To Live Is To Die (Hetfield/Ulrich/Hammett/Burton)
The song "To Live Is To Die" is a tribute song to Cliff Burton.
Album:
... And Justice For All
The song live:
Has never been played live in its full version, but as a part of the bass solo.
The origin of the riffs:
Once Lars said in an interview, the song "To Live Is To Die" is actually based on a number
of riffs that Cliff wrote a couple of years ago. Metallica thought it would be cool if there
would be something written by Cliff on the "... And Justice For All" album. So in this way
he took part on that record.
The spoken part:
Cliff Burton himself said these words once.
"When a man lies he murders"
"Some part of the world"
"These are the pale deaths"
"Which men miscall their lives"
"All this I cannot bear"
"To witness any longer"
"Cannot the kingdom of salvation"
"Take me home?"
The subject matter:
It's a tribute song to Cliff Burton.
To Live Is To Die - Interpretation Possibility
The intro:
The slow intro which has been written in a spanish style seems with its apparently
incessant repeating like an infinity memory - over and over again...
It's fading into the heavier part.
The heavier part:
A symbolizing for the loss and aggressions they felt.
Solo #1:
Kirk's feelings can be heared in every string he hits.
The slow part:
The slow part which sounds very silent is now including more harmonies - acceptance of
the loss and the will to carry on...
Solo #2:
It is a kind of a laid back and more harmonized solo - It's representing how deep the
death of Cliff Burton has touched them.
The heavy part again:
They tribute Cliff in doing what Cliff would want from them: To carry on with the
music.
The outro:
Exactly the same as the intro - symbolizing that the song (the memory on Cliff) won't
ever have an end. The last riff is cut which is symbolizing Cliff's life - cut short in
such a young age.
