Lyrics Analysis - Enter Sandman

lyrics analysis by Jevin On 10:56 AM

Enter Sandman - Metallica

Say your prayers little one
Dont forget, my son
To include everyone

Tuck you in, warm within
Keep you free from sin
Till the sandman he comes

Sleep with one eye open
Gripping your pillow tight

Exit light
Enter night
Take my hand
Off to never never land

Somethings wrong, shut the light
Heavy thoughts tonight
And they arent of snow white

Dreams of war, dreams of liars
Dreams of dragons fire
And of things that will bite

Sleep with one eye open
Gripping your pillow tight

Exit light
Enter night
Take my hand
Off to never never land

Now I lay me down to sleep
Pray the lord my soul to keep
If I die before I wake
Pray the lord my soul to take

Hush little baby, dont say a word
And never mind that noise you heard
Its just the beast under your bed,
In your closet, in your head

Exit light
Enter night
Grain of sand

Exit light
Enter night
Take my hand
Were off to never never land


Hey all. Back for another lyrics analysis. I wanted to do this one since a long long time, but my laziness got the best of me. Anyway, I heard this song when I was still new to the whole metal thing and when I read the lyrics I felt it was scary. It is actually. Read on.

Yeah so the thing with this song is that it actually makes a lot of sense. It has a meaning, a purpose, a story, everything. Ahh, back in the days, James Hetfield was writing great lyrics. Anyway here's my take on the song.

Say your prayers little one
Dont forget, my son
To include everyone

Tuck you in, warm within
Keep you free from sin
Till the sandman he comes

I love the way the lyrics kicks in. It really does great justice to the great intro this song has. The above lines are pretty simple. Its talking about a kid that is about to go to sleep. Saying his prayers like all kid should do. I really like the part where James goes "Keep you free from sin till the sandman he comes". The words are so true. Many parents tell these kind of stuff to their kids to shut them up.

Sleep with one eye open
Gripping your pillow tight

Exit light
Enter night
Take my hand
Off to never never land

This is the pre chorus and the chorus. I remember when I was a kid I used to sleep like that. One eye open and gripping my pillow... Haven't we all. To me the chorus is where the kid in the song is actually getting sleepy and diving into a dream. Like the kid is so scared, but he still falls asleep. Cause he's tired.

Somethings wrong, shut the light
Heavy thoughts tonight
And they arent of snow white

Dreams of war, dreams of liars
Dreams of dragons fire
And of things that will bite

I love this part. "Heavy thoughts tonight and they arent of snow white". That line is so funny. That's the part of the song where the kid is having nightmares. Yeah being a kid and not understanding anything makes you prone to getting scared at night. I like to think of this song as a protest. As a protest against parents traumatising their kids with stupid fake sandman stories. Now stop it!

The next part of the song is the same pre chorus followed by the chorus. Then comes this part. But before that, there is an awesome solo. Its not the hardest solo to play (among the easiest on thier self-titled album). I really like that solo because its in the spirit of the song. Its very true to the song. Its not like something that has been plugged in. Feels more like it has been built from within. Anyway listen to the song again and take note of that.

Now I lay me down to sleep
Pray the lord my soul to keep
If I die before I wake
Pray the lord my soul to take

Hush little baby, dont say a word
And never mind that noise you heard
Its just the beast under your bed,
In your closet, in your head

This part comes after the solo. And its really catchy. Catchy because there is a small kid talking in the background. Saying his prayers. Funny thing about the prayer is that its actually

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep;
Should I die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
Source: wikipedia

But hey its a prayer. The words are not as important as the message. Anyway after the prayer, James says "Hush litttle baby". And the song goes back to the main riff. This part is very original. Yes a prayer in a song is original.

As a conclusion to my post, I would advise all parents to listen to this song. Listen close, read the words and try to understand how kids are kind of vulnerable at times. I have to end here. I wish you good day!


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6 Response to 'Lyrics Analysis - Enter Sandman'

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  1. morinn Said,

    Amazing review. In fact this song is my crush of this month as I can't help but listen to it.
    Yeah parents should be encouraged not to invent stories to tell their kids. But sometimes these stories are the medium through which parents will let their children know about the dangers lurking around.

     

  2. Jevin Said,

    Thank you morinn. Haha. I stole your crush of the month. :p

    I guess to some degree it is okay to frighten you kids, but some people exaggerate. And it is sad.

     

  3. Unknown Said,

    Hi I have no idea how to email you, i think this website sucks as far as getting in direct contact with a blogger, but anyway, please email me. I'm hoping that you'd be interested in writing a review for a really cool band.

    IAuchmoody@gmail.com

     

  4. Jevin Said,

    Indeed Ian. I need to add a contact me section. I'll do that sometime. And I sent you a mail.

     

  5. Anonymous Said,

    Was passing by. Saw Metallica, so I stopped to see...
    Lyrically, Hetfield was not only relevant back in the days. He still manages to write witty or more profound and personal pieces. Fine examples can be found on Load, Reload or even DM.
    In my very personal and humble opinion, lyrically, TBA would not even rank in my Top 5 Metallica albums.
    For those who are interested, I would recommend a nice read : "Metallica and Philosophy"

    Rabin

     

  6. Jevin Said,

    Hi Rabin.

    I agree, Hetfield does write some fine lyrics. You are right in saying that his fines pieces of lyrics were from the Load/Reload era.

    Concerning Death Magnetic, I can't get into that album.

     

 
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