Metallica: The Unforgiven III Meaning

The Unforgiven III Lyrics

How could he know
This new dawn's light
Would change his life forever?

Set sail to sea
but pulled off course
by the light of golden treasure

Was he the one
Causing pain
With his careless dreaming?!

Been afraid,
Always...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Jul 22nd 2011 !⃝

   actually i think james is talking about himself but the lyrics can touch anyone.. the person asking for forgiveness is someone who has always but the blame on everyone else for all he's been going through in life.. That means that the real guilty one is himself.. he's been lying to himself and believing his own lies.. he's making himself sad and miserable.. He can't be happy in real life because he's persuaded himself to live in his own perfect dream, denying the struggles of life and his own responsibility for faliure. He has shaped a dream to his own will istead of his life!

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   Centurious

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   Jun 14th 2011 !⃝

   not sure if it is James or the whole band but it seems like asking for forgiveness for the 90's. Being rich and famous did a real number on the band.
3. anonymous

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   Oct 9th 2012 !⃝

   The song, speeks about the responsability of forgivness. He takes responsability of being "The Unforguiven". He has put the blame on others. But:
   
   And how can I blame you
   When it's me I can't forgive?
   
   He has to start forgiving himself.
   
   The song end with this sentence, i think the more important of the song.
   
   If we take the perspective with "The Unforgiven", I supose that he doesn't have to blame the others, for trying to making him be what they want him to be. He is responsable of taking care of what they think of him. He is responsable of the things his feeling. The sadness of not finding an aprobation on the others, that he can't get.
   
   Was he the one
   Causing pain
   With his careless dreaming?
   
   Been afraid,
   Always afraid,
   Of the things he's feeling
   
   Simply because, you can't be what the others expect you to be, you can only be yourself, you can't be an other persone. He had blame this others for not acepting him how he is, and with that brokening him. Because he can not forgive himself for not being that persone. That's why he has to forgive himself.
4. anonymous

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   Jul 20th 2011 !⃝

   James has said in an interview before that he had to really fight to get this song on Death Magnetic, but its like the other 2 unforgivens, he's asking for forgiveness for all that he's done over the years.

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