Metallica - The God That Failed
Album: Metallica (The Black Album)
Year: 1991
Tuning : Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-Bb-Eb
"The God That Failed" is a song from Metallica's self-titled album. This was a
album written in 1991, because of the change in lyrics (from death and destruction, and the
sometimes caused by alcohol, drugs, religion and war, to more personal topics).
The song was inspired by the death of James Hetfield's mother from cancer; she was a
of the Church of Christ, Scientist and therefore refused treatment. Another inspiration was
Hetfield's own experiences, not just his mother's, according to the Making of the Black
DVD he felt alienated at school because he was left out of health classes, etc.
of his parents' religion. These are shown in the following lyrics:
"Trust you gave, a child to save" - His mother trusted that he would accept her faith.
you cold" - her dead "And him in grave" - Hetfield is speaking symbolically here; he is
likely talking about how it hurt his faith in God and/or about the effects on his social
from not being able to attend certain classes at school.
Within the intro and outro to the song a pump action shotgun can be heard being cocked
the repeated-sixteenth note instances. The footage found in A Year and a Half in the Life
Metallica shows rhythm guitarist James Hetfield recording this sound. Also, in the
toward the end of the song (at roughly the four-minute mark) you can hear then-bassist
Newsted shout "Play!" during the one-on-one recording for the master drum tracks.
"Play!" or "Hey!" at that moment in the song has become a fan favorite during live performances.
Intro (two guitars)>>>(become one)
Eb|-------------------|---------------------------------------------|
Bb|-------------------|---------------------------------------------|
Gb|-12-12-9---16-16-9-|---------------------------------------------|
Db|-------------------|-----------9-9---------------9-----------7---|
Ab|-10-10\7---14-14\7-|-10-10-7-------7-----10-10-7---7-10-10-7---7-|
Eb|-------------------|---------0-------0---------------------------|
THIS THING ABOVE IS THE MAIN RIFF IN THE SONG!
MOST OTHER MINOR RIFFS ARE BASED ON THIS SUCKER!
To finish off the main riff!
Eb|-------------------------------------------------|
Bb|-------------------------------------------------|
Gb|-------------------------------------------------|
Db|---------------------------9---4h5p4-------------|
Ab|-10-10-7---5-5-7---10-10-7---7-2-----7-5-4\2-----|
Eb|---------0-------0-------------0-------------5-3-|
Verse riff.
Palm Mute every chord except for the last E chords of every "miniriff" +
The G chord and the following E chord!
Eb|----------------------------------------|
Bb|----------------------------------------|
Gb|----------------------------------------|
Db|----------------------------------------|
Ab|-3-2-2-2---3-2-2-2---3-2-2-5-2--3-2-2-2-|
Eb|-1-0-0-0---1-0-0-0---1-0-0-3-0--1-0-0-0-|
"It feeds, it grows, it clouds all that you will know"
Eb|-------------------------------------------|
Bb|-------------------------------------------|
Gb|-------------------------------------------|
Db|-------------------------------------------|
Ab|-------------------------------------------|
Eb|-1-0-1-1---1-0-1-1---1-0-1/3-0-3---0-1-1-1-|
"I see faith in your eyes"
Eb|-------------------------------------------|
Bb|-------------------------------------------|
Gb|-------------------------------------------|
Db|-----------------------9/7-----------------|
Ab|------9----------9-----9/7-----------------|
Eb|-10-7---10--7-10---10--7/5-----------------|
Solo Rhythm (most of it anyway!)
Eb|----------------------------------------|
Bb|----------------------------------------|
Gb|----------------------------------------|
Db|----------------------------------------|
Ab|-3-2-2-2---3-2-2-2---3-2-2-5-2--3-2-2-2-|
Eb|-1-0-0-0---1-0-0-0---1-0-0-3-0--1-0-0-0-|
Lyrics:
Verse 1
Pride you took
Pride you feel
Pride that you felt when you'd kneel
Not the word
Not the love
Not that you felt from above
It feeds
It grows
It clouds all that you will know
Deceit
Deceive
Decide just what you believe
Chorus
I see faith in your eyes
Never you hear the discouraging lies
I hear faith in your cries
Broken is the promise, betrayal
The healing hand held back by the deepened nail....
FOLLOW THE GOD THAT FAILED
Verse 2
Find your peace
Find your say
Find the smooth road on your way
Trust you gave
A child to save
Left you cold and him in grave
The solo:
^= Bend
~= Shake
H= Hammer On
P= Pull Off
/= Slide Up
\= Slide Down
T= Tremolo Picking
X= Muffled String
Here's the Solo:
e---------------------------|
B-----12--------------------|
G-14~~---14-12-11-12-11-----|
D----------------------14---|
A---------------------------|
E---------------------------|
e-----------------------------|
B-----------------------------|
G-11h12p11\7---7---7-7-7/9\---|
D---------------9-------------|
A-----------------------------|
E-----------------------------|
e-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-|
B-5--7--8-10-12-10--8--7--8--7-|
G------------------------------|
D------------------------------|
A------------------------------|
E------------------------------|
e-0--0--0--0--0--0--10/12\1/12--|
B-5--4--5--7--8-10--10/12\1/12--|
G-------------------------------|
D-------------------------------|
A-------------------------------|
E-------------------------------|
e-------------------------------|
B-------------------------------|
G-----12-14-14^p12---14^p12-----|
D-7/14------------14-------14---|
A-------------------------------|
E-------------------------------|
e--------------------------------|
B----15^~~~----------------------|
G-12-14^~~~--9/11/12/14/16\14\12-|
D--------------------------------|
A------------7/9/-10/12/14\12\9--|
E--------------------------------|
e------------------------------|
B------------------------------|
G-/16-X-X-14--X-X-12-11-9--9---|
D------------------------------|
A-/14-X-X-12--X-X-10--9-7------|
E------------------------------|
e-----------------------------|
B-------------14h15p14--14-15-|
G--7-6----6-7---------16------|
D------9----------------------|
A-----------------------------|
E-----------------------------|
e-----14h15p14-----14-15-17---|
B--17----------17-------------|
G-----------------------------|
D-----------------------------|
A-----------------------------|
E-----------------------------|
e--19---19-19-19-19-19---19-19-|
B------------------------------|
G------------------------------|
D------------------------------|
A------------------------------|
E------------------------------|
e-19-19---19-19-19-19-19---19-|
B-----------------------------|
G-----------------------------|
D-----------------------------|
A-----------------------------|
E-----------------------------|
e-19-19-19--19-19p17p15-19--|
B---------------------------|
G---------------------------|
D---------------------------|
A---------------------------|
E---------------------------|
e--19p17p15---15h17-19p17p15h17-|
B----------17-------------------|
G-------------------------------|
D-------------------------------|
A-------------------------------|
E-------------------------------|
e----15h17-19-19p17p15-----|
B-17------------------17---|
G--------------------------|
D--------------------------|
A--------------------------|
E--------------------------|
e-19p17p15---19p17p15-------|
B---------17---------17-----|
G---------------------------|
D---------------------------|
A---------------------------|
E---------------------------|
e-19p17p15---15--19p17p15\14---|
B---------17-------------------|
G------------------------------|
D------------------------------|
A------------------------------|
E------------------------------|
e--17p15p14\12--15p14p12\10----|
B------------------------------|
G------------------------------|
D------------------------------|
A------------------------------|
E------------------------------|
e--14p12p10\9--12p10p9\7--7-----|
B----------------------8---8----|
G-------------------------------|
D-------------------------------|
A-------------------------------|
E-------------------------------|
e-------------------------------|
B-------------------------------|
G-------------------------------|
D-4h5p4----------4h5p4----------|
A------7-5-4\2--------7-5-4\2---|
E-------------5-3------------5--|
e----22^--22^22^-22~~-19-22---|
B-----------------------------|
G-----------------------------|
D-----------------------------|
A-----------------------------|
E-3---------------------------|
e-19h22p19--19-19-19-19-19-19---|
B---------22-22-22^22^22^-22^22-|
G-------------------------------|
D-------------------------------|
A-------------------------------|
E-------------------------------|
e-19--22p19--19-22p19-22p19-----|
B----------22--------------22---|
G-------------------------------|
D-------------------------------|
A-------------------------------|
E-------------------------------|
e-19-22p19-22p19--19-22p19------|
B---------------22--------22----|
G-------------------------------|
D-------------------------------|
A-------------------------------|
E-------------------------------|
e-19-22p19-22p19-19-----------|
B------------------22-22^p19--|
G-----------------------------|
D-----------------------------|
A-----------------------------|
E-----------------------------|
e-----------------------------|
B-22^--22p19------------------|
G-----------21-19--19-21^-21^-|
D----------------21-----------|
A-----------------------------|
E-----------------------------|
e-----------------------------|
B-----------------------------|
G-21^-21^-21^-21^-21^-21^-21^-|21^
D-----------------------------|
A-----------------------------|
E-----------------------------|
e------------------------------|
B------------------------------|
G--19--------------------------|
D-----21~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-|
A------------------------------|
E------------------------------|
Hope you like it!
