Lyric discussion by tango64 

Cover art for The Unforgiven II lyrics by Metallica

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.

My Interpretation

There is a quote that relates to this song. "Forgiveness is not something we do for other people. we do it for ourselves to get well and move on."