Metallica: Fuel Meaning

Song Released: 1998

Fuel Lyrics

Gimme fuel, gimme fire
Gimme that which I desire

Turn on, I see red
Adrenaline crash and crack my head
Nitro junkie, paint me dead
And I see red

One hundred plus through black and white
War horse, warhead
Fuck 'em, man, white-knuckle...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Jun 14th 2012 !⃝

   The song is about how he used fast cars to substitute his drug addiction. He also talks about living life fast and hard, "Another junkie lives too fast"

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Oct 25th 2007 !⃝

   This song is about cars and motorcycles, "Burn your face on the chrome" "Quench my thirst with gasoline"
   
   To say anything else is asinine, Master of Puppets is about drugs, THIS is about cars. James has stated so himself.

3. 3TOP RATED

   #3 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   May 30th 2006 !⃝

   I honestly do not think it's about drug use... as someone said, James loves his cars and anything that moves fast that has wheels and a motor. I think it's about the adrenaline for going fast which James talks a bit about on the "some kind of monster" dvd he states "I love going fast." So yeah, I think it's about cars... I don't know about the piling up crash bit?? Anywho, I think everyone's opinion is good but yer... koolies
4. anonymous

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   Apr 1st 2020 !⃝

   Fuel is one of their straight forward lyrics.. nowadays whole doesn't know about james obsession with car and speed? I have been listening to this, never thought he was talking about drugs.. I was hoping somebody mentions that " my tires are 17s " but nothing.. does it mean a sidewall height??
5. anonymous

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   Oct 3rd 2015 !⃝

   James said it is about heroin addiction. When they play this song live, he sometimes takes his fist to his other arm, like he is injecting a needle
6. anonymous

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   Feb 25th 2015 !⃝

   Parallels to drugs and sodding religion can be drawn from anything anyone says (apparently?!)
   "im starving and cant wait to eat my cheeseburger"
   Oh that must mean i need a druggy fix! Its metaphorical. Blah blah!!!
   Or does it cry out perhaps about the empty feeling i have inside because i need god in my life?!metaphorical blah blah"! Cmon i think metallica have probably got all the metaphorical drug references out of their system now! Let metallica write something that has NO hidden cryptic meaning! Its dead simple...it is about the adrenaline junky ( nooooo NOT THAT type of junky) inside. The needfor speed (nooooo NOT the drug!!). No religion no drugs just a rockin song about the fun that is the internal combustion engine and the thrills that can be had if ya strap one into a chassis with four wheels then race it about. The man cant say anything without it being imterpreted to mean sum substance addiction
7. anonymous

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   Jun 25th 2014 !⃝

   Cars, cars, cars! Fast and furious!
8. anonymous

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   May 12th 2014 !⃝

   what I think this song is about is I think its about fuel. lol jk. I think it is like somewhat what I believe battery is about. I think the word fuel is a metaphorical term in the song to mean drugs. Once you get addicted to drugs it is basically like fuel. You feel like you need it to fuel yourself. I interpret this song like this because as an ex drug addict I related this song like this. This is what I think fuel is about
9. anonymous

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   Aug 28th 2012 !⃝

   Cars it is all about his love of cars. In the video it shows all of The bands cars.
10. anonymous

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    Aug 11th 2012 !⃝

    It is all about a man who needs god or religion to fuel his life. It stems from all the guys' Religious up bringing!

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
11. anonymous

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    Jun 6th 2012 !⃝

    I always thought this song was about cars and James Hetfield's well-known passion for driving fast, but reading all your comments, I now see a parallel to drug addiction. My interpretation would be that authors describe their feeling whilst driving very fast as if it was drug/alcohol addiction (for instance that adrenaline has similar effects as whatever drug "adrenaline crash and crack my head"). They also suggest that this addiction can lead to one's early demise, e.g. "turn the corner join the crash, headlights, head on" sounds not quite unlike a car accident but there are several ambiguous lines that can be interpreted both ways like "another junkie lives way too fast".
12. anonymous

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    May 15th 2012 !⃝

    This song is about motor racing.
    
    100 plus through black and white...means 100 plus mph through the checkered flag.
    
    Take the corner join the crash refers to a car taking the turn in a race and being collected in a crash in the corner.
    
    This song was used in NASCAR.
13. anonymous

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    Apr 17th 2012 !⃝

    The fucking song is about drag racing
14. anonymous

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    Apr 3rd 2012 !⃝

    When you really feel the speed through your body and the adrenaline of beeing in control of that speed it's intoxicating. Did it once and was lucky to survive...Anyway any motor fans (no matter if it's motorcycles, cars or whatever you like) some day might have had that feeling...You go fast and nothing compares to the feeling of that and you wanna go faster and faster...but sometimes before you know you are loosing control. Some might say it fits drugs as well but i think the reference to speed and engines on the song are quite clear. He says about some accident (take the corner join the crash) that's quite usual: guy drives to fast, doesn't see what's coming and crashes...he LIVED way too fast (past tense...gone now)
    I loved this song since I was a kid but fully saw that after I got into accident...and seen friends do the same
15. anonymous

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    Nov 3rd 2011 !⃝

    I believe this song could be associated with drug use, but is more strongly associated with the dangers of auto racing, and the excitement.
16. Lowden6

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    Aug 21st 2010 !⃝

    "Quench My thirst for gasoline"
    Really, Really, REALLY cheab wiskey tasts a LOT like gasoline.
    The rest of the sound dose sond like racing.
17. anonymous

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    Feb 26th 2010 !⃝

    It could be drugs or cars but he desires something... The meaning of a song usally lies in the chorus but I personally think its drugs.
    "Anthor Junkie learns to fat"
    "Fuel as I burn
    Burning hard loose and clean
    churning my direction
    quench my thrist for gasoline"

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
18. anonymous

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    Jan 5th 2010 !⃝

    Its something in between
    he talks about cars in a way that is similar to drugs
    "Burn your face on the chrome" it could mean the mirrors used in drugs and the chrome in cars
    he is talking about his transformation from drugs to cars
    
    JAMES ROCKS

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