Metallica first found commercial success with the release of its third album, Master of Puppets (1986), which is cited as one of the heaviest metal albums and the band's best work. The band's next album, ...And Justice for All (1988), gave Metallica its first Grammy Award nomination. Its self-titled fifth album, Metallica (1991), was the band's first not to root predominantly in thrash metal; it appealed to a more mainstream audience, achieving substantial commercial success and selling over 16 million copies in the United States to date, making it the best-selling album of the SoundScan era. After experimenting with different genres and directions in subsequent releases, Metallica returned to its thrash metal roots with the release of its ninth album, Death Magnetic (2008), which drew similar praise to that of the band's earlier albums. This was followed by the band's 10th studio album, Hardwired... to Self-Destruct (2016), with its 11th album, 72 Seasons, releasing in 2023.
In 2000, Metallica led the case against the peer-to-peer file sharing service Napster, in which the band and several other artists filed lawsuits against the service for sharing their copyright-protected material without consent, eventually reaching a settlement. Metallica was the subject of the acclaimed 2004 documentary film Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, which documented the troubled production of the band's eighth album, St. Anger (2003), and the internal struggles within the band at the time. In 2009, Metallica was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band co-wrote the screenplay for and starred alongside Dane DeHaan in the 2013 concert film Metallica: Through the Never, in which the band performed live against a fictional thriller storyline.
Metallica has released 10 studio albums, four live albums (including two performances with the San Francisco Symphony), 12 video albums, a cover album, two extended plays, 37 singles and 39 music videos. The band has won nine Grammy Awards from 23 nominations, and its last six studio albums (beginning with Metallica) have consecutively debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Metallica ranks as one of the most commercially successful bands of all time, having sold over 125 million albums worldwide as of 2018. Metallica has been listed as one of the greatest artists of all time by magazines such as Rolling Stone, which ranked the band No. 61 on its 100 Greatest Artists of All Time list. As of 2017, Metallica is the third-best-selling music artist since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991, selling a total of 58 million albums in the United States.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallica
Studio albums
Kill 'Em All (1983)
Ride the Lightning (1984)
Master of Puppets (1986)
...And Justice for All (1988)
Metallica (1991)
Load (1996)
Reload (1997)
St. Anger (2003)
Death Magnetic (2008)
Hardwired... to Self-Destruct (2016)
72 Seasons (2023)
Thorn Within
Metallica Lyrics
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For I have sinned
Find me guilty of the life I feel within
When I'm branded
This mark of shame
Should I look down disgraced
Or straight ahead
And know that you must blame
I am, I am the secret
I am, I am the sin
I am, I am the guilty
And I, I am the thorn within
Forgive me father
For I have sinned
Find me guilty when true guilt is from within
So point your fingers
Point right at me
For I am shadows and will follow you
One and the same are we
I am, I am the secret
I am, I am the sin
I am, I am the guilty
And I, I am the thorn within
I do your time
I take your fall
I'm branded guilty for us all
So point your fingers
Point right at me
For I am shadows and will follow you
One and the same are we
I am, I am your secrets
I am, I am your sin
I am, I am your guilty
And I, I am the thorn within
I am the thorn within
I am the thorn within
I am the thorn within
I am the thorn within
I am the thorn within
The song Thorn Within by Metallica features lyrics that explore themes of guilt and shame. The singer seems to be addressing a religious figure, asking for forgiveness for their sins. They express a guilt that is internal, “true guilt from within”, rather than being pointed at them by others. The singer acknowledges that they are a “thorn within” and responsible for their own sins, rather than blaming others.
The chorus features the repetition of the phrase “I am the secret, I am the sin, I am the guilty, and I am the thorn within”. These lines emphasize that the singer is taking responsibility for their own actions and feelings of guilt. Towards the end of the song, the singer acknowledges that they will do the time and take the fall for their sins. They say they are “branded guilty” for everyone, implying that they are not alone in their sinfulness.
Overall, the song is a reflection on personal responsibility for one’s actions and feelings of guilt. It also touches on themes of shame, religion, and the consequences of sin.
Line by Line Meaning
Forgive me father
Apology to a religious figure
For I have sinned
Admission of wrongdoing
Find me guilty of the life I feel within
Acknowledgment that guilt comes from their own perception of themselves
When I'm branded
When they are labeled as negative
This mark of shame
The label of negativity
Should I look down disgraced
Wondering how they should react to the label
Or straight ahead
Looking forward despite the label
And know that you must blame
Feeling the need to blame someone for the label
I am, I am the secret
Acknowledging they keep things hidden
I am, I am the sin
Acknowledging they've done wrong
I am, I am the guilty
Acknowledging they feel guilty
And I, I am the thorn within
Feeling like a negative presence in their own life
Find me guilty when true guilt is from within
They believe guilt comes from their own perception of themselves, not from others
So point your fingers
Telling others to blame them
Point right at me
Directing blame towards themselves
For I am shadows and will follow you
Feeling like a negative influence on others
One and the same are we
Feeling like they're no different from others
I do your time
Taking responsibility for others' actions
I take your fall
Taking the blame for others' mistakes
I'm branded guilty
Labeled as negative
For us all
Feeling like they represent the negative in everyone
I am, I am your secrets
Feeling like they know others' secrets
I am, I am your sin
Feeling like they know others' wrongdoings
I am, I am your guilty
Feeling like they know others' feelings of guilt
And I,I am the thorn within
Feeling like a negative presence in others' lives
I am the thorn within
Reiterating they feel like a negative influence on themselves and others
I am the thorn within
Further emphasizing they feel like a negative presence in their own life and others'
I am the thorn within
Final emphasis on feeling like a negative influence on themselves and others
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: James Alan Hetfield, Kirk L. Hammett, Lars Ulrich
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nino Amora
on No Remorse
im a dieharn fan of metalica