Metallica-For Whom the Bell Tolls

Encyclopedia Metallica ^ | Unknown | Christian Herwig

[Pro-Bush]

The inspiration: The lyrics of the song "For Whom The Bell Tolls" are based on the same titled Ernest Hemmingway novel, "For Whom The Bell Tolls" which is about an American who is given the job of taking out a bridge held by the Fasist army in the Spanish Civil War - the precurser to the World War II. He fell in love and then found out very disturbing things about life and death.

The subject matter: The song "For Whom The Bell Tolls" is about a scene of the Ernest Hemmingway novel where - one morning - five soldiers were taking a position on a hill and they get killed by an airstrike.

For Whom The Bell Tolls-Metallica Released: 1984

Make his fight on the hill in the early day Constant chill deep inside Shouting gun, on they run through the endless grey On the fight, for they are right, yes, by who's to say? For a hill men would kill, why? They do not know Suffered wounds test there their pride Men of five, still alive through the raging glow Gone insane from the pain that they surely know

For whom the bell tolls Time marches on For whom the bell tolls

Take a look to the sky just before you die It is the last time you will Blackened roar massive roar fills the crumbling sky Shattered goal fills his soul with a ruthless cry Stranger now, are his eyes, to this mystery He hears the silence so loud Crack of dawn, all is gone except the will to be Now the will see what will be, blinded eyes to see

For whom the bell tolls Time marches on For whom the bell tolls

[EricT.]

While most people here probably do not "get" Metallica, I do. Thanx for the post. I had almost forgotten about that song.

There is a large amount of GenX-ers that grew up on heavy metal that are pretty conservative. I guess the well nurtured cynicism in us killed a lot of the goofy liberal ideas the hippie crowd tried to sell us while we came of age.

[AmericanMade1776]

Hemingway, got the title from another author, John Donne.

"Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls: it tolls for thee."
- John Donne, For Whom the Bell Tolls

It is a quote from a longer essay of John Donne's by that same title "FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS"

http://poetseers.org/greats/john_donne/for_whom_the_bell_tolls

John Donne(1572-1631) was the most outstanding of the English Metaphysical Poets and a churchman famous for his spellbinding sermons.

[chilepepper]

I thought "for whom the bell tolls" first appeared in the works of Edgar Allan Poe??

[chilepepper]

thanks for the clarification -- did poe ever use this as well??

[SamAdams76]

While most people here probably do not "get" Metallica, I do.

Why would you think that?

[mtbrandon49]

I like their older stuff better anyway. Grew up listening to it.

[sleeper-has-awakened]

Metalica based many of their earlier songs on other peoples writings. Listen to "Creeping Death", pretty much straight from the movie The Ten Commandments, or "One", which I think was based on Johny Get Your Gun(???). I used to like them in the early eighties, seems my tastes have changed in my old age.

[Malsua]

>>While most people here probably do not "get" Metallica, I do.

Why would you think that?
<<

Agreed. I'm very conservative and upon reading this thread clicked on "For Whom the Bell tolls" in Music Match :)

I suspect most of those of us who graduated from high school in the mid eighties still like old Metallica.

Of course, I'm musically confused, I can go from Tool to Enya, to Yanni and back to deftones and in the space of 30 minutes.

[JETDRVR]

Good post. I hauled them around on "Poor reloaded Me" tour. Nice guys. Hope they do a USO motivational tour soon. They still ROCK!

[Trust but Verify]

I'm a 42 year-old mom of two teenagers. I love a lot of Metallica's stuff, but 'discovered' it in a tragic way. One of my daughter's classmates was terminally ill with bone cancer. He received a Make-A-Wish trip to California to meet and play with the band. He was a drummer and a neat, neat kid. What Metallica did for him was outstanding.

After he died, the kids at the HS raised money for a memorial music room in the school. Metallica sent autographed posters and music to put in it.

That's when I started listening to their music and I have many favorites, but today I'm really thinking of "Hero of the Day".

God Bless our heroes in Iraq.

[E Rocc]

There is a large amount of GenX-ers that grew up on heavy metal that are pretty conservative. I guess the well nurtured cynicism in us killed a lot of the goofy liberal ideas the hippie crowd tried to sell us while we came of age.

Young voters in the 1980s supported Reagan by a 2-1 margin, a fact that had the Dims crapping their pants. Indeed, I suspect whiny "alternative" was pushed on us by the record companies partly for this reason.

As for /V\etallica:

Don't Tread on Me from the "Black Album", 1990(?)

Liberty or death, what we so proudly hail
once you provoke her, rattling of her tail
never begins it, never, but once engaged...
never surrenders, showing the fangs of rage

don't tread on me

so be it
threaten no more
to secure peace is to prepare for war
so be it
settle the score
touch me again for the words that you'll hear evermore...

don't tread on me

love it or live it, she with the deadly bite
quick is the blue tongue, forked as lighting strike
shining with brightness, always on surveillance
the eyes, they never close, emblem of vigilance

don't tread on me

so be it
threaten no more
to secure peace is to prepare for war
so be it
settle the score
touch me again for the words that you'll hear evermore...

don't tread on me

so be it
threaten no more
to secure peace is to prepare for war

liberty or death, what we so proudly hail
once you provoke her, rattling on her tail

so be it
threaten no more
to secure peace is to prepare for war
so be it
settle the score
touch me again for the words that you'll hear evermore...

don't tread on me

-Eric

[TLBSHOW]

For Whom The Bell Tolls

Written by BARRY, ROBIN and MAURICE GIBB


Now I know there'll be times like this
When I couldn't reach out to no-one
Am I never gonna find someone
Who knows me like you do
Are you leaving me a helpless child
When it took so long to save me
Fight the devil and the deep blue sea
I'll follow you anywhere
I promise I'll be there

[AmericanMade1776]

I do not know. :-)

[muslims=borg]

Too bad Metallica is washed up now, they kicked butt. If Motorhead can still do it why can't they I wonder?

[Lx]

While I think Ride the Lightning and Master of puppets are some of the best hard rock ever. I curse Lars Ulrich's mustache for killing Napster. Not to their mention their whining when a journalist calls them a metal band. What was their name again?

[Lx]

Must have coffee, that was supposed to read:
...Not to mention their whining when a journalist calls them a metal band. What was their name again?

[Hacksaw]

While I think Ride the Lightning and Master of puppets are some of the best hard rock ever. I curse Lars Ulrich's mustache for killing Napster. Not to their mention their whining when a journalist calls them a metal band. What was their name again?

I thought the Justice CD was their best. Like "Moving Pictures" from Rush, they will never top it.

[Lauratealeaf]

When my son was at Beast Barracks at West Point they woke up every morning with a Metalica song blasting on the loud speakers. He loved it.

[Lx]

I didn't say I hated Justice, I've got them all up to the Black album or whatever its official name is.

The guitar solos in Ride the Lightning and Master give me goose bumps and so do the ones on Justice to a lesser extent.

My questions is, what happened on the black album, was Kirk Hammett's guitar even plugged in? I haven't listened to any of their latest albums but a friend of mine was saying last week that the latest one had gone techno? Was he joking or is that true, since I find it hard to believe.