Which song on Metallica's The Black Album echoes the motto on the Gadsden flag?

“Don't Tread on Me” is the song on Metallica's The Black Album that echoes the motto on the Gadsden flag.

The Gadsden flag is associated with a coiled rattlesnake and the phrase “Don’t Tread on Me.” The Black Album’s cover also features a coiled snake, creating a visual and thematic connection between the packaging and the song title.

The track appears on the album as one of its twelve songs. Its introduction interpolates the melody of “America,” composed by Leonard Bernstein for the musical West Side Story. That musical reference is separate from the song’s title and snake imagery, so the track combines two different cultural associations.

Listeners sometimes confuse this song with the album’s official singles. “Don’t Tread on Me” was sent to rock radio promotionally but did not receive a commercial single release. The five commercial singles were “Enter Sandman,” “The Unforgiven,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Wherever I May Roam,” and “Sad but True.”