Low Man's Lyric (song)

Song

Tour Dates

Low Man's Lyric is the eleventh song from 1997's album ReLoad. It was written by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, with a length of 7:37.

An unplugged live version of it, recorded on April 11, 1998, in Perth (Australia), was released in Six Feet Down Under EP. The song features an instrument called the hurdy-gurdy in some performances such as in this video.

About

This song is not of typical Metallica thrash metal style. It's more like some of their metal ballads like "Nothing Else Matters", "Tuesday's Gone" (a Lynyrd Skynyrd cover) and "Turn the Page" (which was a Bob Seger cover). It also has some similarities in sound to the hair band ballads from the late 1980's.

It describes the thoughts of a homeless man who is suffering through his life, wanting to get another chance. Hence, "maybe you'll understand, and won't cry for this man, cause low man is due" and "please forgive me."

Live

• "Low Man's Lyric" has been performed live 66 times as of January, 2025.
• "Low Man's Lyric" was first performed live (acoustically) on October 18th, 1997, in Mountain View, California, at the Shoreline Amphitheatre, for Bridge School Benefit 1997.
• It was last performed live (acoustically) on December 13th, 2024, in Inglewood, California, at the YouTube Theatre, for Helping Hands 2024.

Lyrics

My eyes seek reality
My fingers seek my veins
There's a dog at your back step
He must come in from the rain

I fall 'cause I've let go
The net below has rot away
So my eyes seek reality
And my fingers seek my veins

The trash fire is warm
But nowhere safe from the storm
And I can't bear to see
What I've let me be
So wicked and worn

So as I write to you
Of what is done and to do
Maybe you'll understand
And you won't cry for this man
'Cause low man is due

Please forgive me 

My eyes seek reality
My fingers feel for faith
Touch clean with a dirty hand
I touch the clean to the waste

The trash fire is warm
But nowhere safe from the storm
And I can't bear to see
What I've let me be
So wicked and worn

So as I write to you
Of what is done and to do
Maybe you'll understand
And won't cry for this man
'Cause low man is due
Please forgive me

So low, the sky is all I see 
All I want from you is forgive me
So you bring this poor dog in from the rain
Though he just wants right back out again

And I cry to the alleyway
Confess all to the rain
But I lie, lie straight to the mirror
The one I've broken to match my face 

The trash fire is warm
But nowhere safe from the storm
And I can't bear to see
What I've let me be
So wicked and worn

So as I write to you
Of what is done and to do
Maybe you'll understand
And won't cry for this man
'Cause low man is due

Please forgive me  

So low, the sky is all I see
All I want from you is forgive me
So you bring this poor dog in from the rain
Though he just wants right back out again

My eyes seek reality
My fingers seek my veins