So wash your vice away with dirt

The story:

One word changed everything. Figured it meant
replacing one vice with another, Hetfield was a
heavy drinker back then, so it made sense to me.
Eventually, I searched the lyrics online and I was
extremely disappointed, like a kid finding out
there's no tooth fairy. One of many songs where
what I misheard sounds better to me and I almost
refuse to acknowledge the actual lyric.