All that is, was and will be
Universe much too big to see
Time and space never ending
Disturbing thoughts, questions pending
Limitations of human understanding
Too quick to criticize
Obligation to survive
We hunger to be alive yeah

(Twisting turning through the never)
All that is, ever, ever was
Will be ever
Twisting, Turning
Through the never

In the dark, see past our eyes
Pursuit of truth no matter where it lies
Gazing up to the breeze of the heavens
On a quest, meaning, reason
Came to be, how it begun
All alone in the family of the sun
Curiosity teasing everyone
On our home, third stone from the sun

(Twisting turning through the never)
All that is, ever, ever was
Will be ever
Twisting, Turning
Through the never

(On through the never) we must go
(On through the never)
Out of the Edge of forever
We must go (on through the never)
Then ever comes

(Twisting turning through the never)
All that is, ever, ever was
Will be ever
Twisting, Turning
Who we are
Ask forever
Twisting Turning
Through the never
Never


Lyrics submitted by elmoz, edited by Ashram

Through The Never Lyrics as written by Kirk L. Hammett James Alan Hetfield

Lyrics © Word Collections Publishing, Sentric Music

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Through The Never song meanings
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29 Comments

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  • +5
    General Comment

    Really phylosophical song. there aren't that many of those in heavy metal music and that's one reason I love 'Tallica. sort of points out how puny mankind actually is compared to the Universe(so big that it's called Never).as much as man would like to explore this vast space he is tied in chains by his need to survive 'We hunger to be alive' and his 'limitations of human understanding'. These lyrics rival with the philosophy classics! P.S. Chietrea SUCKS!

    Visit_Romaniaon May 13, 2004   Link
  • +5
    General Comment

    I think it's about mankinds quest to gain all the knowledge in the universe but we are just a mere fragment of something so huge as the universe we will never know everything, and we will always just keep twisting and turning through the never

    Shredder94on October 18, 2009   Link
  • +4
    My Interpretation

    Metallica is obviously trying to tell us that our understanding of the everything is too small to even start to comprehend the vastness of i.e. space. I use the line; "Limitation of human understanding" To back up this interpretation. I also kinda agree with metallica_singh. God did not create humanity, humanity created God. God is an idea, created by humans who couldn't handle the thought that death is the end of all things. Should all humans die, how can there still be a God? No one would be there to believe in him, and therefore he cannot exist.

    'Tallica uses space as an example to show how small and insignificant we really are, compared to what we think of ourselves. Any human on earth ('cept for über environmentalists) would say that humanity is the most important race on earth.

    Humanity is also the only race that's pursuing truth, "no matter where it lies". Since the first primal humans evolved, we have looked upon the stars and wondered what is beyond them, and this makes space the ulimate metaphor example for 'Tallica to use. "Came to be, how it begun" simply means that we are attempting to find out how the universe begun.

    "Twisting, turning through the never" is a metaphor for us moving with tremendous speed through the universe. All things in space move, and even though we aren't noticing it ourselves, we are travelling constantly at many thousands of km/h. The earth is revolving around the sun, while spinning around its own axis, thereby giving the "twisting and turning".

    MetallicaOwnson September 08, 2009   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    no i don't agree. there are things: "all that is, ever", does not go to the never but is twisting and turning through the never, the endless, immesurable void of the universe, and more. this does not only hold for our physical state on the "on our home, third stone from the sun", which is btw a real great expression to connect both the physical and psychical mankind. this "twisting turning through the never" holds for the psychic or soulfull state of us human beings: "see past our eyes". i think we can detect a great concept here of identifying something that is even bigger than the universe since the "universe much to big to see" is equal to the "all that is, was and will be" which is matter in space and time. but this everything must go through the never. and never materialises it becomes more than the word never simply means, since "then never comes". this song again shows metallicas awareness of the end of time, and that there is something behind this universe, which alone is too big and to quick to see ("to quick to critizise" is a great formula for showing that everything even changes in space time and all we might be able to see even from the smallest part of the universe would only be a short part in time, thus even if we concentrate on a small part of space we never could see that completely, not to speak form the whole vastness). they leave it open here what this "Never" is, that holds the universe of space and time. this song clearly shows awareness of god, or however you would call him but it doesn't mean, no existence. "we hunger to be alive" and we "ask forever", reminds me of "i think therefor i am", but in a quite more humble and fitting expression, since we are not out of our own. we think, we ask so we are, but not out of ourselves, not out of our thoughts, since our thoughts are clearly located "on our home", "out of the edge of forever" (means here and now". this does not only mean that the human being is small but he is also quite big, since he is aware of god:

    "Pursuit of truth no matter where it lies Gazing up to the breeze of the heavens On a quest, meaning, reason"

    (btw this does not only mean aware of himself, this is more) though they don't call it god, to leave the expression open.

    quite intelligent text, short and powerfull, and each word and note in this song bends to the final "Never".

    ikrabbeon June 29, 2006   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    This song is like a very short and dark timeline of mankind's past, present and future.

    In the past, when the universe was "Much too big to see", humans didn't know much about the universe hence "Limitations of human understanding". Not long ago, we developed tools to "See past our eyes" in the dark vastness of space- "Gazing up to the breeze of the heavens". In the present all life is at risk (living only on one planet), and must live through this time of tribulation- "We must go on through the never" In the future, when we are able and ready to live on or colonize other planets, life would increase its chances of survival- "Out to the edge of forever". But before or during that happens, all life will cease to exist somehow- "Then never comes". This song seems to support the [theory?] that earth is the only planet in the universe that's inherited by intelligent life-forms. Are we alone? Who are we? "Ask forever".

    Wintergreenon January 14, 2011   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    "The Never" is space. It's an expression of how infinite the void is... "Time and space never ending"

    I think the following stanza solidifies this interpretation: "Gazing up to the breeze of the heavens On a quest, meaning, reason Came to be, how it begun All alone in the family of the sun Curiosity teasing everyone On hour home, third stone from the sun…Ye-ye-ye-yeah!!!"

    rhinkon April 14, 2002   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    It's about the never-ending quest for human knowledge

    King Nothingon May 06, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    for those familiar with HP Lovecraft you might see some similarities between the general idea expressed here and some of the more demonic forces in the Cthulu mythose (nyarlathotep comes to mind). considering that there are two songs we KNOW to be about Cthulu himself it doesn't seem out of the questions. just a thought.

    shoelesszon May 01, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    It's about humanities obsessive quest to explore space.

    Guyon May 08, 2002   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I Don't think its so much as an obsessive quest to explore space but , i can agree that it uses Space as metaphor for exploring ourselves and the unknown . And somewhat agree with King Nothing. This Stanza kinda of makes me think it : In the dark, see past our eyes Pursuit of truth no matter where it lies

    Gazing up to the breeze of the heavens On a quest, meaning, reason Came to be, how it begun All alone in the family of the sun Curiosity teasing everyone

    I can see the metapho here for space but it seems to mean more than that.

    Redempon May 14, 2002   Link

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