Getting The Patience Lyrics Right
I spent way too long looking for the accurate lyrics to "Patience" by Guns N' Roses back when I was trying to transcribe it for a friend's birthday gig. The problem is that nearly every lyric site online has at least one wrong word, usually in the second verse. The opening line is often mistyped as "I'll dig deep and find within myself" when the actual lyric is "I'll dig deep, I'll find within myself." Minor stuff, but if you're learning to play it and singing along from a screen, it throws you off. I'll dig deep, I'll find within myself
And take you far, as far as you want to go
And if you try to hide yourself
Don't worry love, I know, I know
And if you think that I am wrong
And if you think I'll change my mind
Well, just to make you feel alright
I might just say I never loved you at all I'm only human after all
So don't push your luck, don't push your luck
Now I'm only human after all
So don't push your luck, don't push your luck
I just need a little bit of your time
And if the chance should come your way
Just to make you feel alright
I might just tell you that I'll never leave you at all
I'm only human after all
So don't push your luck, don't push your luck
Now I'm only human after all
So don't push your luck, don't push your luck
I just need a little bit of your time
What's wrong with me?
I wonder what is wrong with me
Why can't I see
Why can't I see what's going on in me
I'm only human after all
So don't push your luck, don't push your luck
Now I'm only human after all
So don't push your luck, don't push your luck
I just need a little bit of your time I'll try not to get impatient
I'll wait right here for you
I have all the patience
In the world for you Source: Appetite for Destruction era, written by Axl Rose.
Where People Mess This Up
The bridge section is where most lyric sheets go sideways. Sites commonly swap "I might just say I never loved you at all" with "I might just tell you that I'll never leave you at all" in the first chorus, when those are actually two different sections. The "never loved you" line comes first. The "never leave you" line comes in the second pass. It's easy to conflate them if you're just reading rather than listening. Also, the outro repeats the patience line with slight variations. Most sites just copy the first iteration and stop. If you're trying to nail the full structure, you'll want to note that the final section trails off into repeated vocals rather than a clean ending.
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A Quick Note On Accuracy
I learned this the hard way. Tried to hand someone a lyric sheet for a toast and caught the error two seconds before reading it aloud. Now I always cross-reference with the studio recording at least once. The album version on Appetite for Destruction is the definitive source. Live versions vary, sometimes significantly, especially from the Use Your Illusion tours where Axl would stretch sections out or change wording entirely. If you need something consistent, stick to the studio track. There isn't really an official lyric sheet published by the band anywhere accessible online. Sony/ATV controls the publishing rights, but they don't host free lyrics. That's why third-party sites dominate and why the errors persist. I just listen and write it down myself now. Takes about ten minutes. More reliable than any site you'll find via search.
