What was Metallica's song "My Friend of Misery" originally intended to be?

Metallica's song My Friend of Misery was originally intended to be an instrumental. It ultimately became a vocal track on The Black Album, with lyrics added during the songwriting process.

The composition is notable for its prominent bass-led opening and developing guitar arrangement. Jason Newsted had prepared an instrumental idea, and the band worked it into the album's final sequence. Its finished version combines the instrumental foundation with James Hetfield's lyrics and vocals.

The song is sometimes described as a tribute to Cliff Burton because of its bass emphasis, but that interpretation should not be treated as the official explanation for its origin. What is clear is that it began as an instrumental concept before becoming a complete song. On the standard album, My Friend of Misery appears as track eleven, immediately before The Struggle Within.