Guns N’ Roses’ acclaimed Civil War track is a blatantly anti-war song that explicitly condemns any use of weapons to resolve existing conflicts. Written by several members of the band to a melody that appeared earlier, it appealed to fans of the famous rock band, although it did not become a major hit.
The story of Civil War by Guns N’ Roses
Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan are officially co-authors of Civil War. According to Slash, it was originally an instrumental that he composed shortly before the Japanese tour of Guns N’ Roses, where they went as part of a worldwide tour in support of the album Appetite for Destruction.
Duff McKagan also briefly explained what the song is about when talking about the origin of Civil War:
Basically, it was a riff that we played on sound checks. Axl then wrote a couple of opening lines. And… When I was a kid, my mother and I went to the peace march. I was about four years old. In support of Martin Luther King. Here it is from there: “Were you wearing a black bandage on your arm when they shot the man who said:“ The world could go on forever ”?” In fact, this is a real life experience.
Rockline 1993
The lyrics to Civil War, which begin with a line from the movie drama Cool Hand Luke, refer to the Kennedy assassination and the Vietnam War. It also speaks of the sometimes no less bloody struggle for civil rights and armed conflicts on the basis of religious differences. The authors call all wars civil, condemn them and directly say that they do not need them. The composition ends with a rhetorical question about what can be civilian in a war.
Release and achievements
Civil War first appeared on Nobody’s Child: Romanian Angel Appeal (1990) and was included a year later on Use Your Illusion II. In May 1993 the track was released as a single with an interview with Slash on the back.
The song’s highest charting achievement was number four on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.
Video of Civil War by Guns N’ Roses
Let’s watch the online music video for the song Civil War by Guns N’ Roses.
Interesting Facts
- In the song, Axl whistles the tune from the ballad When Johnny Comes Marching Home.
- Civil War was the only track on the double album Use Your Illusion to feature drummer Steven Adler. Soon he was fired, and Matt Sorum took part in the work on the rest of the songs.
- The opening line of the song (What we’ve got here is failure to communicate) is considered by the American Film Institute to be one of the most famous quotes in American cinema.
- The use of the movie quote is said to be a reference to the fired Steven Adler.
- The statement about the destruction of civil servants belonged to the young leader of the Peruvian rebels, who in 1989 introduced himself as Jorge.
Civil War Lyrics by Guns N’ Roses
“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.
Some men you just can’t reach…
So, you get what we had here last week
Which is the way he wants it!
Well, he gets it!
And I don’t like it any more than you men.”
Look at your young men fighting
Look at your women crying
Look at your young men dying
The way they’ve always done before
Look at the hate we’re breeding
Look at the fear we’re feeding
Look at the lives we’re leading
The way we’ve always done before
My hands are tied
The billions shift from side to side
And the wars go on with brainwashed pride
For the love of God and our human rights
And all these things are swept aside
By bloody hands time can’t deny
And are washed away by your genocide
And history hides the lies of our civil wars
D’you wear a black armband
When they shot the man
Who said “Peace could last forever”
And in my first memories
They shot Kennedy
An I went numb when I learned to see
So I never fell for Vietnam
We got the wall of DC to remind us all
That you can’t trust freedom
when it’s not in your hands
When everybody’s fighting
for their promised land
And I don’t need your civil war
It feeds the rich while it buries the poor
Your power hungry sellin’ soldiers
In a human grocery store
Ain’t that fresh
I don’t need your civil war
Look at the shoes you’re filling
Look at the blood we’re spilling
Look at the world we’re killing
The way we’ve always done before
Look in the doubt we’ve wallowed
Look at the leaders we’ve followed
Look at the lies we’ve swallowed
And I don’t want to hear no more
My hands are tied
For all I’ve seen has changed my mind
But still the wars go on as the years go by
With no love of God or human rights
‘Cause all these dreams are swept aside
By bloody hands of the hypnotized
Who carry the cross of homicide
And history bears the scars of our civil wars
“We practice selective annihilation of mayors and government officials… for example to create a vacuum. Then we fill that vacuum… As popular war advances peace is closer”
I don’t need your civil war
It feeds the rich while it buries the poor
Your power hungry sellin’ soldiers
In a human grocery store
Ain’t that fresh
I don’t need your civil war
I don’t need your civil war
Your power hungry sellin’ soldiers
In a human grocery store
Ain’t that fresh
I don’t need your civil war
I don’t need one more war
I don’t need one more war
What’s so civil about war anyway?
Lyrics of Civil War by Guns N’ Roses Alternate
“In this case, we have a lack of understanding.
Some people can’t be reached…
So you’re left with the same as last week
And that’s exactly what he wants!
He achieves it!
And I don’t like it any more than you do.”
Watch your youths fight
Watch your women cry
Watch your youths die
Just like always until now
See how we breed hate
See how we keep the fear alive
See how we live
Just like always until now
My hands are tied
Billions move from side to side
And the wars go on with pride in the brainwashed
For the love of God, for our rights
And it’s all swept away by bloodied hands
That even time can’t deny
And washed away by your genocide
And history hides the lies of our civil wars
You wore a black armband
When a man was shot
Who said, “The world could go on forever”?
Among my first memories
Kennedy assassination
And I was numb when I learned to see
I did not fall for the bait of Vietnam
We have a Washington wall to remind everyone
That you can’t trust freedom
When she’s not in your arms
When everyone is fighting
For the promised land
And I don’t need your civil war
She feeds the rich while she buries the poor
Power hungry, you’re selling soldiers
In the people’s grocery store
What is not new in itself
I don’t need your civil war
Look at the shoes you’re standing in
Look at the blood we shed
Look at the world we’re killing
Just like always until now
Look at the doubts we’ve been mired in
Look at the leaders we followed
Look at the lies we believed
And I don’t want to hear it anymore
My hands are tied
‘Cause everything I’ve seen has changed my mind
But the wars still go on as the years go by
And there is no God’s love, no human rights,
Since all these dreams are swept away
With bloodied hands of the hypnotized
Who bear the cross of homicide,
Leaving in history the scars of our civil wars
“We practice the selective elimination of mayors and civil servants. For example, to create a void. Then we fill this void. With the onset of a people’s war, peace approaches.”
And I don’t need your civil war
She feeds the rich while she buries the poor
Power hungry, you’re selling soldiers
In the people’s grocery store
What is not new in itself
I don’t need your civil war
I don’t need your civil war
Power hungry, you’re selling soldiers
In the people’s grocery store
What is not new in itself
I don’t need your civil war
I don’t need your civil war
I don’t need your civil war
What can be civilian in war?
