Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Guns N' Roses lyrics

Coma is my favorite song from Guns N' Roses, though it's not a tune you'll hear on the radio, and not often in concert by the band because it is a difficult song to sing. In an interview, Axle Rose once said, "I think one of the best things that I've ever written was maybe the end segment of the song 'Coma.' " And I can understand why. It's an intensive song, and the ending can be quite gut wrenching to listen to.

Or, at least, that's how I feel about.

So, here are my favorite lyrics from the song, taken from that "end segment" Axle mentioned. I think it's his best writing to date. Make sense of it, if you can.

Coma

You live your life like it's a coma
So won't you tell me why we'd want to
With all the reasons you give it's
It's kind of hard to believe.

But who am I to tell you that I've
Seen any reason why you should stay,
Maybe we'd be better off
Without you anyway.

You got a one way ticket
On your last chance ride
Got a one way ticket
To your suicide,
Got a one way ticket
And there's no way out alive.

And all this crass communication
That has left you in the cold
Isn't much for consolation
When you feel so weak and old
But if home is where the heart is
Then there's stories to be told,
No you don't need a doctor
No one else can heal your soul.

Got your mind in submission
Got your life on the line
But nobody pulled the trigger
They just stepped aside
They be down by the water
While you watch them waving goodbye.

They be calling in the morning
They be hanging on the phone
They be waiting for an answer
When you know nobody's home
And when the bell's stopped ringing
It was nobody's fault but your own.

There were always ample warnings
There were always subtle signs
And you would have seen it coming
But we gave you too much time
And when you said
That no one's listening
Why'd your best friend drop a dime
Sometimes we get so tired of waiting
For a way to spend our time.

And it's so easy to be social
It's so easy to be cool
Yeah it's easy to be hungry
When you ain't got shit to lose
And I wish that I could help you
With what you hope to find
But I'm still out here waiting
Watching reruns of my life
When you reach the point of breaking
Know it's going to take some time
To heal the broken memories
That another man would need
Just to survive

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