Fixxxer

I think MetFan923 has the right idea...good hint. Load/ReLoad were written right as James' dad was dying of cancer and James' came to grips with his relationship with his mother...its interesting to see that such pure and strong emotional source material can produce two albums that people think are really, really bad. Anyway...

I have a theory that the Load/ReLoad period was one of the lowest points in James/Metallica's history. As above, his parents' deaths and lives were grating on him, so he started to take more and more control...treating the rest of the band and his family badly, and falling into his addictions...and I think he just started self-loathing.

So that would mean that James, in this song, is at the end of his rope. He's talking to God and saying you keep hurting me for sinning now, but can you heal me from the pain I've had before? Then at the same time, he's piling on himself talking about the "bad" things he does to be able to deal with it. Note that James enjoys hunting and was a serious alcoholic - shell of shotgun, pint of gin...They help him forget that he's effing up his life.

I'm not sure which way the last bit goes...it could just be a routine ending to the song...rebelling against the oppressor (the pins). It could be James rejecting faith as someone has said...or it could be the opposite. No more pins in me could suggest no more sins..who knows?

I think this song is really about James asking god to heal him. I'm going to try to explain it with just the chorus, I'm probably completely wrong, but who cares.

"Can you heal what father's done?" I think this is in reference to his father hurting him. "Or fix this hole in mother's son?" Asking god to fill the hole where his mother use to be. "Can you heal the broken worlds within?" He's asking god to heal his body, mind and soul. "Can you strip away so we may start again?" He asks god to give him strength to over come and start his life back up.

i created an account on here just so i could state how this is probably the most beautiful song metallica has written. and re-load is the most underrated album of the century.

Okay, As i sit here with my computer speakers literally turned all the way up to blast this awesome 'Tallica masterpiece at 12:30 at night, let me start by saying that this is easily my favorite Metallica song and album (REload). Great song, great album. The lyrics are of a rare sort, the kind that send chills down your spine whenever you listen to it. The_Promise on 09-22-2006 wrote an excellent review on this song, in my opinion. Yes, its obvious its about a kid who has had a very troubled childhood, what with all sorts of things being forced upon him that he wanted no part of, i.e. religion. The kid was never religious because of bad things he believes God has inflicted upon him, therefore he believes God is responsible for all the pain he has been caused through childhood and into his adult years. So his belief is "you caused all this trauma and bullshit in my life, why should i believe you would suddenly just turn around and make it all better?" Hmmm. I think i see his point, if that be the case. Dont get me wrong, I believe in God and heaven above, but we're all entitled to our own beliefs, ideals, and opinions. The kid, now an adult at the time of the song being sung, suddenly believes that God is the only one who can heal all the bad shit in his life. He is speaking directly to God in the chorus and saying "i want to believe in You, can you help me make it all better and help me begin life anew?" But it seems that at the end of the chorus, (just when all seems fine and im pain free, you jab another pin, jab another pin in me) once everything starts looking up for him, God shovels more shit on him, as if He is lying to the man and saying, "yes, I want to help you, but first let me give you more bullshit to deal with." Sharpening the pins seems to refer to God making the consequences of the man's actions worse each time he does something. Or thats what it sounds like to me. "And in time the needles turn from shine to rust" sounds like once you sin, you are reminded of your sins for the rest of your life until you repent, however long that may take. Obviously, if the pins in the voodoo doll have since turned to rust, he has not repented or otherwise been relieved of the burden of his sins. Now the "shell of shotgun, pint of gin, numb us up to shield the pins" part, I was only half sure on. The shell of shotgun part is kinda what got me. It could be a representation of the man turning to violence and/or murder because he no longer believes in God or religion, therefore God no longer looks upon him or cares what he does, so he figures he'll start sinning majorly just for the hell of it. I also think it could be he just cant take it anymore, so maybe he's contemplating suicide. The pint of gin thing is a little more obvious: he's drinking to forget it all. As you all know, sometimes when theres alcohol involved and theres abunch of shit in your life you dont want to deal with, you tend to shut out the bad shit and just focus on the good. Not that I condone alcoholism and firearms, or both at the same time, but that is my opinion on this particular section of the song. he also thinks, if this makes sense, that doing these two things will help him realize that he needs religion in his life to guide him down the path of truth. At the end, the "no more pins in me, no more" thing is him having an uprising against God and His punishments. He's saying "please dont punish me anymore, I'll be good, I swear."

This concludes my view on Fixxxer by Metallica. My favorite song ever by these guys. If I heard them play this song in concert, I could die happy.

I can see how people can assume that this song is about God and human suffering, but I don't think that's what it's about at all. I believe this song is about a guy who had an abusive childhood and who is having a conversation with himself. He is finding that he still suffers from the psychological trauma from being abused and that it's carrying over into his own family. "Just when all seems fine and I'm pain free, you jab another pin, jab another pin in me." This is meaning that when he thinks he is doing better and moving forward in life, those old scars resurface and drag him back down again, this happens with everyone who has experienced any kind of trauma. "Mirror, mirror upon the wall, Break the spell or become the doll." We've all do this from time to time, look into the mirror and talk to our reflection in order to figure something out. He is questioning whether or not he has the ability to heal himself of what had been done to him and move on. I also think that he has given up hope and is contemplating suicide in order to spare his family from the things that he's doing or the things he's afraid he may end up doing. There are many examples in the lyrics, but I don't feel like going through and explaining them all.

God this song is huge!!! One of the best songs iv'e ever heard. brilliant lyrics: "...See you sharpening the pins, so the holes will remind us..." Creepy...

It seems that God is rather proficient in stick holes in us, but he seems incapable (or unwilling) to heal.

i think this song is about a dysfuntional family. every one jabs their emotional pins into eachother...and when they dont they sharpen them in front of you to remind you not to lash out at them. we are all bound to eachother like that. whoever is the receiver of this torment gets drunk and mows his attackers down with a shotgun. the gin nubs him to he pins.

This song is about a person that is abused by his/her father, or you can look towards it in a religious way that Mankind is being abused by god. The person is represented by a vodoo doll ((brilliant)) and at the end is sick of it all. In the religous way you could say he/she drops his/her faith.

I reckon this song is about trying to keep faith, even after being dealt sickening blows like cancer. James's parents were catholics and when they got cancer they didn't want any medical treatment, they just believed in thier faith. Eventually they died. Read the lyrics to "God that failed" and you'll see again James's view on faith.

Another thing is that he refers to "Father" in the chorus, " Father " being God and also "Mother", being Mother Earth. The rest being exellent songwriting on top of one of my all time Favourite riffs. I even use the song title for all of my online screen names.

P.S. Bang the head that does not bang.

Live long.