Dead Horse Lyrics

[Intro]
Sick of this life, not that you'd care
I'm not the only one with whom, these feelings, I share
Nobody understands quite why we're here
We're searching for answers that never appear
Maybe if I looked real hard, I'd, I'd see you trying, too
To understand this life that we're all going through
"Then when she said she was going to, like, wreck my car
I didn't know what to do"

[Chorus]
Oh, sometimes, I feel like I'm beating a dead horse
And I don't know why you'd be bringing me down
I'd like to think that our love's worth a tad more
It may sound funny, but you'd think, by now, I'd be smiling
I guess some things never change
Oh, never change

[Verse]
I met an old cowboy, I saw the look in his eyes
Something tells me he's been here before 'cause experience makes you wise
I was only a small child when the thought first came to me
That I'm a son of a gun and the gun of a son that brought back the devil in me

[Chorus]
Oh, but sometimes, I feel like I'm beating a dead horse
I don't know why you'd be bringing me down
I'd like to think that our love's worth a tad more
It may sound funny, but you'd think, by now, I'd be smiling
Yeah, I guess some things never change
Ooh, never change
[Bridge]
I ain't quite what you'd call an old soul
Still wet behind the ears
I've been around this track a couple of times
But now the dust is starting to clear, oh, yeah

[Guitar Solo]

[Chorus]
Sometimes, I feel like I'm beating a dead horse
I don't know why you'd be bringing me down
I'd like to think that our love's worth a tad more
It may sound funny, but you'd think, by now, I'd be smiling
Ooh, yeah, I'd be smiling
No way I'd be smiling
Ooh, smiling

[Outro]
Sick of this life, not that you'd care
I'm not the only one with whom, these feelings, I share

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About

Genius Annotation

“Dead Horse” is the second to last track on Use Your Illusion I. Based on the expression “beating a dead horse”, the lyrics are about trying to rebuild yourself after a failed relationship. Rolling Stone called it a “frustration anthem”.

The composition starts and ends with an acoustic section, which features a guitar riff written by lead vocalist Axl Rose. According to Slash, the song pre-dates Guns N Roses:

There was also a sense of closet-cleaning about the Illusion records. Many of the albums' songs had histories that stretched back years: “Dead Horse” was an old Axl tune…

The song was never released as a single commercially, but was sent to radio stations and a music video was made for it.

In 2019, the band performed the song live for the first time in 26 years.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Credits
Written By
Vocals
Percussion
Lead guitar
Mixing Engineer
Recording Engineer
Additional Engineering
Mastering Engineer
Rhythm Guitar
Acoustic Guitar
Release Date
September 17, 1991
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