Art and Politics

I wonder how many people have listened to songs before without really listening. For instance what is the popular group Guns and Roses saying about Civil War. 

My first thoughts were about race. 

Because the United States has been in a civil war before, and having being raised in a individualistic society, I assume it is about the United States civil conflict. 

 It is involved but I believe the song is not about race so much as humanity. If you watch the video you will notice flags of other countries that have had civil war. There is even a communist flag. 

Axl Rose the lead singer sports red, white and blue with the word rebel screaming across his jacket. Again, a reference to Americas civil war. But maybe he is stating America is rebel or oppressor and our involvement in foreign affairs is a infridgement on human rights, instead of just racial rights, he encompasses both. I believe he is speaking to us on a global scale not just in American scale.   

At the beginning of the song, there is a clip from Cool Hand Luke, the movie, with the late great Paul Newman. In this movie Newman, played Luke a stubborn prisoner, who would not stand down to the prison guards or other prisoners while maintaining his dignity through his wits. In the clip, the man speaking is the prison warden who tries to repeatedly break Luke. No matter what horrendous treatment Luke endures, his spirit is not broken. What Axl says by using this in his song is that people treated unfair by the government can maintain their spirit through fighting back and not giving up. The government can tell us what to do but they really can't control our thoughts. Only we can.

The lyrics are interesting.  It seems politics spurn artist to create. And artists  lead people to rebel and see the truths of humanity.

While we 'shift from side to side' like zombies, people die in war.