Slash states that the song was an instrumental he had written right before the band left for the Japanese leg of its Appetite for Destruction world tour. Axl wrote lyrics and it was worked into a proper song at a sound check in Melbourne, Australia.
Guns N' Roses performed the song at Farm Aid IV on April 7, 1990. This performance was televised.
It is the first track on Use Your Illusion II, appears on the compilation Use Your Illusion, and on Guns N' Roses Greatest Hits.
The song also mentions John F. Kennedy's assassination with the lyrics: "and in my first memories they shot Kennedy," as well as the battle for civil rights and the Vietnam War.
On September 27, 1993, Duff McKagan explains where the song came from in an interview on Rockline: "Basically it was a riff that we would do at sound-checks. Axl came up with a couple of lines at the beginning. And... I went in a peace march, when I was a little kid, with my mom. I was like four years old. For Martin Luther King. And that's when: "Did you wear the black arm band when they shot the man who said: 'Peace could last forever'?. It's just true-life experiences, really."
The song samples Strother Martin's speech in Cool Hand Luke ("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. I don't like it any more than you men.") and a Peruvian militant general's speech ("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").
The song ends with the telling line, "What's so civil about war anyway?", a word play on the dual meaning of the word civil.
The song also plays homage to American Civil War song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" with snippets of the tune used in the introduction, and then again in the outro.
"Civil War" is the last song on which drummer Steven Adler played for Guns N' Roses before being replaced by Matt Sorum.
The opening speech was used again in the GNR song "Madagascar" which appeared on Chinese Democracy, mixed in with other quotes.
Civil War
Guns N' Roses Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(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 mean)
Look at your young men fighting
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 in 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
You're power-hungry, sellin' soldiers in a human grocery store
Ain't that fresh?
I don't need your civil war
Ooh, no, 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
And 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
You're 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
You're 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 one more war
Ooh, I don't need one more war
No no no, no whoa, no whoa
What's so civil 'bout war anyway?
The lyrics of Guns N' Roses's song, Civil War, are politically-charged and tackle issues of war, violence, and history. The opening verse describes the devastation of war, with young men dying and women crying, and highlights how these events have occurred throughout history. The following verse is a criticism of the societal attitudes and beliefs that lead to war. Guns N' Roses, through their lyrics, criticize the hate and fear that society is breeding - emotions that serve as catalysts for violence.
The chorus of the song is a statement by the band saying they don't need another civil war. Guns N' Roses point out that civil war feeds the rich while burying the poor. They also describe how individuals are sold as soldiers, like products in a grocery store, as a powerful critique of the military-industrial complex that benefits off war. In the last verse, the band members articulate how their own beliefs have changed over time. They explain that they’ve come to realize that wars have been and will continue to be fueled by the hypnotized individuals who carry the cross of homicide. History is littered with the scars of civil wars, and the band members believe that it's better to stay away from them.
Line by Line Meaning
Look at your young men fighting
Observing the youth of our country battling each other
Look at your women crying
Watching as women weep and mourn
Look at your young men dying
Witnessing the deaths of our young people
The way they've always done before
Following this familiar pattern of violence and war
Look at the hate we're breeding
Noticing how our society fosters hatred
Look at the fear we're feeding
Feeding the fear we have towards each other
Look at the lives we're leading
Examining the kind of life we're living
The way we've always done before
Sticking to this long-standing routine of violence
My hands are tied
I am not free to act
The billions shift from side to side
Money is being transferred back and forth with no impact on war
And the wars go on with brainwashed pride
Wars persist due to indoctrinated pride
For the love of God and our human rights
Trying to justify war with religious or moral concerns
And all these things are swept aside
Everything else is disregarded
By bloody hands time can't deny
Evidence from history can't refute the violent nature of war
And are washed away by your genocide
Genocide is eliminating any contradiction to the violence
And history hides the lies of our civil wars
History conceals the truth about the violence and warfare our country experiences
D'you wear a black armband
Do you don mourning attire
When they shot the man
When they killed the one
Who said "peace could last forever"
Who believed peace was eternal
And in my first memories
In my earliest recollections
They shot Kennedy
When Kennedy was assassinated
I went numb when I learned to see
I was shocked when I realized what happened
So I never fell for Vietnam
So I was never swayed into supporting the Vietnam War
We got the wall of D.C. to remind us all
The Vietnam Memorial in D.C. serves as a reminder to us all
That you can't trust freedom
Freedom itself may not be reliable
When it's not in your hands
When you're not in control of it
When everybody's fightin'
In a situation where everyone is fighting
For their promised land
Everyone is fighting for what they were promised
And
I don't need your civil war
I don't want to participate in or support violence
It feeds the rich while it buries the poor
Those in power benefit from why the poor suffer
Your power hungry sellin' soldiers
Leaders are manipulating soldiers
In a human grocery store
As if they are simple goods to be sold and traded
Ain't that fresh
That's pretty sick
Look at the shoes you're filling
Think about the position you're in
Look at the blood we're spilling
Recognize the amount of lives being claimed
Look at the world we're killing
Observe the destruction taking place
The way we've always done before
Just like this tendency towards warfare has existed previously
Look in the doubt we've wallowed
Examine the uncertainty and hesitation we've experienced
Look at the leaders we've followed
Examine the leaders we've selected
Look at the lies we've swallowed
Consider the lies we've accepted without question
And I don't want to hear no more
I don't want to continue hearing more justifications for war
My hands are tied
I'm unable to help in any way
For all I've seen has changed my mind
Everything I have observed has led me to change my perspective
But still the wars go on as the years go by
However, wars still continue to occur over time
With no love of God or human rights
Moral concerns like religious or human ethics mean nothing in light of violence
'Cause all these dreams are swept aside
All hopes for peace and reconciliation are abandoned
By bloody hands of the hypnotized
The violence is executed by those under a spell or brainwashed
Who carry the cross of homicide
Those who take human lives bear the weight of their guilt
And history bears the scars of our civil wars
History gives evidence of the harm caused by our domestic conflicts
Whaz so civil 'bout war anyway?
What exactly makes war civilized?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: W. Axl Rose, Saul Hudson, Duff Rose Mckagan, Izzy Stradlin, Darren A. Reed, Matt Sorum
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@godblessamericamyhomesweet1094
It was the best of times and the worst of times.
We were a bunch of latchkey kids with Dad's that suffered in silence until behind closed doors with horrific Vietnam ptsd, and Mom's that worked more than full time out of necessity and as a way to cope. We had to raise ourselves and music was our escape.
30+ years later and it definitely hits very different now that we are old enough to process what was really going on.
A double edged sword of a masterpiece that helps make the nonsensical more bearable and understandable.
The GenX teenager in me thanks you.
@jatupongwongsin9679
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?
@willhilpipre9524
“D'you wear a black armband when they shot the man
Who said peace could last forever?
An' 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 in 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”
Those lyrics give me chills every time
@DrBeauHightower
One of the greatest rock songs of all time
@Mazen.M978
Hell Yeah 🤘🏻
@AneyStokes771
Just excellent
@endurooncross5960
No its Smell like tenn spirit but this song is awesome
@OmarDeLucci
@EnduroOnCross What a joke! 😂
@4thandinches
Dr. Beau Hightower, IYHO, that is.
@billclinton2089
My mom showed me Guns N’ Roses since I was a wee one. We would always sing to these songs at the top of our lungs. I still get goosebumps listening to them now that she’s gone. Feels like she’s there singing along with me. Love you mom❤
@rodrigoapolinario9147
MANO!!! NOSSAS MÃES SÃO MULHERES SAGRADAS!!!
@Jasmine-dk2nt
Definitely in my top 5 of GNR songs, it's genius in every way. These lyrics were written over 30 years ago but can sadly be applied to today's world.
@rubytuesday5412
~ Same here. The volume goes up full when I listen to this MASTRPIECE.