"Estranged" is the longest song on Use Your Illusion II, and one of Guns N' Roses' longest overall. It has many verses, and no set chorus, as well as distinguished guitar and piano solos. Use Your Illusion II's liner notes thank Slash for "the killer guitar melodies," which captured Axl Rose's vision. Slash has specifically stated that recording the guitar parts for this song was very intensive for him; he recorded it using a Les Paul Gold Top, using the treble pickup with the tone turned all the way down.
According to Slash, the song was written while the band was rehearsing for an extended period of time in Chicago. Axl revealed that he wrote the song during a more "bummed out" time in his life.
The music video is the third and final part of an unofficial trilogy of videos (preceded by "Don't Cry" and "November Rain") from the two Use Your Illusion albums which featured a stunning theatrical film type cinematography. This, like its predecessors had a massive budget, approximately reaching $8.5 million.
The over nine-minute-long video for "Estranged" is similar in style to the previous two in the trilogy; however, it appears only loosely to pick up the theme. This is mainly because Axl Rose and then-girlfriend Stephanie Seymour (who played Axl's girlfriend in "Don't Cry" and "November Rain") had broken up prior to filming, making the theme of separation/divorce highly relevant.
The video begins by showing Axl pursued by a group of SWAT team members while hidden in what appeared to be an abandoned mansion. Later, in a flashback, Axl is shown being escorted off that same (presumably marital) property. During this sequence, dictionary definitions for "Estranged" are flashed across the screen suggesting that Axl is going through a separation. Definitions of illusion and disillusion also appear. In the final sequence, Axl goes to an oil tanker, where in the video's climax, he leaps into the water in an apparent suicide attempt but ends up being rescued by a group of bottlenose dolphins. The video is also known for the memorable scene where Slash walks on water while playing a guitar solo. The video contains multiple shots of the Rainbow bar, which is also seen in the music video for "November Rain". The video ends with a note from Axl which says, Lose your Illusions, Love Axl GNR '93.
Stranged
Guns N' Roses Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And nobody's home
You can fool yourself
You came in this world alone
(Alone)
So nobody ever told you baby
How it was gonna be
Guess we'll have to wait and see
ONE, TWO
Old at heart but I'm only 28
And I'm much too young
To let love break my heart
Young at heart but it's getting much too late
To find ourselves so far apart
I don't know how you're s'posed
To find me lately
An what more could you ask from me
How could you say that I never needed you
When you took everything
Said you took everything from me
Young at heart and it gets so hard to wait
When no one I know can seem to help me now
Old at heart but I mustn't hesitate
If I'm to find my own way out
Still talkin' to myself
And nobody's home
(Alone)
So nobody ever told us baby
How it was gonna be
So what'll happen to us baby
Guess we'll have to wait and see
When I find out all the reasons
Maybe I'll find another way
Find another day
With all the changing seasons of my life
Maybe I'll get it right next time
And now that you've been broken down
Got your head out of the clouds
You're back down on the ground
And you don't talk so loud
And you don't walk so proud
Any more, and what for
Well I jumped into the river
Too many times to make it home
I'm out here on my own, and drifting all alone
If it doesn't show give it time
To read between the lines
'Cause I see the storm is getting closer
And the waves, they get so high
Seems everything we've ever known's here
Why must it drift away and die
I'll never find anyone to replace you
Guess I'll have to make it through, this time
Oh this time
Without you
I knew the storm was getting closer
And all my friends said I was high
But everything we've ever known's here
I never wanted it to die
The lyrics of Guns N' Roses's song "Estranged" tell the story of a person who feels alone and is having a hard time dealing with the loss of love. The first verse talks about how the person talks to themselves when no one is around and how it feels like they are alone in the world. It highlights the struggle of trying to avoid being hurt in love and reminds us that we came into this world alone and must accept that love may come and go.
The second verse mentions how the person is young at heart, but it feels like it's too late to find love as they are getting old. The lyrics also mention how they don't know how they can be found and how much more can they give in a relationship. The person becomes increasingly frustrated with how much they have given to their love but have received nothing in return.
The lyric, "When I find out all the reasons, maybe I'll find another way," indicates that the person is actively searching for answers to their broken heart. The last verse refers to the storm getting closer, and the person is without a compass or a guide, uncertain of the future. The song ends with a passage where the person realizes that everything they ever wanted in love is nearby, but it's drifting away.
Line by Line Meaning
When you're talkin' to yourself
And nobody's home
You can fool yourself
You came in this world alone
(Alone)
The loneliness that someone feels when they are left by themselves while they cannot ignore the reality that they came into this world alone.
So nobody ever told you baby
How it was gonna be
So what'll happen to you baby
Guess we'll have to wait and see
ONE, TWO
Life is unpredictable, and nobody knows what will happen in the future.
Old at heart but I'm only 28
And I'm much too young
To let love break my heart
Young at heart but it's getting much too late
To find ourselves so far apart
Even though someone may be young, they can still have very deep thoughts which can make them feel older. It's never too late to try and fix a relationship that has slowly been weakening.
I don't know how you're s'posed
To find me lately
An what more could you ask from me
How could you say that I never needed you
When you took everything
Said you took everything from me
The feeling of losing someone who has been a part of your life for so long can be difficult to bear. You cannot expect others to know how you're feeling unless you communicate that with them.
Young at heart and it gets so hard to wait
When no one I know can seem to help me now
Old at heart but I mustn't hesitate
If I'm to find my own way out
Although it may be difficult, one must not wait around for someone else to save them. They must take their future into their own hands.
Still talkin' to myself
And nobody's home
(Alone)
Despite the challenges one faces, there are times when they will end up being alone to deal with their issues.
So nobody ever told us baby
How it was gonna be
So what'll happen to us baby
Guess we'll have to wait and see
The future is uncertain, and people must learn to deal with the unknown and live in that moment.
When I find out all the reasons
Maybe I'll find another way
Find another day
With all the changing seasons of my life
Maybe I'll get it right next time
Even when situations become difficult or seem impossible, one must continue to search for another way, another day, and another chance.
And now that you've been broken down
Got your head out of the clouds
You're back down on the ground
And you don't talk so loud
And you don't walk so proud
Any more, and what for
Once someone has lost their confidence or something they believed in, they become more reserved and become more careful with what they say, which changes their entire personality.
Well I jumped into the river
Too many times to make it home
I'm out here on my own, and drifting all alone
If it doesn't show give it time
To read between the lines
'Cause I see the storm is getting closer
And the waves, they get so high
Seems everything we've ever known's here
Why must it drift away and die
The person has made mistakes in the past, and now they feel lost, alone, and abandoned. The situation is getting worse and worse, and it seems that everything they have ever known might disappear or die.
I'll never find anyone to replace you
Guess I'll have to make it through, this time
Oh this time
Without you
Losing someone important feels like the end of the world, but it's not. It will take time, but you'll make it through the tough times, and you must learn how to live without them.
I knew the storm was getting closer
And all my friends said I was high
But everything we've ever known's here
I never wanted it to die
People around might not understand why you're so upset or might think you're being dramatic, but that doesn't mean that what you're feeling isn't real. It is hard to watch all the things you used to know disappear slowly.
Contributed by Juliana G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@benjipranker3890
When you're talkin' to yourself
And nobody's home
You can fool yourself
You came in this world alone
(Alone)
So nobody ever told you baby
How it was gonna be
So what'll happen to you baby
Guess we'll have to wait and see
One, two
Old at heart but I'm only twenty eight
And I'm much too young
To let love break my heart
Young at heart but it's getting much too late
To find ourselves so far apart
I don't know how you're s'posed to find me lately
An what more could you ask from me
How could you say that I never needed you
When you took everything
Said you took everything from me
Young at heart an it gets so hard to wait
When no one I know can seem to help me now
Old at heart but I musn't hesitate
If I'm to find my own way out
Still talkin' to myself
And nobody's home
(Alone)
So nobody ever told us baby
How it was gonna be
So what'll happen to us baby
Guess we'll have to wait and see
When I find out all the reasons
Maybe I'll find another way
Find another day
With all the changing seasons of my life
Maybe I'll get it right next time
An now that you've been broken down
Got your head out of the clouds
You're back down on the ground
And you don't talk so loud
An you don't walk so proud
Any more, and what for
Well I jumped into the river
Too many times to make it home
I'm out here on my own, an drifting all alone
If it doesn't show give it time
To read between the lines
'Cause I see the storm getting closer
And the waves they get so high
Seems everything we've ever known's here
Why must it drift away and die
I'll never find anyone to replace you
Guess I'll have to make it through, this time - oh this time
Without you
I knew the storm was getting closer
And all my friends said I was high
But everything we've ever known's here
I never wanted it to die
@v4mp.sky7
Anyone in 2024?
@sandramilena2313
Yo en este preciso instante 😅😂
@arfiantok9704
Yo😂
@user-sv4es4sn4q
hi
@HaroldScottTuttlealsoknownasLi
Yeah,hey!
@darisgonzales2056
Shout out po Mar 16 🇵🇷😳👍🏆♥️💲💸🌷🌷🌷
@merloalex
"When you're talking to yourself and nobody's home..." 🙏🏻 a GENIUS!!!!!!!!!
@cinderellsworth
..."a-lone"... Axl IS a genius song writer....................!
@cinderellsworth
Riley Rose Actually, so do I. lol (laughing alone, too!)
@merloalex
Better laughing 😀 but only people hurted by life are able ti know and understand; pain makes you think.
"You can fool yourself...you came in this world alone...alone".
For Axl has always been hard to think to his childhood, better for him figuring he came in this world alone; that made him feeling empty deep inside.
This song and Coma are masterpieces; at the same time, it's sad to know that he lived those moments, those feelings, but the reaction has been defenetely great!!!!!