Which Metallica song on The Black Album includes a melody from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story?

“Don’t Tread on Me” is the Metallica song on The Black Album that includes a melody from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story.

The song’s introduction interpolates the melody of “America,” a musical number Bernstein composed for West Side Story. The reference appears in the opening musical figure before the song moves into Metallica’s own heavy arrangement.

Its title refers to the Gadsden flag and the broader “Don’t Tread on Me” phrase associated with American revolutionary imagery. The lyrics use that imagery to express a warning against aggression and a desire for self-determination.

Although “Don’t Tread on Me” appeared on the album and was sent to rock radio, it was not released as one of the album’s five commercial singles. Those singles were “Enter Sandman,” “The Unforgiven,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Wherever I May Roam,” and “Sad but True.”