Breakdown
Gun n` Roses Lyrics


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We all come in from the cold
We come down from the wire
An everybody warms themselves
To a different fire
When sometimes we get burned
You'd think sometime we'd learn
The one you love is the one
That should take you higher
You ain't got no one
You better go back out and find her

Just like children hidin' in a closet
Can't tell what's goin' on outside
Sometimes we're so far off the beaten track
We'll get taken for a ride
By a parlor trick or some words of wit
A hidden hand up a sleeve
To think the one you love
Could hurt you now
Is a little hard to believe
But everybody darlin' sometimes
Bites the hand that feeds

When I look around
Everybody always brings me down
Well is it them or me
Well I just can't see
But there ain't no peace to found
But if someone really cared
Well they'd take the time to spare
A moment to try and understand
Another one's despair
Remember in this game we call life
That no one said it's fair

Breakdown
Let me hear it now
Breakdown
Let me hear it now
Yeah
Breakdown
Let me hear it now
Breakdown
Let me hear it now
Get down with yo' bad self
Alright

I've come to know the cold
I think of it as home
When there ain't enough of me
To go around
I'd rather be left alone
But if I call you out of habit
I'm out of love and I gotta have it
Would you give it to me
If I fit you needs
Like when we both knew we had it
But now the damage's done
And we're back out on the run
Fun how ev'rything was roses
When we held on to the guns
Just because you're winnin'
Don't mean you're the lucky ones

Breakdown
Let me hear it now
Breakdown
Yeah
Breakdown
Breakdown
Let me hear it now

There goes the Challenger being chased
By the blue blue meanies on wheels
The vicious traffic squad cars are
After our lone driver
The last American hero
The the electric sitar
The demi-god
The super driver of the golden west!
Two nasty nazi cars are close behind
The beautiful lone driver
The police cars are getting closer-closer
Closer to our soul hero in his soul mobile yeah baby!
They about to strike, they gonna get him, smash! rape!
The last beautiful free soul on this planet

But it is written if the evil spirit
Arms the tiger with claws
Brahman provided wings for the dove




Thus spake the super guru"
"Did you hear that"

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Gun n` Roses's song Breakdown seem to be about the ups and downs of relationships and how people can be hurt by the ones they love. The song highlights the fact that we all have our own emotional fires burning within, and sometimes, it can be challenging to understand each other's point of view. The lyrics suggest that we should take the time to try and understand one another's despair, and that life isn't always fair. The song speaks about the feeling that sometimes people bring us down, and that we can feel lost and alone, and the only way to break down such moments is by finding our way back to the truth of our loves and ourselves.


Line by Line Meaning

We all come in from the cold
We all experience tough times and difficult situations in life


We come down from the wire
We descend from moments of heightened intensity or stress


An everybody warms themselves
We all seek comfort and support


To a different fire
We look for different things to make us feel better


When sometimes we get burned
Sometimes we experience heartbreak and disappointment


You'd think sometime we'd learn
We might expect to learn from painful experiences, but often don't


The one you love is the one
The person you care about deeply and intimately


That should take you higher
Should inspire you to greater things and better yourself


You ain't got no one
If you no longer have that special someone


You better go back out and find her
You should try to find them again


Just like children hidin' in a closet
We sometimes feel scared and vulnerable


Can't tell what's goin' on outside
It's hard to understand what's happening in the world around us


Sometimes we're so far off the beaten track
We can become lost or disconnected from mainstream society


We'll get taken for a ride
We might experience hardship or difficulty


By a parlor trick or some words of wit
Someone might try to deceive us


A hidden hand up a sleeve
There might be something sinister or underhanded going on


To think the one you love
To imagine that the person you care about


Could hurt you now
Could cause you pain or suffering


Is a little hard to believe
Might be difficult to accept or understand


But everybody darlin' sometimes
All of us at some point or another


Bites the hand that feeds
Might hurt or betray the person who supports us


When I look around
When I observe the world


Everybody always brings me down
Many things in the world cause me to feel negative emotions


Well is it them or me
I am unsure whether the problem lies within me or with others


Well I just can't see
I cannot easily identify the source of these negative emotions


But there ain't no peace to found
I can't find any solace or comfort around me


But if someone really cared
If someone genuinely loved and cared for me


Well they'd take the time to spare
They would make an effort to understand and help me


A moment to try and understand
Make an attempt to empathize and comprehend my experience


Another one's despair
Acknowledge and address someone else's feelings of hopelessness and depression


Remember in this game we call life
Keep in mind that life is a challenging and complex journey


That no one said it's fair
It's not promised that life is going to be easy for anyone


Breakdown
An emotional collapse or loss of control


Let me hear it now
Let me feel this emotional pain for what it is


Yeah
A simple affirmation or agreement


Get down with yo' bad self
Engage or express one's true emotions and identity


I've come to know the cold
I've become familiar with the feeling of isolation and loneliness


I think of it as home
It's become such a constant aspect of my life that it seems normal or familiar


When there ain't enough of me
When I don't have enough energy or strength to give to others


To go around
To share or divide that energy and strength with those around me


I'd rather be left alone
Sometimes I'd prefer to be by myself, rather than to expend effort to socialize or engage with others


But if I call you out of habit
If I reach out to someone because it's a regular or familiar pattern of behavior


I'm out of love and I gotta have it
It's because I desire and crave that feeling of love and closeness


Would you give it to me
Would you be willing to offer that love and closeness to me


If I fit you needs
If I fulfill your desired criteria or expectations


Like when we both knew we had it
Like we had in the past, when we both felt that connection


But now the damage's done
It seems that trust and intimacy between us has been broken


And we're back out on the run
And we're back to feeling disconnected and isolated


Fun how ev'rything was roses
It's strange and ironic how things that were once beautiful and lovely have become so difficult and stressful


When we held on to the guns
When we fiercely and passionately fought to cling on to our relationship


Just because you're winnin'
Just because you might appear to be succeeding or victorious


Don't mean you're the lucky ones
Doesn't mean that you've dealt with everything that needs to be dealt with


There goes the Challenger being chased
A reference to the 1971 film 'Vanishing Point' - the car Challenger being chased symbolizing the pursuit of freedom and autonomy


By the blue blue meanies on wheels
A reference to a character in The Beatles''Yellow Submarine' - indicating a sense of authority and control attempting to catch up to our pursuit for freedom and aversion for isolation


The vicious traffic squad cars are
Traffic police's vehicles that are generally used for necessary stops and discipline, yet portrayed as malicious in this song


After our lone driver
This symbolizes a yearning for a lone ranger, who has the courage to drive against law and authority for the sake of his own liberty of choices


The last American hero
The last person who represents the American dream


The the electric sitar
A sweet Arabian instrument often characterized as a replica of a guitar, with surges of electricity to generate sound


The demi-god
A half-god, half-human being with great power - mostly used in Greek Mythology


The super driver of the golden west!
An extremely skilled driver from the western part of the United States


Two nasty nazi cars are close behind
References to Nazi's chasing an American in a muscle car, symbolizing the struggle to preserve individual rights and choices in the face of totalitarianism.


The beautiful lone driver
Someone who is dedicated to their own pursuit for independence and truth, despite their loneliness.


The police cars are getting closer-closer
Indicating the threat of authority getting closer to the lone driver who has only one true desire - remaining free.


Closer to our soul hero in his soul mobile yeah baby!
The policeman are getting closer to the artist and his vehicle


They about to strike, they gonna get him, smash! rape!
The police are going to destroy the artist, both physically and emotionally


The last beautiful free soul on this planet
The singer, the last free human on this planet representing the isolation one has in society in order to choose one's own path of independence and freedom


But it is written if the evil spirit
This is a reference to the battle between good and evil on this planet


Arms the tiger with claws
When evil empowers the strong


Brahman provided wings for the dove
A sign of hope as God always responds to the prayers of the good people by counterbalancing acts of evil with acts of good


Thus spake the super guru"
In the end, those who believe in a higher power are able to hold support and guidance from above and make sense of their trials and tribulations


"Did you hear that"
This lyric displays eagerness and willingness to learn about what is unknown or mysterious




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DUFF ROSE MCKAGAN, IZZY STRADLIN, SAUL HUDSON, W. AXL ROSE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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