Atlas Shrugged

by **Soulmonster** Thu Sep 05, 2019 8:42 am

ATLAS SHRUGGED

Album:
Unreleased.

Written by:
Unknown.

Musicians:
Vocals: Axl Rose; the rest unknown.

Live performances:
As far as we know, never played live.

Information:
Written and recorded during the Chinese Democracy era. Full leak on September 5, 2019.

Lyrics:

Why should I try and judge
The things they say, they just won’t budge
I’m letting go

And shelter from the blind, storm
You managed to be kind
But still not to show me how to keep it together

When my heart’s crying out in vain
No matter who’s to blame
There are still ways to go

So if you ask me to believe your heart will follow you
It’s got a mind of its own

When it’s as wrong and the road gets rough
And you’re the one
Whose shoulders just
Ain’t wide enough
Whose shoulders shrug when they’ve had enough

I’ll be the last to say « don’t follow your heart »
There’s more to what it takes to be a man
Than what you’ve known
What you’re shown
And what we know you understand

It’s another thing, if I were you
I would say all that I do to be half as strong
Or still belong
You really should take the time
To look back at all of your past misadventures

When it’s as wrong and the road gets rough
And you’re the one
Whose shoulders just
Ain’t wide enough
Whose shoulders shrug when they’ve had enough

I’ll be the last to say « don’t follow your heart »
But there’s more to what it takes to be a man
Than what you know
What you’re shown
That’s what we know you’ll understand

Don’t ever say « don’t follow your heart »
If I’m wrong, that’s what it takes to make amend
From what you’ve known
And all that you’ve been shown
Jesus now I hope you understand

I’ll be the last to say « don’t follow your heart »
But there’s more to what it takes to be a man
Than what you know
What you’ve shown
And what we know you understand

I never said « don’t follow your heart »
If I’m wrong, that’s what it takes to make amend
More than you know
And all that you’ve been shown
Jesus now I hope you understand

Quotes regarding the song and its making:

Possibly one of the first mentions of the song came in 2005:

'Atlas Shrugged' is described as being somewhere between 70's glam rock and 'November Rain'

Jeff Leeds, Sp1at Website, 2005

A couple of years later Classic Rock would mention the song:

In addition to these leaked tracks, Classic Rock has heard versions of Rhiad And The Bedouins, Prostitute, Atlas Shrugged (another track featuring the signature guitar of Brian May) and Silkworms

Classic Rock, July 2007

By 2008 the song was finished:

We were finishing tracks [in October]. Doing overdubs with Buckethead and Robin Finck and some stuff with Tommy Stinson. I felt we had a well finished version of The Blues, Madagascar, Chinese Democracy. Atlas Shrugged was pretty good.

Classic Rock, April 2008

When asked if Brian May would be featured on the song:

Perhaps on an alternate or bits, on that track it has more to do with recording issues and getting the mix to a good level.

chinesedemocracy.com, December 14, 2008

And explaining the title:

Song doesn't have all that much to do with the book other than trying to do what you believe in and a line about shoulders not being wide enough.

mygnrforum.com, December 12, 2008

And in 2013 Bumblefoot would talk about adding guitar tracks to the song:

I was going to tell a little story about that song, cause right now on my laptop I actually have the old guitar solo that I played for that song when two days before the album was going to be mastered it was like, "Let's see if we can squeeze it unto the album". And I busted out some guitar tracks for it. I just had my own studio. But because the CD could only be 74 minutes max, that's just how long a CD could be, it would have taken it past the limit of what a CD can store, we couldn't put Atlas Shrugged on Chinese Democracy. And it wasn't worth making a two CD album that would just have one song on the other CD. Hopefully on ChiDem2 it's have Atlas Shrugged on there. Interesting song.

Eat More Heat! Live Chat, March 2013

Yet the year thereafter he would suggest the song needed more work:

I don't think we ever really finished that song. That would be the kinda thing where we'd have to get into the studio and lay some more tracks and just see where it goes and what state it is in.

Axl Rose Fa Clube, April 2014

by **Soulmonster** Thu Sep 05, 2019 8:49 am

There are a couple of places where today's leak "clips" and where I feel maybe a solo has been removed or something. Makes sense what Bumblefoot is saying - not entirely finished. Some more mixing is needed to make it smoother.

That being said, I like the melody. I like the drums. I like the shifts in tempo. Could easily have replaced a few of the songs on CD. Or been a good song on CD2.

by **Soulmonster** Thu Sep 05, 2019 11:21 am

I really like the lyrics. Uplifting and mature. Good work there, Axl!

by **Blackstar** Thu Sep 05, 2019 11:36 am

Soulmonster wrote:There are a couple of places where today's leak "clips" and where I feel maybe a solo has been removed or something.

Yes, that's what it sounds like to me, too. I hear some cool parts and ideas there and a potentially good song, but I don't know what to make from the leak as is yet. I need a few more listens, probably.

by **Soulmonster** Thu Sep 05, 2019 11:39 am

Blackstar wrote:
Soulmonster wrote:There are a couple of places where today's leak "clips" and where I feel maybe a solo has been removed or something.

Yes, that's what it sounds like to me, too. I hear some cool parts and ideas there and a potentially good song, but I don't know what to make from the leak as is yet. I need a few more listens, probably.

I think it is great and I don't think something's missing anymore, but it could have benefited from some better editing.

by **Soulmonster** Thu Sep 05, 2019 12:53 pm

Thanks to D.. and axlsalinger over at mygnrforum for deciphering the lyrics Smile

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