This song is absolutely a metaphor. Metallica doesn't write songs for horror films, yes it is about a warewolf, but yes it also goes much deeper.
The song is about primal instincts "of WOLF AND MAN" both (the lyrics say that primal/visceral/raw instincts are "meaning of life" and "earths gift" (in both wolf and man).Read the lyrics, its pretty clear. Its saying that the Earths gift is the primal instincts that we have and that our human ability to think/reason isn't what is important, its just a facade, and what truely keeps us alive is our primal instincts, so in that sense, were the same as a wolf. He goes beyond that to say that being a wolf is better than being a man. When he begins to shape shift back into a wolf he says "I feel I change BACK TO A BETTER DAY" the next line says "Hair stands on the back of my neck". So the better day is when he's a wolf and his senses are CLEAN and visceral, not cloudy by unimportant human thought. When the shape shifting occurs, the senses become clean and and the movements become "swift" and deliberate, moving towards the primal and simple goal of catching the lamb.
The SONG IS ABOUT WILDNESS (OF WOLF AND MAN both). The song is well summated in the line "IN WILDNESS IS THE PRESERVATION OF THE WORLD".
Also if you listen to the Metallica S&M version of the song, James clearly says to the crowd "do we have any wolves out there" and he howls loudly. He's obviously not asking if there are any literal werewolfs in the crowd.
This song is absolutely a metaphor. Metallica doesn't write songs for horror films, yes it is about a warewolf, but yes it also goes much deeper.
The song is about primal instincts "of WOLF AND MAN" both (the lyrics say that primal/visceral/raw instincts are "meaning of life" and "earths gift" (in both wolf and man).Read the lyrics, its pretty clear. Its saying that the Earths gift is the primal instincts that we have and that our human ability to think/reason isn't what is important, its just a facade, and what truely keeps us alive is our primal instincts, so in that sense, were the same as a wolf. He goes beyond that to say that being a wolf is better than being a man. When he begins to shape shift back into a wolf he says "I feel I change BACK TO A BETTER DAY" the next line says "Hair stands on the back of my neck". So the better day is when he's a wolf and his senses are CLEAN and visceral, not cloudy by unimportant human thought. When the shape shifting occurs, the senses become clean and and the movements become "swift" and deliberate, moving towards the primal and simple goal of catching the lamb.
The SONG IS ABOUT WILDNESS (OF WOLF AND MAN both). The song is well summated in the line "IN WILDNESS IS THE PRESERVATION OF THE WORLD".
Also if you listen to the Metallica S&M version of the song, James clearly says to the crowd "do we have any wolves out there" and he howls loudly. He's obviously not asking if there are any literal werewolfs in the crowd.
Dude.. i serious ly agree with u.. metallica liyrics always seem to have many meanings
Dude.. i serious ly agree with u.. metallica liyrics always seem to have many meanings
Totally agree with the interpretation. However just one correction. On S&M that was jason who said, "do we have any wolves out there?" Just saying (:
Totally agree with the interpretation. However just one correction. On S&M that was jason who said, "do we have any wolves out there?" Just saying (: