The intro to Metallica’s “Don’t Tread on Me” interpolates the melody of “America.”
“America” was composed by Leonard Bernstein for the 1957 musical West Side Story. Metallica used a brief version of that melody at the beginning of “Don’t Tread on Me,” creating a musical connection between the album track and a famous piece of American musical theater.
The track’s title and lyrics also connect to American historical imagery. “Don’t Tread on Me” is the motto associated with the Gadsden flag, whose coiled snake appears on the album cover. The song therefore links its arrangement, title, and artwork through related American references.
The interpolation is easy to miss because it appears only in the introduction. It is not a cover of Bernstein’s composition; the rest of the Metallica song is an original band performance.