Metallica Fans Debate Band’s Saddest Song on Reddit

Metallica fans are having a debate about which of the band’s songs are the saddest on Reddit.

While Metallica are known as one of the “Big 4” bands of the thrash metal scene, they’ve had plenty of tender moments throughout their discography. James Hetfield has written about a lot of personal matters to him, including relationships and other internal struggles.

“It’s just feelings inside,” Hetfield said during a Swedish interview in 1996. “We write what comes naturally.”

A fan took to the band’s Reddit page to ask other metalheads which Metallica song they find the absolute saddest and they started the conversation with the …And Justice for All hit “One.”

We highlighted some of the top song selections below, added some of the commentary from other fans and noted the saddest lyrics underneath as well.

“To Live Is to Die”

One of the choices with the highest amount of upvotes is another song from …And Justice for All — “To Live Is to Die.” The track is the longest on the album and has only been played live by the band a small handful of times, according to Setlist.fm’s Tour Statistics on Metallica.

READ MORE: Metallica Announce 2025 Tour Dates With Pantera, Limp Bizkit + More

The individual who suggested the song didn’t provide any context with their choice, but another fan replied, “Amazing take” with a tear emoji.

Saddest lyrics:

When a man lies he murders some part of the world
These are the pale deaths
Which men miscall their lives
All this I cannot bear to witness any longer
Cannot the kingdom of salvation
Take me home

Metallica, “To Live Is to Die”

“Fade to Black”

“Fade to Black” from Ride the Lightning received the most upvotes on the entire thread and it’s not hard to see why. It’s one of the band’s more popular sad songs and is their ninth most-played track live.

“What makes this so sad is how intricate the lyrics are — and James was only 20 or 21 years old when he wrote that. So young,” one person wrote.

“Until you realize he’s talking about some gig equipment that was stolen and that was his emotions from it,” someone else responded, adding, “The song itself has been said to have helped tons of people go through depression so I’m not gonna knock the message it can give to a particular person.”

Saddest lyrics:

I have lost the will to live
Simply nothing more to give
There is nothing more for me
Need the end to set me free

Metallica, “Fade to Black”

“Mama Said”

Another popular response was a track from 1996’s Load, “Mama Said.”

Hetfield wrote the track about his relationship with his mom, who died when he was a teenager. Metallica have never performed it during an actual concert, but it was played on a few television specials in the ’90s.

This track received a lot of upvotes from fellow fans on the thread too.

Saddest lyrics:

I took your love for granted
And all the things you said to me, yeah-yeah
I need your arms to welcome me
But a cold stone’s all I see

Metallica, “Mama Said”

“Fixxxer”

There seems to be a running theme here that Metallica’s longest songs are their saddest, as “Fixxxer,” the closing track on 1997’s Reload, was also mentioned during the discussion.

“There’s no resolution, just another pin jabbed on him,” the person who suggested the song wrote, referencing the song’s lyrics.

“This. He sings from the perspective of a tired, broken man. (Probably himself. Late ’90s were a very turbulent time for the band),” another fan responded. “Every time it seems like he’s about to get better, he suffers another hardship. It pulls him down lower than he was before. All the while, he’s begging this power that hurts him to at least heal the pain from his past so he can at least find the strength to carry on without that extra weight.”

Saddest lyrics:

Just when all seems fine and I’m pain-free
You jab another pin, jab another pin in me

Metallica, “Fixxxer”

Other Tracks Mentioned

“Low Man’s Lyric” from Reload, “The Day That Never Comes” from Death Magnetic and “My Friend of Misery” from Metallica were among some of the other tracks mentioned during the discussion.

Read the full thread here to see more.