Released: September 17, 1991

Songwriter: Duff McKagan Slash Axl Rose

Producer: Guns N’ Roses Mike Clink

[Spoken Intro: Strother Martin ]
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
*Whistling*
And I don't like it any more than you men

[Intro]
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

[Verse 1]
My hands are tied
The billions shift from side to side
An' the wars go on with brainwashed pride
For the love of God and our human rights
An' all these things are swept aside
By bloody hands, time can't deny
An' are washed away by your genocide
An' history hides the lies of our civil wars

[Guitar Solo 1]

[Pre-Chorus 1]
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

[Chorus]
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
Ooh, no, no, no, no, no, no

[Bridge]
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
An' I don't want to hear no more

[Verse 2]
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
An' 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

[Guitar Solo 2]

[Pre-Chorus 2]
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

[Chorus]
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 no, no, no
I don't need one more war
Ooh, I don't need one more war
No no no, no woah, no woah

[Outro]
What's so civil 'bout war anyway?

Guns N’ Roses

Guns N' Roses was the most dangerous band in the world in the late 80s and early 90s. Led by singer Axl Rose and stylish guitarist Slash, they mixed the passion of blues, the heaviness of rock, and the attitude of punk, bringing forth a breath of fresh air to a music scene dominated by cheesy hair metal bands.

Their debut album, Appetite for Destruction, is the best selling debut of all-time. They outsold a headlining Aerosmith on their first major tour, released two double albums (Use Your Illusion I & II) simultaneously, and soon would play to audiences in excesses of 20,000 people.

However, cracks started forming in the band, as classic era drummer Steven Adler was fired from the band before the “Use Your Illusion” releases and founding rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin left abruptly during the ensuing tour. They were replaced by Matt Sorum and Gilby Clarke, respectively, with keyboardist Dizzy Reed joining the band and expanding the group’s sound.