Where The Wild Things Are by Metallica Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling the Layers of Childhood and Reality
Lyrics
It’s time to save your world
Steal dreams and give to you
Shop lift a thought or two
All children touch the sun
Burn fingers one by one
By one
Will this earth be good to you?
Keep you clean or stain through?
So wake up sleepy one
It’s time to save your world
You’re where the wild things are yeah
Toy soldiers off to war
Big eyes to open too
Believing now under sun and moon
But does heaven know you’re here?
And did they give you smiles or tears?
No, no tears
Will this earth be good to you?
Keep you clean or stain through?
So wake up sleepy one
It’s time to save your world
You’re where the wild things are yeah
Toy soldiers off to war
You swing your rattle down (hand puppets storm the beach
(Fire trucks trapped out of reach, hand puppets storm the beach)
Call to arms, a trumpet’s sound (fire trucks trapped out of reach all clowns reinforce the rear)
(Slingshots fire into the air)
Toy horses start the charge (all clowns reinforce the rear slingshots fire into the air)
Stuffed bears hold the hill till death crossfire from the marionettes)
Robots, chessmen standing guard (stuffed bears hold the hill till death crossfire from the marionettes)
We shall never surrender
All you children touch the sun
Burn your fingers one by one
Will this earth be good to you?
Keep you clean or stain through?
So wake up sleepy one
It’s time to save your world
You’re where the wild things are yeah
Toy soldiers off to war
Off to war off to war
So close your little eyes
Metallica, the band synonymous with the visceral thrall of heavy metal, has an uncanny ability to explore the depths of human emotion and existential angst, often within the confines of their pulverizing soundscapes. ‘Where The Wild Things Are,’ a lesser-known gem within their discography, diverges from their trademark ferocity to offer a haunting meditation on innocence, imagination, and the inevitable surrender to adulthood.
With its poetic lyrics and melodic approach, the track threads a delicate tapestry that juxtaposes youthful daydreams against the stark canvas of reality. Within this analysis, we delve into the realm where fantastical creatures roam, dissecting the poignant symbolism and profound emotional undertones that permeate one of Metallica’s most enigmatic offerings.
The Innocence of the Sleepy Ones – A Lullaby for the Lost
The song’s opening lines set a stage not unlike a parent’s whisper to a child, urging them to ascend from slumber and seize control of their world. Metallica taps into this universal rite of passage, turning it into an edict for agency. Yet there’s an underlying tragedy here, the sleep from which these ‘sleepy ones’ must awake is a metaphor for the placid ignorance of childhood itself.
To ‘steal dreams and give to you’ is a process of inheriting the world’s realities, a transaction of wonder for wisdom. It’s an exchange every child makes, often unwittingly, as they reach to ‘touch the sun’ only to encounter the burn of truth.
Toy Soldiers Marching Off to War – The Loss of Innocence in Play
The wild things of Maurice Sendak fame here come to represent the sprawling and untamed imagination of children. Yet, as Metallica references toy soldiers and playful rebellion, they underscore a poignant transition: the innocent skirmishes of childhood inevitably give way to the brutal conflicts of the adult world.
There’s a mournful recognition that the fantastical conflicts of playtime bear a disturbing resemblance to the real battles one faces later in life. These lines aren’t just a nod to youthful exuberance; they are a lament for the simple purity that is lost when those soldiers march off to war.
The Hidden Meaning – Chessmen, Marionettes, and the Game of Life
To fully grasp the track’s layered intricacies, one must look to the chessmen and marionettes, static and scripted players in the grand design. Metallica subtly critiques the predetermined nature of our social structures, suggesting that we are born into a game already in progress, our roles and moves predetermined by unseen puppeteers.
The inevitable ‘surrender’ mentioned in the lyrics may not just signify defeat in the face of adversity, but also a capitulation to the forces that seek to control us from the moment we ‘wake up’ to the hour we ‘close [our] little eyes’ for the last time.
Memorable Lines – ‘Will this earth be good to you?’
These hauntingly simplistic words punctuate the song like a recurring prayer or an existential question posed to the void. It’s a moment of somber reflection that binds each verse together, questioning whether the world will nurture or tarnish the souls of those just about to embark on life’s journey.
Metallica captures a universal pondering—a central concern of every parent, every guardian of youth—and distills it into a couplet that’s achingly evocative. Will the corruption of the world seep into the marrow of the innocent, or will they somehow manage to traverse it untainted?
Final War Cry – A Melancholic Goodbye to Childhood
As the song winds towards its conclusion, there’s a shift from whimsy to a cry of resilience. The line ‘We shall never surrender,’ delivered with such bittersweet defiance, is Metallica’s ode to the undying spirit of childhood that persists within the adult heart.
Even as we’re called to war—war with the world, with ourselves, with reality—we cling to the notion of never yielding the wonder and boldness that defined our earliest years. In the end, ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ isn’t just a song; it’s an anthem for the eternal battle to maintain our inner wildness amidst life’s conformity and chaos.
