Sad But True Lyrics

Metallica lyrics for “Sad But True” from the Metal landmark album The Black Album

Sad But True Lyrics:

Hey
I’m your life
I’m the one who takes you there
Hey
I’m your life
I’m the one who cares
They
They betray
I’m your only true friend now
They
They’ll betray
I’m forever there

I’m your dream, make you real
I’m your eyes when you must steal
I’m your pain when you cant feel
Sad but true

I’m your dream, mind astray
I’m your eyes while you’re away
I’m your pain while you repay
You know its sad but true

You
You’re my mask
You’re my cover, my shelter
You
You’re my mask
You’re the one who’s blamed
Do
Do my work
Do my dirty work, scapegoat
Do
Do my deeds
For you’re the one who’s shamed

I’m your dream, make you real
I’m your eyes when you must steal
I’m your pain when you cant feel
Sad but true

I’m your dream, mind astray
I’m your eyes while you’re away
I’m your pain while you repay
You know its sad but true

Hate
I’m your hate
I’m your hate when you want love
Pay
Pay the price
Pay, for nothings fair

Hey
I’m your life
I’m the one who took you here
Hey
I’m your life
And I no longer care

I’m your dream, make you real
I’m your eyes when you must steal
I’m your pain when you cant feel
Sad but true

I’m your truth, telling lies
I’m your reasoned alibis
I’m inside open your eyes
I’m you

Sad but true

Sad But True: Mainstream

Metallica’s album Metallica, more commonly known as The Black Album, not only made Metallica into music superstars but also made sure that the entire genre of Metal would survive the coming Grunge age in music. The many singles off of The Black Album sold millions of albums and sold out Metallica tickets everywhere but also showed that Metal could be more than the Glam acts of the LA music scene of the 1980s. The last of these five successful singles was “Sad But True”.

Much like the debut single off The Black Album “Enter Sandman”, “Sad But True” took a more melodic approach to Metallica’s music than ever before. The lyrics for “Sad But True” were penned by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich and still kept the dark themes of past Metallica albums intact. The song structure was changed a bit from previous releases and featured an accessible sound that differed from the hard and complex instrumentals of albums like Kill ‘em All. The new sound lacked some of the edge but sold a ton of Metallica tickets and millions of albums.

Sad But True: Legacy

The mainstream appeal of “Sad But True” has made it a favorite of bands covering Metallica. Part of this is due to the simpler guitar licks that make the song much more manageable for less skilled players that could never tackle earlier Metallica works. Much like other material from The Black Album, “Sad But True” opened not only Metallica but Metal as a whole to a new audience that would never have experienced the genre before. “Sad But True” has helped Metallica tickets sell for over a decade but has give a base to hundreds of other bands in the genre.