Who wrote the lyrics for most of the songs on Metallica's The Black Album?

James Hetfield wrote the lyrics for most of the songs on Metallica's The Black Album.

During the album's creation, Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich were the principal songwriting partnership. They commonly developed the songs together, with Hetfield serving as the main lyricist and rhythm guitarist while Ulrich shaped the drum arrangements and overall structures.

Kirk Hammett and Jason Newsted also contributed ideas. Newsted wrote the main riff for “My Friend of Misery,” which was initially intended to be an instrumental. Hammett contributed song concepts and guitar ideas, but neither was the main lyricist for the album.

This division of roles explains why Hetfield is the canonical answer rather than the band name or Ulrich. Metallica's songwriting credits often list multiple members, but the lyrics and vocal perspective on the record are chiefly associated with Hetfield.