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“Enter Sandman” is probably the most famous, well known and the Metallica song that have gotten a lot of radio airplay. This song if from their 5th studio album simply called “Metallica” (The Black Album). This song is the first track that open up the album.

It reached number 5 in the UK charts and number 16 in the US.

This main repeating riff of the song Enter Sandman consists of one part that repeats three times followed by a fourth ending part, or tail.

The two notes marked in red are actually the same note (the point where the cycle repeats).

In a documentary about the making of “The Black Album” it was revealed that guitarist Kirk Hammett originally wrote the riff as two alternating parts, and then drummer Lars Ulrich suggested two repeat the first part 3 times and then tag on the second part as a tail at the end. Collaboration is so important in music.

Kirk Hammett and Lars Ulrich wrote the music and lyrics but James Hetfield, the band’s vocalist and rhythm guitarist wrote most of the lyrics which is about the concept of child’s nightmares… There was some news that the song was originally about ‘death’ but the record company says that death do not sell, hence change the topic of the song to nightmares instead.

How to Play Enter Sandman

The whole intro riff is an easy one to play with just flat picking each notes. For this lesson, let’s go through the intro riff and lets do the fingering one note at a time.

The song is played over the E5 power chords or in the E major chord family.

You start of by playing the open E, then the loop riff starts with the next octave E note on the 7th fret of the A string (5th strign).

After that E note, next is G note on the D strings 5th fret. followed by Bb on the 6th fret of the 6th string immediately followed by a quarter note (1 beat) in the 5th fret (A note).

Next note is the high (higher at least) E note on the A string followed by the open E string.

Then, the whole riff repeats.

Metallica – Black Album Song list

Besides “Enter Sandman”, some other singles released from that album is “The Unforgiven” and “Nothing Else Matters”.

Here is the complete track list of that album. There are some other good songs on it and you may want to learn how to play them as well on your guitar.

All lyrics written by James Hetfield.
No.     Title     Music     Length
1.     “Enter Sandman”
2.     “Sad but True”
3.     “Holier Than Thou”
4.     “The Unforgiven”
5.     “Wherever I May Roam”
6.     “Don’t Tread on Me”
7.     “Through the Never”
8.     “Nothing Else Matters”
9.     “Of Wolf and Man”
10.     “The God That Failed”
11.     “My Friend of Misery”
12.     “The Struggle Within”

Enter Sandman Guitar Chords

Enter Sandman Chords

Metallica – enter sandman
Tuning:E

Intro:

E5

A5 E5

E5 G5 F#5 G5 F#5 E5

F5

say your prayers, little one

F5
don’t forget, my son,

G5
to include everyone

F#5 G5 F#5

E5 F5

tuck you in, warm within

F5
keep you free from sin

G5
till the sandman he comes

F#5 G5 F#5

sleep with one eye open

gripping your pillow tight

F#5 B5 F#5 B5
Ex it: light

F#5 B5 E5
Ent er: night

F#5 B5 E5
take my hand

G5 F#5 G5 F#5 E5
we’re off to never-never land

E5
F5

something’s wrong, shut the light

F5
heavy thoughts tonight

G5
and they aren’t of snow white

F#5 G5 F#5

E5 F5

dreams of war, dreams of liars

F5
dreams of dragon’s fire

G5
and of things that will bite

sleep with one eye open

gripping your pillow tight

F#5 B5 F#5 B5
Ex it: light

F#5 B5 E5
Ent er: night

F#5 B5 E5
take my hand

G5 F#5 G5 F#5 E5
we’re off to never-never land

E5 G5

F#5 E5

G5 F#5 G5 F#5

F#5 B5 F#5 B5 F#5

B5 E5 F#5 B5 E5

E5

E

hush little baby, don’t say a word

and never mind that noise you heard

it’s just the beasts under your bed

F#5
in your closet, in your head

F#5 B5 F#5 B5
Ex it: light

F#5 B5 E5
Ent er: night

F#5 B5 E5
grain of sand

F#5 B5 F#5 B5
Ex it: light

F#5 B5 E5
Ent er: night

F#5 B5 E5
take my hand

G5 F#5 G5 F#5 E5
we’re off to never-never land

E5

E5 G5 E

F5