“Don't Tread on Me” uses an instrumental introduction based on “America” from West Side Story.
The song appears on Metallica's 1991 album and begins with an eight-bar phrase derived from Leonard Bernstein's “America,” a song from the musical West Side Story. The quotation is an unusual detail within an otherwise heavy-metal album and is easy to miss because it functions as an introduction rather than a full cover.
“Don't Tread on Me” also connects musically and visually with the album's snake imagery. Its title is the motto associated with the Gadsden flag, whose rattlesnake inspired the snake on the album cover.
James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich composed the music, while Hetfield wrote the lyrics. The words draw on American Revolutionary imagery, including Patrick Henry's famous “liberty or death” quotation and the idea of peace being secured through preparedness.
The track was promoted to rock radio but was not released as a commercial single. Metallica did not perform it live until the European tour celebrating the album's twentieth anniversary in 2012.