"Don't Tread on Me" received a promotional rock-radio release but no commercial single release.
The song appears on Metallica's 1991 album and takes its title from the motto associated with the Gadsden flag, whose snake inspired the album cover. Its placement connected the record's visual identity with one of its song titles.
The album produced five commercial singles: "Enter Sandman," "The Unforgiven," "Nothing Else Matters," "Wherever I May Roam," and "Sad but True." "Don't Tread on Me" was sent to rock radio after the album's release but was not issued as a commercial single.
This distinction is easy to miss because the song was promoted to radio and is often listed alongside the album's better-known singles. Promotional airplay does not make it one of the five commercial singles.