The Unforgiven II

As I promised, here is a breakdown of another one of my favorite song by Metallica - Unforgiven II. If you missed the my interpretation of the first song, there follow the link here. It is assumed that the first song is about a man who was abused or otherwise hurt by everyone in his life. For their misgivings, he could not forgive them, so he dubbed/labeled them the “Unforgiven.” I believe that this song continues on from where the previous song left dealing with betrayal and ultimately murder

First, the lyrics of the song: (Youtube link)

Lay beside me, tell me what they’ve done
Speak the words I wanna hear, to make my demons run
The door is locked now, but it’s opened if you’re true
If you can understand the me, then I can understand the you

Lay beside me, under wicked sky
Black of day, dark of night, we share this paralyze
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 to 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 heart scarring darker still, but she’ll be there when I’m gone
Yes she’ll be there when I’m gone
Dead sure she’ll be there

[Chorus]

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

[Chorus]Oh, what I’ve felt
Oh, what I’ve known

I take this key
And I bury it in you
Because you’re unforgiven too!

Never free
Never me
Because you’re unforgiven too

Lay beside me - He’s (The character in the song) speaking to someone he’s familiar with, as he’s extending an informal invitation to open the floor for conversation.

Tell me what they’ve done - The song deals with betrayal somehow. It could be that she was unfaithful to him in some manner, possibly having to do with sex and affairs. It’s very ambiguous, so it could be anything. However, other people were involved. He wants to hear what happened.

Speak the words I wanna hear - He knows what she’s done, but he still needs to hear her say it. He needs to hear her confess.

To make my demons run. - I believe he’s basically saying that, “When you finally confess, it will give me the permission I need to be rightfully upset. I need to be angry, but I cannot be until you tell me everything that happened.”

The door is locked now - There are two sides to the “door.” On the side of the singer, the speaker, is his mind, his soul, his heart, and his thoughts. On the other side lies the rest of the world and everyone in it, including the Unforgiven. The “door” is the barrier he’s placed between himself and everyone else to avoid being hurt any more. He wants to stay safely locked inside himself, safe behind his “door.”

But it’s open if you’re true - If she’s true to him, loyal and faithful, and no lies, he will open up to her, let her into his heart, to his side of the door.

If you can understand the me, Then I can understand the you - He’s making an effort to work this out. He wants to talk, to understand what’s going on, why she betrayed him. And he wants her to understand him, why he is the way he is. If she can try understand him, he’ll try to understand why she’s done whatever she’s done to upset him. I believe it also has to do with the fact that she is similar to him in that she has been through similar experiences, mistreated in the same way by the Unforgiven.

Lay beside me - Again, this sets the tone for an intimate conversation with someone who is well-known to him, as you’d never ask a stranger to lay beside you.

Under wicked sky - This is a line used to convey imagery and set the mood. The mood is darkening now as the emotions are being portrayed in the song. The sky is a parallel to this.

Through black of day, dark of night - More imagery to set the mood. Even though it’s day, there’s still no light. There’s nothing bright to look forward to in his mind, at least not while there’s this betrayal.

We share this paradise - I think this again alludes to them sharing similar experiences with the hurt that the people from the “other side of the door” so to speak have caused them.

The door cracks open - He’s taking a chance and opening up to her. He’s letting her in.

But there’s no sun shining through - And he discovers it was a mistake. Instead of seeing the light he’d hoped, which represents good and peace coming in, he sees only more darkness, just like all the other times from all the other people.

Black heart scarring darker still - Out of all the black hearts he’s witnessed in the world, he learns there is more still that he hasn’t yet seen. Similar to the cliche “Just when I thought I’d seen it all…”

Yeah, there’s no sun shining through. No, there’s no sun shining through. No, there’s no sun shining… - Reiterates his disappointment in her, and in her not being the light he was hoping she would be for him.

What I’ve felt, what I’ve known. Turn the pages, turn the stone. - Just kind of a generic set of lines. I believe it alludes to something along the lines of, “Though I may seem stoic to you, on the inside, I am very sensitive. If what I have felt, what I have known, were written on paper, there would be pages and pages to turn through. Flip to the end, to the here-and-now.”

Behind the door, should I open it for you? - He’s struggling internally, wondering if he should let her into his heart. Is she on the right side of the door? Does she belong with all his other enemies, or is she really someone he can finally open up to?

So sick and tired, I stand alone - He’s so “sick and tired” of being the only one he trusts and the only one on his side of his barrier. He’s tired of being alone and wants just one other person he can trust and who will understand what he’s been through.

Could you be there? ‘Cause I’m the one who waits for you - He’s explaining that he loves her, and that those are feelings he can’t turn off even though she may not be who he hopes.

Or are you unforgiven, too? - He’s wondering, “Or are you just like all the others who’ve hurt me so much? Are you one of them?” Is she one of those whom he in the first song labeled as “Unforgiven”? If you observe the video, you can see in the singer’s face an air of apprehension and almost psychotic rage at the mere idea that this girl he’s finally let into his heart might be just like the people he hates.

Lay beside me - Now he’s extending the familiar conversation starter, only this time, he’s the one who will be doing all the talking.

This won’t hurt, I swear - He’s decided to kill her for what she has done and she knows it. She’s scared, crying, and afraid. He doesn’t take joy in killing her. He still loves her, after all. However, she is one of the Unforgiven, and he, therefore, cannot forgive her. His only option is to kill her for her sins. Since he does still love her, though, he wants to reassure her that he won’t let her suffer when he murders her. It will be quick and painless.

She loves me not, she loves me still - He struggles inside, telling himself initially that she never loved him, or else she’d not have done what she did. It may be an attempt to justify his murdering her. However, he realizes soon after that she really did love him despite her transgressions.

But she’ll never love again - But it doesn’t matter now, because she’s dead. She’ll never be able to love again, be it him, or anyone else. She’ll never do anything again.

She lay beside me - Note the past-tense now, indicating further her demise.

But she’ll be there when I’m gone - Now that she is dead, both physically and inside his heart, he can leave her where he killed her, and that is where she will remain, always.

Black heart scarring darker still - He’s now realized the darkness of which his own heart is capable.

Dead sure she’ll be there… - Words used to drive home the point that she is now dead.

Lay beside me, Tell me what I’ve done - He feels remorse for having to murder her and realizing his own heart’s not so pure, either. He still believes killing her was the only option, but it’s more the tragedy of the situation, that it had to be that way, rather than remorse for the physical act of actually killing her.

The door is closed, so are your eyes - The door, his barrier, is closed again and locked, closing out anyone else from entering and betraying him again. Her eyes being closed again reflects that she is no longer living.

But now I see the sun. Now I see the sun. Yes, now I see it… - Which affirms that killing her was truly his only option to “see the sun” or to be free or what have you. Before, when he was alone and trusted no one, he yearned for just one person he could open the “door” for, one person he could let down his barrier for. He was consumed in his own torment with in inability to find just one person to understand him, to trust, someone to be his light shining through his door. His worls was dark because he was concentrating on the dark. However, when he took a chance at someone who could bring him light and was backstabbed, he realized that having no one from the beginning was better than taking a chance on someone and being wrong. Now, comparatively, being alone is much better, and he can see the sun, the light, and all things good that light represents. It’s similar to the cliche that in the wake of tragedy, you see how good you had it before.

I take this key, and I bury it in you - The key in question is the key to opening the door, the barrier. He’s “locking the door and throwing out the key” with her betrayal, so as to make sure no one will ever be allowed back into his heart against his better judgment.

Because you’re unforgiven, too - He has decided that she turned out to be one of them, one of the Unforgiven. Imagine the shock of finding you had been sleeping with the enemy, someone you thought was on your side, only to discover they’d defected to the other side, a traitor.

Talk about powerful lyrics.

Next week “The Memory Remains”.

Adapted from here.