Like the Latin meaning of the song name ("Carpe Diem") and the lyrics, the meaning of the song is clear: Seize the day, live your life like its your last, because you only have one life. It has also been noted that both Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett refer to the song as "Skimpy," the song's demo name, because they do not know the working title for the song. James Hetfield has also noted that this confuses him in the tuning room as he does know the real title of the song.