The song is about a singer who is becoming increasingly paranoid and therefore on the brink of losing his mind. The songs intro includes a sound sample of the Winkie chant from the movie The Wizard of Oz. At 7:44 it is the 3rd longest track on ...And Justice For All. The Frayed Ends of Sanity is renowned to be a fan favorite and in the past many petitions were raised among Metallica fans to get the song played live.