The song is 4:03 minutes long and is the shortest on the album, its composers are James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett. Inspiration to write the text of the song was the work of Howard Phillips Lovecraft. The text is written in first person who talks about what horror he is going through being trapped under the ice.
This is one of the few songs from the album "Ride the Lightning” which contains rapidly changing rhythms of songs in the style of previous album by Metallica, "Kill ‘Em All”. This is also one of the rarely played songs by Metallica at concerts.
Riff, which is heard at the beginning of the song was created by Kirk Hammett, when he was still a member of Exodus. He played the riff in demo song called "Impaler” (which was later transformed and enclosed on the Exodus album, "Tempo of the Damned”).
Trapped Under Ice
Metallica Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Woken up, I'm still locked in this shell
Frozen soul, frozen down to the core
Break the ice, I can't take anymore
Freezing
Can't move at all
Screaming
I am dying to live
Cry out
I'm trapped under ice
Crystallized, as I lay here and rest
Eyes of glass stare directly at death
From deep sleep I have broken away
No one knows, no one hears what I say
Freezing
Can't move at all
Screaming
Can't hear my call
I am dying to live
Cry out
I'm trapped under ice
Scream from my soul
Fate, mystified
Hell, forever more
Scream from my soul
Fate, mystified
Hell, forever more
No release from my cryonic state
What is this I've been stricken by fate
Wrapped up tight, cannot move, can't break free
Hand of doom has a tight grip on me
Freezing
Can't move at all
Screaming
Can't hear my call
I am dying to live
Cry out
I'm trapped under ice
Freezing
Can't move at all
Screaming
Can't hear my call
I am dying to live
Cry out
I'm trapped under ice
"Trapped Under Ice" by Metallica is a song about being trapped in a frozen state of mind, unable to break free from the feeling of being stuck and helpless. The main character of the song is trapped under ice, unable to move, and desperate for help. The feeling of helplessness is heightened by the repetitive use of freezing and screaming and the use of the phrase, "I am dying to live," suggesting a longing for freedom and a desire to escape from a frozen state of mind.
The cold imagery throughout the song is significant because it highlights the sense of being trapped in a frozen state, unable to break free. The lyrics suggest that the singer is trapped not just physically but mentally, with an inability to express themselves or find a way out of their situation. The use of the phrase "Hand of doom" also suggests a sense of inevitability, that no matter what the singer does, they cannot escape their fate.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know how to live trough this hell
The singer is experiencing a traumatic event that they do not know how to cope with
Woken up, I'm still locked in this shell
The singer is awake but feels trapped and unable to escape their situation
Frozen soul, frozen down to the core
The singer feels emotionally frozen and unable to feel anything beyond their current distress
Break the ice, I can't take anymore
The singer desperately wants to break free from their situation and escape their suffering
Can't move at all
The singer is feeling physically paralyzed by their suffering
Screaming
The singer is in intense pain and feels compelled to express it through screaming
Can't hear my call
The singer feels ignored and unheard, even when they try to reach out for help
I am dying to live
The singer feels like they are barely hanging on and desperately wants to find a way to truly live again
Cry out
The singer is urging themselves to keep expressing their pain and not give up hope of being heard and finding a way to escape their situation
I'm trapped under ice
The singer feels like they are trapped and imprisoned by their suffering, unable to break free
Crystallized, as I lay here and rest
The singer feels like their pain has become hardened and crystallized within them, even when they try to rest
Eyes of glass stare directly at death
The singer feels numb and emotionless, as if they are already staring death in the face
From deep sleep I have broken away
The singer has been shaken from a metaphorical sleep or ignorance, and is now fully aware of their suffering
No one knows, no one hears what I say
The singer feels alone and unheard in their suffering, as if no one truly comprehends what they are going through
Scream from my soul
The singer is expressing their pain and distress from the very depths of their being
Fate, mystified
The singer is confused and struggling to understand why they are experiencing so much suffering
Hell, forever more
The singer feels like they are stuck in a personal hell that will never end
No release from my cryonic state
The singer feels frozen and helpless in their current state of suffering, unable to escape or find relief
What is this I've been stricken by fate
The singer is questioning why they have been subjected to so much suffering and is struggling to accept their circumstances
Wrapped up tight, cannot move, can't break free
The singer feels trapped and unable to escape their situation, as if they are bound or tied down
Hand of doom has a tight grip on me
The singer feels like they are being controlled by an external force, in this case their suffering, and cannot escape its grip
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Kirk L. Hammett, James Alan Hetfield, Lars Ulrich
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@trevorbaugh1335
No gluten, healthier than most grains
What is this? Complex carbs in my veins
Lid's on tight, cannot move, can't break free
Stove of doom lights a flame under me
Steaming
Can't move at all
Screaming
Stir and I'll fall
I am dying to live
Cry out
I'm trapped under rice
@Pride317
Lyrics
I don't know how to
Live through this hell
Woken up,
I'm still locked in this shell
Frozen soul,
Frozen down to the core
Break the ice,
I can't take anymore
Freezing,
Can't move at all
Screaming,
Can't hear my call
I am dying to live
Cry out,
I'm trapped under ice
Crystallized as I
Lay here and rest
Eyes of glass stare
Directly at death
From deep sleep,
I have broken away
No one knows,
No one hears what I say
Freezing,
Can't move at all
Screaming,
Can't hear my call
I am dying to live
Cry out,
I'm trapped under ice
Scream from my soul
Fate,
Mystified
Hell,
Forever more
Scream from my soul
Fate,
Mystified
Hell,
Forever more
No release from
My cryonic state
What is this?
I've been stricken by fate
Wrapped up tight,
Cannot move,
Can't break free
Hand of doom has
A tight grip on me
Freezing,
Can't move at all
Screaming,
Can't hear my call
I am dying to live
Cry out,
I'm trapped under ice
Freezing,
Can't move at all
Screaming,
Can't hear my call
I am dying to live
Cry out,
I'm trapped under ice
@MilekCliff
Before every metal band makes it big:
Day and night my life's nothing but hell
Itching skin, I don't feel very well
That's because some lice live in my clothes
They are what my whole body just loathes
Itching
Not nice at all
Bitching
Just hear my call
I am dying to have
A bath
Infested with lice
Cannot stand the presence of those pests
In my shirts they keep laying their eggs
I so wish I could drive them away
I need help, I'll be happy to pay
Itching
Not nice at all
Bitching
Just hear my call
I am dying to have
A bath
Infested with lice
Seems like the world
Ends, I scratch my-
Self forever more
Seems like the world
Ends, I scratch my-
Self forever more
Shedding skin, this won't stop I'm afraid
Nothing helps, I've been left to my fate
Left to die, someone help me, oh please
Paranoid I ache (itch) to be free
Itching
Not nice at all
Bitching
Just hear my call
I am dying to have
A bath
Infested with lice
Itching
Not nice at all
Bitching
Just hear my call
I am dying to have
A bath
Infested with lice
@subg8858
Still blows my mind they went all the way to Antarctica and didn't even bother to play this one
@jaybirdk7414
subg88 RIGHT!? How did this underrated gem get passed over???
@SpongeBath_ShitPants
Because Lars is old now and would have to play it at 70 BPM.
@Walamonga1313
Queef Age doesn't have anything to do with that (there's plenty of old drummers who still have it). Lars is just lazy and doesn't practice, he even said it himself.
@mediaisthevirus
@@SpongeBath_ShitPants trapped under lars
@sniperguyAZ
yeah but in one the double bass lasts a minute 2 at most
@edgarderby5345
They missed the opportunity to play this at the Antarctica concert.
@Exotic_Tofu
loool metallica playing this song after 1993? yeah thats something that would be amusing to hear
@KrisShaw
Exotic.Tofu Try again. they didn't play this song much at all. Even in the '80s. It was completely out of the set by 1986.
@Exotic_Tofu
Kris Shaw i know that but what i meant is that if they wanted to, it would of sounded decent before 1994 if they wanted to play it. but after 1993 it would of sounded terrible