The God That Failed

Song

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!