Master of Puppets

"End of passion play, crumbling away" "I'm your source of self-destruction"

• I = drug will kill you "Veins that pump with fear, sucking darkest clear"
• The darkest = heroin "Leading on your death's construction"
• It is determining your fate "Taste me you will see" "More is all you need"
• Become addicted "You're dedicated to" "How I'm killing you"

"Come crawling faster" "Obey your master"

• Master = drug "Your life burns faster" "Obey your master" "Master"

"Master of puppets I'm pulling your strings"

• The drug is now controlling you "Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams"
• The impact of the drug "Blinded by me, you can't see a thing"
• Can't see that it's killing you "Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream" "Master" "Master" "Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream" "Master" "Master"

"Needlework the way, never you betray"

• Needlework = fixing "Life of death becoming clearer" "Pain monopoly, ritual misery"
• You're playing with your life "Chop your breakfast on a mirror"
• Breakfast = taking cocaine on a mirror; or heroin if mirror = spoon "Taste me you will see" "(...)"

"Come crawling faster" "(...)"

"Master of puppets I'm pulling your strings" "(...)"

First off, the one lyric on this page is wrong. When James shouts before the guitar solo, he says "FACE ME," not "fix me." Second, no offense to anyone, but why argue over whether or not it is specifically about a herione or a cocaine addiction? Really, people. For me, the song isn't even about drugs or a drug addict. Yes, that is what it is saying on the surface, but for me it is saying that we are all being pulled by the strings of fate (or being toyed around with by god), with absolutely no power over ourselves. As humans, we enjoy our destructive behavior, no matter how much it makes us suffer, and in a way our dark nature is like a drug that we simply cannot get enough of, or come to terms with and overcome. Anyone else with intelligent ideas to offer on this song, I'd love to chat.

Battery has ended.A slight whisper of the silent tape mars the perfect silence .A lethal guitar sound starts.I had resolved to resist it this time.It's no use.The right finger moves towards the volume wheel of the Walkman steadily, as if under the command of a spell.The sound output increases to a maximum.My headphones pump the music inches from my soft,pink brain.The eyes are wide,slightly tearful as the brain reels under the assault of heavy metal music at its best and fiercest.I am carried through music sweet and bitter till a million heads laugh in my head.I manage to gather myself together, just sufficiently to push stop. I am as if stoned.That'll keep me going for a few days,I guess

Sure the main theme is about drugs but it is really about any controlling force over you that you want to break away from but are too weak to do so. And thats how the song should be viewed. Openly. Ulrich even said so in an interview. The message is "fuck your master!" It could be drugs, another person, another addiction, or whatever. It's the best thrash song ever. Head-bang already!

Quite obviously this song is about how drug addiction takes over somebody, and eventually ruins their life. The 'Master' being the drug, and the 'Puppet' being the user.

End of passion play, crumbling away I'm your source of self-destruction

Person is starting to experience the negative effects of drugs, the addiction. It's no longer to feel good, but to stop feeling bad.

Veins that pump with fear, sucking darkest clear Leading on your death's construction

Afraid to lose the 'good' feeling drugs give, but also constructing their own death.

Taste me you will see More is all you need Dedicated to How I'm killing you

Come crawling faster Obey your Master Your life burns faster Obey your Master Master

The craving for the next high is symbolised here, how you'll crawl faster and die faster by 'Obeying' the 'Master'; giving in to your next dosage.

Master of Puppets I'm pulling your strings Twisting your mind, smashing your dreams Blinded by me, you can't see a thing Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream Master Master Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream Master Master

Chorus is pretty straight-forward, drugs ruin one's life, totally blinded and screaming for more. 'Master, master!', the puppet screams.

Needlework the way, never you betray Life of death becoming clearer Pain monopoly, ritual misery Chop your breakfast on a mirror

You'll find yourself doing drugs for breakfast, 'chopping' one's breakfast on a mirror symbolises the way cocaine is taken in, being 'chopped' up into a line using a straight razor and then inhaled through the nose. Doing so on a mirror is to symbolise how one watches his own destruction, due to this.

Here the song breaks down, going into a calm, instrumental bit until it builds up to a fierce guitar solo. You can assume here that the Puppet has tried to free himself from his Master's reign, by no longer using the drugs. But because the craving for another high rises, the song speeds up and becomes more aggressive, showing the Puppet has been tied by his Master's strings again.

Master, Master, where's the dreams that I've been after? Master, Master, you promised only lies Laughter, laughter, all I hear or see is laughter Laughter, laughter, laughing at my cries Fix me!

"Fix me!", kinda shows the user was feeling broken without his daily dose, and therefore gives in again to the Master.

Hell is worth all that, natural habitat Just a rhyme without a reason

Here the Master soothes its Puppet into believing his addiction is a good thing.

Neverending maze, drift on numbered days Now your life is out of season I will occupy I will help you die I will run through you Now I rule you too

Addicted again, the Puppet is assumed to be dead at the end of the song as we hear laughter, mocking the Puppet for ever giving in to the Master of Puppets.

11 pages of clueless n00bs

OK, first of, "oldschoolpunker," why don't you cut the crap and take your negative comments elsewhere. Second, metallica themselves have never done drugs, or have never done it to the point of addiction. To quote them from Behind the Music, they never wanted to get high, they just wanted to get drunk. They've always been ones to tackle social issues, and drugs is without a doubt one of them. Here are a few other topics they've sung about that they themselves have not personally experienced: Nuclear War, Death Penalty, War, Corruption of Government, blah blah blah. Basically, you dont have to do drugs to sing about them. Oh, and another thing....lets see....old school punk bands...lets say the Sex Pistols? Johnny Rotten, their lead singer...what did he die of? HERION OVERDOSE! So i guess he was a poser, huh? Then the Beatles would be posers too, huh?, since pretty much all of Seargent Peppers was made while they were doing drugs, as well as a lot of their other albums. I am in no way supporting drugs.....but with your close mindedness, and "FUCKING" metallica becuase you think they do drugs, well, then we'd have to fuck quite a lot of artists, now wouldn't we?

Its about manipulation, promising everything then giving nothing but they still follow you in hopes of gaining what was promised

I honestly only think this is about drugs and addictions and how bad they're for you and why you shouldnt do em.

"Taste me you will see, more is all you need"

Its like the drug is talking to you.

"Master, master, where's the dreams that I've been after? Master, master, you promised only lies"

Thats were Metallica is telling you not to do drugs. When you do drugs and you get high, you feel really good about your self, and you feel that you can accomplish anything (well i think that, i havent done drugs though, and dont plan on it, so im only talking with other peoples experience,), but in the end, the drugs was making you think all these things that weren't true, or you could just say the drug was making you think "lies" to your self.

and if i didnt know so much about metallica, id think it was about an addiction, but since the only thing they were addicted to was alcohol, exluding Dave Mustaine, im pretty sure those are just uncanny coincidences...i know for a fact...that lars and james were not addicted to anything but alcohol...hence the name "Alcohollica" thats like being a guy and writing a song about giving birth