Released on September 17, 1991

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[Instrumental Intro]


[Verse 1]

When I look into your eyes

I can see a love restrained

But, darlin', when I hold you

Don't you know I feel the same? Yeah


[Chorus]

Nothin' lasts forever

And we both know hearts can change

And it's hard to hold a candle

In the cold November rain


[Verse 2]

We've been through this such a long, long time

Just tryna kill the pain, ooh, yeah

But lovers always come and lovers always go

And no one's really sure who's lettin' go today, walkin' away

If we could take the time to lay it on the line

I could rest my head, just knowin' that you were mine, all mine


[Chorus]

So, if you want to love me

Then, darlin', don't refrain

Or I'll just end up walkin'

In the cold November rain


[Refrain]

Do you need some time on your own?

Do you need some time all alone?

Ooh, everybody needs some time on their own

Ooh, don't you know you need some time all alone?


[Bridge]

I know it's hard to keep an open heart

When even friends seem out to harm you

But if you could heal a broken heart

Wouldn't time be out to charm you, woah-woah


[Guitar Solo]


[Refrain]

Sometimes, I need some time on my own

Sometimes, I need some time all alone

Ooh, everybody needs some time on their own

Ooh, don't you know you need some time all alone?


[Guitar Solo]


[Verse 3]

And when your fears subside

And shadows still remain, ooh, yeah

I know that you can love me

When there's no one left to blame


[Chorus]

So, never mind the darkness

We still can find a way

'Cause nothin' lasts forever

Even cold November rain


[Guitar Solo]


[Outro]

(You're not the only one, you're not the only one)

Don't ya think that you need somebody?

Don't ya think that you need someone?

Everybody needs somebody

You're not the only one, you're not the only one

Don't ya think that you need somebody?

Don't ya think that you need someone?

Everybody needs somebody

You're not the only one, you're not the only one

Don't ya think that you need somebody?

Don't ya think that you need someone?

Everybody needs somebody

You're not the only one, you're not the only one

Don't ya think that you need somebody?

Don't ya think that you need someone?

Everybody needs somebody

“Everybody needs somebody”
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The last repetition has the guitar going through a screeching halt, that the video memorably represents by cutting to the deceased bride’s funeral, with Axl sad and drenched in a November storm.

“Do you need some time on your own? Do you need some time all alone?”
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Axl proposes taking some time apart from each other so they can figure things out. He does this to find out if she really does love him. If she truly does, then she will miss him. If she doesn’t, then they have their answer- they aren’t meant to be. This will eventually stop causing so much pain and they can move on to be happy.

From this repetition we can notice that Axl is somewhat desperate and almost pressuring her to make a decision.

“I know it’s hard to keep an open heart When even friends seem out to harm you But if you could heal a broken heart Wouldn’t time be out to charm you, woah-woah”
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Axl rose says that if you invest your love in someone and heal their past heartaches, time will prove that this investment was worthy because you gained someone who will love you back.

It’s most probably based on the saying “Only time can heal a broken heart.”

“Don’t ya think that you need somebody? Don’t ya think that you need someone? Everybody needs somebody You’re not the only one, you’re not the only one Don’t ya think that you need somebody? Don’t ya think that you need someone? Everybody needs somebody You’re not the only one, you’re not the only one Don’t ya think that you need somebody? Don’t ya think that you need someone? Everybody needs somebody You’re not the only one, you’re not the only one Don’t ya think that you need somebody? Don’t ya think that you need someone?”
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At this point in the music video for “November Rain,” the female character has now suggestively committed suicide and is dead. Axl is using irony to describe how when she was about to commit to him, she needed time alone; but now, she has committed suicide, instead of going to him (or someone else) to guide her through her problems.

“And when your fears subside And shadows still remain, ooh, yeah I know that you can love me When there’s no one left to blame”
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Axl, hopeful that her past scars, fears, and more fade away, even if some bits of those remain in her life, she can still rely on Axl even when she can’t blame the issues on people who have wronged her or have caused her heartbreak. This follows the themes of the bridge talking about heart break, and how it takes time to heal those things.

“So, never mind the darkness We still can find a way ‘Cause nothin’ lasts forever Even cold November rain”
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Even though darkness can come to threaten a couple’s love, it’s still possible to find a way out of the shadows. Nuisances such as the rainstorms of the autumn don’t last forever, it is always possible to overcome these hard times and live a happy life.

“Ooh, everybody needs some time on their own Ooh, don’t you know you need some time all alone?”
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Now Axl generalizes the fact that taking some time apart is a normal thing to happen in some relationships. Perhaps, as a famous recluse, Rose is assuming that everyone else is like him—something we are all naturally guilty of to some extent.

“Nothin’ lasts forever And we both know hearts can change And it’s hard to hold a candle In the cold November rain”
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“November rain” is a metaphor for the cold, harsh reality of being alone. It also serves a dual purpose as a metaphor for tears.

As is, the lyrics show the couple should come to terms with their romantic deficiencies, or otherwise lead a life of mutual distrust akin to walking on a cold rainy day in November.

Also, “November rain” could be the hard times in a relationship or in life, so if he was left alone without someone walking with him he would still be facing the same hard times (November raindrops) but he would have to face them alone, making it harder.

Holding a candle could refer to being positive, it is hard to be positive in hard times. A candle is seen as a symbol of hope and in hard times it is hard to hold the candle just as it is hard to accept hope in hard times or depression.

“When I look into your eyes I can see a love restrained But, darlin’, when I hold you Don’t you know I feel the same? Yeah”
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He encourages his woman not to restrain her love. She does this likely because she has been hurt before. He tells her he understands and is also hesitant to put himself out there and be vulnerable.

With “I feel the same” he could mean he’s also hesitant to put himself out there and be vulnerable. Because otherwise, the next lines don’t really make sense following this one.


Although it has been speculated this song is about Stephanie Seymour, Rose wrote this song in the mid-80s, well before it was released in 1992.

The song is based on a story written by Del James and also inspired by his relationship with Erin. They did meet in 1985 and while Axl may have started writing it in that same year, he didn’t actually finish the song until several years later.

“We’ve been through this such a long, long time Just tryna kill the pain, ooh, yeah But lovers always come and lovers always go And no one’s really sure who’s lettin’ go today, walkin’ away If we could take the time to lay it on the line I could rest my head, just knowin’ that you were mine, all mine”
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They need to be honest with each other if their relationship is going to survive, or Axl will never be content. By talking things over, they can save the relationship. It’s a very sentimental expression of love, reminiscent of Paul McCartney’s lines in “We Can Work It Out.”

Think of what I’m saying
We can work it out and get it straight, or say good night