Lyrics for Civil War as interpreted by mike

Civil War Lyrics
"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!
N' 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 D.C. to remind us all
That you can't trust freedom
when it's not in your hands
When everybody's fightin'
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
Whaz so civil 'bout war anyway

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Wurby Tictoc
07-18-2005

Rated 0 
This song probably was inspired by the Gulf War in 1991.

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super_unknown_
09-15-2005

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"Peace could last forever".... I always thought he was talking about John Lennon. I'm probably wrong - maybe some politician who was assassinated(?!)

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Alston11
10-30-2005

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"Peace could last forever"
John Lennon said that.

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Its me Its DDP
11-06-2005

Rated 0 
this is an anti-war song thats pretty simple, i wonder who wrote it doesnt seem like an axl rose penned song, even though im probly wrong

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Milroy
12-20-2005

Rated 0 
Greatest GNR song ever hands down. war is the stupidest shit ever. anything used to proteect one country, or in civil wars one part of a conutry, by killing other ppl is bullshit. everything is this world should be rune by ppl who believe in peace and love. Axl Rose is god his lyrics are so phenominal and inspirational its crazy. i mean some of his songs had downsides but he was probably just pissed at something when he wrote them. so anyone who thinks war is the answer should stop and think about other ppl in other countries. And What is So Civil 'bout War Anyways?

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Comrade_Liar
12-31-2005

Rated 0 
"All wars are civil wars, because all men are brothers. "
Francois Fenelon

I think this quotation is the basis of this song.

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mercury_girl86
01-02-2006

Rated 0 
In my opinion this is GNR's best song, no question.

I love the power, it's similar to White Man by Queen in that it sees how futile everything is - wars are only helpful to the rich, who are usually the ones that start them - "It feeds the rich while it buries the poor" - I think "feed" isn't talking about food, it's fulfilling their need for violence and drama, cos their lives are so perfect that they need something bad to balance the good.

If anyone here has read 'Brave New World' by Aldous Huxley, it's the equivalent of a VPS treatment, which makes the inhabitants of the utopia desperately sad, so that when they are perpetually happy, they realise it and don't get bored with it.

Ok, I'm gonna stop ranting now. But doesn't everyone just love it when Axl comes in on the line "When everybody's fighting for their promised land"? Ahhh... magic...

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wicked1
01-04-2006

Rated 0 
actually, i think Martin Luther King Jr said 'peace could last forever.' could be wrong, tho

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Honor Punk
01-04-2006

Rated 0 
"We got the wall of D.C. to remind us all
That you can't trust freedom
when it's not in your hands
When everybody's fightin'
for their promised land"

Everybody has their own vision of freedom/peace and because of this, there will always be part of the world or country that in someway disagrees with the "perfect vision".

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Abq_phys
02-16-2006

Rated 0 
I think it's a great reflection on human nature. We all know wars are bad, but we as a species cannot seem to escape them: 'the way we we've always done before'

The line 'history hides the lies of our civil wars' is amazing. It's the two faces of war hawks, to first destroy and then rationalize/minimize the consequences.

The line 'human grocery store' is one of the most vivid I've seen in any song or poem ever.

One of the best sociopolitical songs ever. Period.

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ColdenScence
02-24-2006

Rated 0 
best lyrics ever. it's his first and last that implied to the ideas like " Satirizing politicians, look at the others like our brothers, love of god and human rights!!! (sometimes i doubt wether Axl wrote these lyrics or not ), hate of wars" and plenty of other strong Purporsts.

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HomerunHenry
02-27-2006

Rated 0 
"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!
N' I don't like it any more than you men."

that beginning part is from the movie "Pool Hand Luke"
just thought i should mention that,
amazing movie too.

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HomerunHenry
03-02-2006

Rated 0 
i meant, "COOL Hand Luke"

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shakeymango
03-03-2006

Rated 0 
MLK did say Pece Could Last Forever...

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shakeymango
03-03-2006

Rated 0 
ooops Peace...

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ColdenScence
03-21-2006

Rated 0 
I LOVE WAR

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Sublime_LBC
03-22-2006

Rated 0 
This is about how he doesn't need their civil war.

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GNR1234
04-04-2006

Rated 0 
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

AMAZING

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newHIT
04-05-2006

Rated 0 
what´s so civil about war anyway? great!

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notmj20
06-05-2006

Rated 0 
Bush should listen to this song

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Logornko
06-27-2006

Rated 0 
I think the song indirectly refers to problems with society.

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Abq_phys
07-25-2006

Rated 0 
Logornko: On the contrary, I think it's quite direct.

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rorster
08-20-2006

Rated 0 
1st of all great song, love it and very possibly their numba 1

the line my hands are tied is great saying he cant do anything

GNR best band ever

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*JoSIe*
09-05-2006

Rated 0 
Definatly one of the best GNR songs.

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em-j
10-04-2006

Rated 0 
This is my favorite GN'R song!
I think its pretty clear what the lyrics are about tho!
about war pretty simply!

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