The song is about child abuse and how a person seeks to heal themselves after being abused when young. Similarly, the lyrics deal with a person breaking the chain of hatred/abuse and not mistreating their own loved ones the way they themselves were mistreated - the whole 'Sins of the father passed down to the son' idea - Can you break away from the malice? Will you be like the father who hurt you, or will you be your own man and make things right? James Hetfield goes a long way in comparing voodoo ritual concepts to the idea of breaking away from the hatred and pain that one may be exposed to.