of his past but now it's closed meaning she's returned from his past and he's finished confiding his ordeals to her).
    There is an "insight motif". Her eyes are closed now symbolising she has finished searching for answers of his past and knows everything now.

    "But now I see the sun, now I see the sun Yes, now I see it" He finally found redemption through her, because she accepts him for who he is and now he's is FORGIVEN.

    "I take this key And I bury it in you Because you're unforgiven too" Figuratively speaking the "key" to the door he's giving her symbolises he's allowing her permanent access to his memories and she can ask him about his problems. Also he's giving her to key to access her own painful memories of the past as well maybe.

    I wonder if metallica intended to do a pun considering the title of the song "The Unforgiven II" . .The second unforgiven person would be the girl who loves him. and In the chorus as well "'cause you're unforgiven too (II)" . . coincidence or what . .creative nonetheless. I love this song.

    Well that’s my take on it. Believe it or deny it whatever you want with it. lol.

    DreamersDiseaseon July 09, 2008   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    It has more emotion in it than the first one if you ask me

    Locuston March 09, 2002   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    Excellent does not begin to describe this song its so good it just draws you in.

    "I take this key And I bury it in you Because you're unforgiven too"

    The symbolism is too much it carries so much emotion

    shingamion May 18, 2012   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    From my perspective, this song is about forgiveness.
    The lyrics come from a man who has a broken heart. He has been through a stormy past and he blames himself for his failed relationships. He has not forgiven himself for his perceived failures and is looking for an escape. "Turn the page, turn the stone" refers to keeping an open mind and not completely shutting out a chance for being in a healthy relationship.
    "If you can understand the me, than I can understand the you" means this person is looking for someone who can understand him because he cannot understand himself. This is also reinforced by saying "Lay beside me, tell me what I've done" because he doesnt understand why he keeps failing and is unaware of the consequences of his actions. By saying "I take this key And I bury it in you Because you're unforgiven too" means that he is searching for someone who has shared his painful experience so they can both heal each other's hearts. He must feel that he cant trust another person unless they understand what he's been through. "Never free Never me 'cause you're unforgiven too" means that the man can only see himself through the eyes of another person and therefore can not find forgiveness through that person. He cannot see himself for what he really is. He is never free because he solely reliant on other people to find his identity. However, the one he seeks is most likely broken and sees themself through others as well. In a way, the man and his lover act as reflections of each other. Because they both look for themselves in the other person who can understand them, they will only see their own tormented self through the other person. This perpetuates the man's long string of unsuccessful relationships. He must learn to forgive himself instead of looking for forgiveness in others, otherwise he will never be completely forgiven.

    tango64on June 24, 2013   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    She doesn't mean a girl ...

    dompreton November 25, 2015   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    I agree with the poster who feels it's about an introverted guy who meets a girl, but with a different spin:

    It's the character from the first song, who feels like everyone in life has betrayed him (everyone's "unforgiven"). He starts a relationship with a woman and he wonders if she may finally be different from everyone else he feels has labeled and betrayed him. The song is largely about him contemplating whether to totally open himself up to her ("behind the door should I open it for you?"), or will she just betray him like everyone else ("or are you unforgiven too?").

    In the end, for whatever reason, he decides she's the same as everyone else ("because you're unforgiven too."). He kills her ("she loves me not, she loves me still, but she'll never love again") and resumes his life feeling betrayed by everyone.

    janelsenoron June 16, 2018   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    the only reason i compare this to "Unforgiven" is every time i say i like this song, someone says "the first one was better".

    jaxgrrlon May 03, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    no guy kills his wife in Gundam-W , peple compare this song with Unforgive bacause it is called Unforgiven 2, like how some movie are compared to their sequels (even though they may be completely different stories), Unforgiven is much more dark and depressing which is why I like it better than Unforgiven II...but UII is still a damn good song...

    Sephirothon May 23, 2002   Link

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