Lyrics for The Unforgiven as interpreted by fennsk

The Unforgiven Lyrics
New blood joins this earth
And quickly he's subdued
Through constant pain disgrace
The young boy learns their rules
With time the child draws in
This whipping boy done wrong
Deprived of all his thoughts
The young man struggles on and on he's known
A vow unto his own
That never from this day
His will they'll take away

What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never be
Never see
Won't see what might have been
What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never free
Never me
So I dub thee unforgiven

They dedicate their lives
To running all of his
He tries to please them all
This bitter man he is
Throughout his life the same
He's battled constantly
This fight he cannot win
A tired man they see no longer cares
The old man then prepares
To die regretfully
That old man here is me

What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never be
Never see
Won't see what might have been
What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never free
Never me
So I dub thee unforgiven

You labeled me
I'll label you
So I dub thee unforgiven
---
"The Unforgiven" as written by Jay Patrick Ceravolo, Vincent Charles Labella, Christopher Felton Nail, Kyle Daniel Thomas
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
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Metal wont die
04-18-2002

 Rated  +1 
ok, no one commented on this either, Jesus man! This is another classic Metallica song, y is no one commenting on these songs! if it wasnt for that intro riff that Kirk plays, i wouldn't have started playing guitar, this song is bitchin'!

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elfie
04-18-2002

 Rated  +2 
I didn't comment on it because it is so obviosly good that nothing I could say would improve it, and if someone doesn't realize how great it is, I certainly wont be able to speak louder than the song.

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2 Replies  · 
snuggleboo
05-01-2002

 Rated  0 
great song....i can relate to one part of the song

*he tries to please them all
this bitter man he is*

that is how i was raised....to make everyone else happy first then worry bout myself....and i am bitter, yes....but i still keep an open mind to everything that someone says....but for once in my life i would like to be able to think bout myself first....then move on

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King Nothing
05-05-2002

 Rated  0 
The best song on Black, in my opinion. I can relate to it so much. It's about people who are so miserable that they try to take control of the weaker people's lives. According to the video, it's could be about someone who can't take what's going on in the outside world, so they hide themselves in their own little prison until they finally die.

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kurtcobainchick
05-21-2002

 Rated  0 
it means so much to me because the song is about people gettin beat up and made fun of and like the song says, labeled. i had to go through that in elementary skool and middle, now ppl think iom a lesbian and i truthfully dont give a shit. its about beliving in yourself.

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Sephiroth
05-22-2002

 Rated  0 
personally my favortie Metallica song, should be obvious that the song is about a guy going through life that was made fun and "labeled" as a child, forced into conformity as an adult, and left alone to die as an old man regretting he ever lived. The song explains that what you do will forever be more important than what you've known and felt

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Centurian
05-30-2002

 Rated  +4 
best metallica song. totally about how a child is controled and demanded to confrom and he regrets doing it as an old man.

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Centurian
05-30-2002

 Rated  0 
but there is also more than that. its deep and full of sorrow

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I_LIKE_BEANS
06-04-2002

 Rated  0 
It is about people (or: the society/goverment) who are trying to control weaker people's lives. not about a particular boy...if u were all die hard metallica fans like myself u would know that also it is rumored amongst us hardcores that It is but not confirmed by Metallica that this song was written after the book "Anthem" by Ayn Rand - cause of the book's similar subject matter.


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2 Replies  · 
Ozzy86
06-11-2002

 Rated  0 
The One of the best songs in the world.

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AXFIREXINSIDE
06-12-2002

 Rated  -1 
THIS IS THE SECOND MOST EMOTIONAL SONG IVE EVER HEARD, THE FIRST IS LOW MAN'S LYRIC

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linkin_park
06-18-2002

 Rated  0 
this is definitely my favorite metallica song. its so full of raw emotion. has anyone seen the video? it very sad but completely reflects on the song.

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I_LIKE_BEANS
06-30-2002

 Rated  -2 
LOW MANS LYRICS!?? ARE U A GURL!! DEAR GOD!!! BESIDES FROM WUT U SAID IT IS A TERRIBLE SONG NOT EVEN WRITTEN BY THEM!!!! GOD DAMMIT!

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1 Reply  · 
OrgasmThroughFinch
07-02-2002

 Rated  +5 
To sound like another mindless internet drone myself...I'll start this off with "I think." I think this...well, I"m really sure this song is about society today. And yes, today is the same (if not worse) than 12 years ago when the album was released. Anyway, I think this song is about society in the manner that nobody is free to be themselves anymore. The only time we are truly individuals are when we rebel. The way the world works, as soon as we are born, we are influenced by those around us to join the conformist, industry-ruled world we live in. Even though it was a comedy, Number 2 in Austin Powers said it best. "There is no world anymore. It's just corporations." And given the lyrics "What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never free
Never me
So I dub thee unforgiven"
I just find that these enforce my thoughts.
"What I've felt" -- deals with his feelings and emotions
"What I've known" -- Everything that he (and we) know that we aren't allowed by culture to disperse
"Never shine through in what I"ve shown" --We are becoming one big lump of crap...a big mass with no individuality. This means that even though he's a person, it doesn't show, because he's a drone.
"Never free" --Ruled by everything around him
"Never me" --It's not acceptable in today's culture to be yourself. (I say screw this and everyone who enforces it, but that's the way it is)
"So I dub thee unforgiven" --He feels he's unforgiven because he can't find it in him to stand out so much that you'll recognize him in the basic group of lowlifes.
Anyway, this is what I think the song means.

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1 Reply  · 
I_LIKE_BEANS
07-07-2002

 Rated  -1 
ummm no wut i said eatrlier is correct but nice tryin orgasm...mine a words right from the artist

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1 Reply  · 
Outsider
07-19-2002

 Rated  0 
This song so rocks. Love it. I can hear it over and over again. I to can relate to this song. The lyrics:

"He's battled constantly,
this fight he cannot win."

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TwistedB
08-15-2002

 Rated  0 
I love this song. It's my favourite from the black album, and one of my favourites of all time. I think that it's about the life of a boy who was labelled and pressured into being what other's wanted, and in the end he regrets it all and no longer cares to live.

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sara_blue_shoes
09-23-2002

 Rated  0 
This is one of my fave songs. It always ends up on my driving tapes or CD's because i love to sing along when I drive. I've lived through many bad experiences in my short 21 yrs, and have always felt that "what I felt, what I've known, Never shine through what I've shown" was my motto. Never let anyone know there's something wrong..... Not too healthy I guess. Anyway, this was my theme song during those hard times when i just couldn't stand it anymore....

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Mercury
10-16-2002

 Rated  0 
I've also been through some bad experiences in my life and this is one of the songs by Metallica that I can turn to for some guidance. The other song being "Nothing Really Matters." This song is always played throughout my head and is far most the greatest song I have ever heard.

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RealFnShow
03-07-2003

 Rated  0 
FUCK I LIKE BEANS!!
why must you repeat almost word for word the interpretations from encycmet.com biter!!

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Satans Angel 666
04-05-2003

 Rated  0 
The song is about a boy who is held back by the laws and limits of society and grows up to be an old man and regrets for never breaking the rules to have a happier life. One of my favorites!

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dreadhead12
05-07-2003

 Rated  +1 
i can relate to this song so much. i lived the life of this boy and just like him, since the dayi was born the world owned me and made sure i was taught its rules( what i could/could not do, the way i should dress, behave, talk , think...). although i knew i was unhappy, ididn't know that the world was my source of unhappiness. i drew in to the world and lived my life the way others expected i should and by the time i realized it , so much of my life was wasted. the world's soul possesed my body and chained mine down. i never understood why i did those things because as soon as i let go of all the world's shit inside that anchored me down, i was reborn again. although this song represents me in a way... i am grateful that i did not end up as regretful as the boy did because, although i can't say i have found myself completely, i found out the world's scheme earlier than he did. like the boy though, i kinda dub the world unforgiven as well. it labeled me and put me through so much shit for things i didn't want in the first place, that i am totally resentful... but i guess it is my fault.... ok i will shut up...

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jay15944
05-07-2003

 Rated  0 
unless I heard icon wrong, this is about james and his parents.

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mystifiedpoet
06-11-2003

 Rated  0 
so for starters I_like_beans is invited to kiss my ass, who cares how die hard of a metallica fan YOU are, all you are is the metal version of the fashion b*tches of the pop world. So don't be so fast to slam everyone else's interp. because that is what this site is for. That being said, here's my take

The song's character as a child is one of those who don't fit in, and through the societal torture of his peers is warped into yet another mindless clone that cannot bring his true self to light.
As a young man he attempts to please the whole word but cannot win because he is a true individual and as such simply cannot please everyone.
As an old man he has realized the unforgiving nature of the world which fails to realize human nature and regrets ever having been born into this society of labels.

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kapinnn
04-18-2004

 Rated  0 
I think most of you just see the superficial meaning of the lyrics. I'm leaning more towards I like beans (Altho i dont like his attitude, probably a 16 y/o kid that thinks he knows metallica) and Orgasm...

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