Metallica: 10 Awesome Lyric Meanings You Totally Missed
3. Low Man's Lyric
If Load left most Metallica fans with a bad taste, the followup Reload seem to signal even more of the band's "sellout" sound. Aside from the amazing opener "Fuel," most of the album was a far cry from the band that had given us the best metal tunes of the 80's. That didn't mean the band were out of ideas though.
In what was probably the most unusual song of this period of Metallica's history, "Low Man's Lyric" is a subdued ballad that features a hurdy gurdy as its main instrument. The bagpipe-like tone of the instrument provides a great backdrop to Hetfield's morose detailing of a homeless man's life.
The character in this tune is a shell of a man who is at the hands of his addiction. He tries to get consolation from his family members, hoping they can offer him guidance, but instead ends up succumbing to his habits and leaving to chase his fix back on the streets.
While many wouldn't give a second glance to a man like this, the emotion in this tune makes this guy feel like a broken human who desperately needs to find some kind of human connection. No one may have been asking for Metallica to write a track that could tug at your heartstrings, but sometimes music works in mysterious ways.