Metallica - The Unforgiven Meaning

Song Released: 1991

The Unforgiven Lyrics

New blood joins this earth
And quickly he's subdued
Through constant pained disgrace
The young boy learns their rules

With time, the child draws in
This whipping boy done wrong
Deprived of all his thoughts
The young man struggles on and...

1. anonymous

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   Sep 6th 2006 !⃝

   I think the song has to do with a person looking back on his life and feeling persecuted and trapped. I believe this person doesn't think they've ever shown their true potential for fear of being judged, or maybe disgraced. It's a light mental form of abuse to make anyone feel that surpressed and no good could come of it.
2. miss_manson

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   Jul 27th 2006 !⃝

   I think this song is about someone that's very different from others. And ''the bad people'' are trying to change him. They want him to be another puppet in their world.
   It's a very sad song, though.
3. skinbabe

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   May 30th 2006 !⃝

   ummm yer I agree with above about it being his father because he does say "the old man here is me" he says it in the song sumwhere and umm yer both his parents were pretty religious which is why they wrote the song. "The god that failed," it's an awsome song, hehe.
4. anonymous

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   Apr 1st 2006 !⃝

   you know, I really think this song has to do with his father again, think about it, new blood joins this other and quickly is subdued, to consimate his grace the young boy learns their rules, his father I'm pretty sure was really religious and raised him stricktly, through the chorus he means even if he doesn't show that he's sad, he is.

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

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   Feb 28th 2006 !⃝

   My interpretation is similar to the above....except I believe originally the 'boy' was his own person.
   
   But, because of persecution and the like he was forced to conform in order to survive. He was never able to show his full potential because he had to hide it. By the time he found the will to show his true self it was too late, and he regretted letting labels and discrimation get to him.
6. anonymous

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   Feb 1st 2005 !⃝

   A man has been taunted by society his whole life, and now that he is dying he regrets letting the corruption get to him and "going with the flow" so to speak, instead of speaking his mind.