Civil War

Guns N' Roses

About Civil War

"Civil War" is a song by the American rock band Guns N' Roses which originally appeared on the 1990 compilation Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal, and later on the 1991 album Use Your Illusion II. It is a protest song on war, referring to all war as "civil war" and stating that war only "feeds the rich while it buries the poor". In the song, lead singer Axl Rose asks, "What's so civil about war, anyway?" The song was originally released in 1990, when it peaked at number four on the US Album Rock Tracks chart (now the Mainstream Rock chart). It was then released worldwide in 1993, reaching number one in Poland, number two in Spain, and also charting in Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway and New Zealand. Several regions instead saw the release of The "Civil War" EP, including Ireland and the United Kingdom. The EP reached number 11 on the UK Singles Chart and number 15 on the Irish Singles Chart. 


Year:
2004
7:42
278 
#2

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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
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
Ow, oh no, no, no, no, no

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

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
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
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
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no uh-oh-uh, no uh-oh, uh no
I don't need one more war

I don't need one more war
No, no, no, no uh-oh-uh, no uh-oh, uh no
Whaz so civil 'bout war anyway?

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Guns N' Roses

Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band who formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The classic lineup as signed to Geffen Records in 1986, consisted of vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Steven Adler. Today, Axl Rose is the only remaining original member, in a lineup that comprises Use Your Illusion–era keyboardist Dizzy Reed, lead guitarists DJ Ashba and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, lead and rhythm guitarist Richard Fortus, bassist Tommy Stinson, drummer Frank Ferrer and keyboardist Chris Pitman. The band released six studio albums, accumulating sales of more than 100 million albums worldwide, including shipments of 45 million in the United States. more »

20 fans

Written by: W. AXL ROSE, SAUL HUDSON, DUFF ROSE MCKAGAN, IZZY STRADLIN, DARREN A. REED, MATT SORUM

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


14 facts about this song

Release Date
"Civil War" was released as a single in 1990 and was eventually included in the band's 1991 studio album, 'Use Your Illusion II'.
Composition
The song was co-written by Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan. It’s the only song on the album to have this writing combination.
Subject Matter
The lyrics of "Civil War" strongly emphasise war and the suffering caused by it. The song conveys a strong anti-war message.
Sampled Speech
The beginning of the song features a sample of a speech by Peruvian leader Stroessner justifying the Argentine ‘Dirty War’, which resulted in around 30,000 disappearances.
Famous Quotation
It begins with a popular quotation, "What we've got here is failure to communicate." This quote is from the 1967 film, 'Cool Hand Luke'.
Whistling Introduction
The initial music of "Civil War" is whistled by frontman Axl Rose. The melody is based on 'Charges', a traditional military rhythm.
Last Song with Adler
Steven Adler, the original drummer for Guns N' Roses, recorded his last track with the band for "Civil War" due to his severe drug addiction.
Music Video
Despite the song's popularity, "Civil War" never had an official music video. However, it was performed live in Tokyo in 1992, and this performance was frequently aired on MTV.
Human Rights Benefit Concert
"Civil War" was first performed at the Farm Aid IV concert in 1990. A recording was later released on the album 'Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal', which raised funds for the wards of Romanian orphans with AIDS.
Radio Debut
The song first aired on rock radio stations before its formal recording and release, making the public eagerly anticipate the official release.
Charitable Motives
All royalties earned by "Civil War" were donated to the "Civil Wars: The Child Victims" fund, which is handled by Dolphin Humanitarian Association, a non-profit European charity organization.
Length
Clocking in at almost 8 minutes, "Civil War" is one of the longest songs they have ever recorded.
Live Performances
The band often played the song during their "Not in This Lifetime... Tour", with the first performance taking place in April 2016.
Awards
"Civil War" was nominated for the Best Hard Rock Performance category at the 34th Annual Grammy Awards.

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