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Songfacts:  You can leave comments about the song at the bottom of the page.

This was a trendsetter in its use of all-acoustic instrumentation. This song made it safe for hard rockers to display their sensitive, vulnerable sides in a more understated way rather than utilizing the power ballad format. (thanks, Edward Pearce - Ashford, Kent, England)

The video for this song can be seen playing in the background of the Robert DeNiro film Cape Fear. (thanks, cameron - mesquite, TX)

This is a very popular Karaoke song, but one that you might want to avoid. Kimberly Starling of The Karaoke Informer says it's one of the top 5 songs that tends to bomb: "It just eludes the average ear and when you get off key on this one it sounds to the ear like a turd in a punch bowl looks to the eye."

Comments:

number 4 on my all time favorite guns n' roses songs
- luke, saint augustine, FL

yo lolo i totally agree. we're in the same boat bro-seph.
- robert, los angeles, CA

@ Wayne from texas it is "you know i dont ike being stuck in the crowd" cheers mate :-)
- Karan, delhi, India

lolo brown, great comment man, i think the same way
- Anuar Jacobs, mexico, Mexico

I speak high volumes of this song because the first time I heard it I was in my good friends car and we usually hang out together in the evenings. One night while he was driving and I was talking to him and this came on and he ended up parking the car and he started to sing this song to me. It reminded of our relationship and how much we been through so much together and it meant alot to me having him sing and so I had to go out and buy the cd so I can listen to this song over and over. I just want to say a special thank you to my male friend for being someone and letting me be with you and I miss you a lot.
- Joanne, Sault Ste Marie, ON

One of the best thrash band love songs ever sung or made by this genre of rock and roll. Patience is exactly what it says. The whistling in the first part of the song with Slash strumming live on Lies ,it's so in sync with it. It's totally unique as it is beautiful such as love is and should be. Truly it's what any man should do for any woman he loves. To have the ultimate waiting game called patience, is so worth the wait for your baby, and we girls understand don't we.
- Vicky Tamblyn, SANTA ROSA, CA

this song has gotten me through some very hard times, the way i've always thought of this song is that you cant force love, it has to happen with time and once you realize you truly care about a person, the problems of the past and insecurites about the future will all ease out over time.
- lolo brown, gertrude, Bahamas

Has no one ever noticed that at 0:20 - 0:30, the guitar solo is completely lifted (stolen?) from Hotel California?
- bjorn, gardabaer, Iceland

My ex husband dedicated this song to me.. He lives in the Kansas City, Missouri area.. He looks just like Axl and has the same name.. The reason I am here is I typed his name out and brought me here.. He is a Bailey and I still have his last name! It really is freaking me out a little.. Maybe they are related?!?! I need feedback! And the Middle name is first letter N. Name is same as some body in the family... Help me figure this out.. He is from Virginia originally.
- Sylvia, Derry, NH

and oh,,i love your whistling part,,
- raygm, baguio, South America

who cares what their names are> it's well documented! This is Izzy's song by the way, Axl didn't write the lyrics. I love the video. Axl throwing the phone on the ground and stepping on it.
- jason, state of fitz, NJ

I heard some where that the line "you know I don't like being stuck in the ground" is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the terribly false rumor circulating around at the time that Axl was actually dead. Anyone else ever heard this?
- Wayne, Crockett, TX

"I ain't got time for this game, Cause' I need you." I personally like the way how they flipped that, and had NO TIME in a song like PATIENCE in the outro there. :)
- Robert, London, England

gr8 Slash solo on live PARIS show, back in either 92' or 93'... same concert that featured Lenny Kravitz n' later on, Stephen Tyle & Joe Perry, of Aerosmith... THAT'S MY FAVE LIVE SHOW!.. of any band!, but, the solo for Patience in Paris that year was awesome, it owned! lol hehe, that's BY THE WAY, I hate hogging this comment board like this, so, PEACE! 1Love and SAFE ALL!, I'm out! :D
- Robert, London, England

axl does lead vocals and i would have to agree velvet revolver is awesome (especially live).
- joseph, Canton, GA

Can't some of you people discuss something else besides what are the band members' real names?- That is certainly irrelevant to this song. I have never seen GNR perform this song- Who does the lead vocals? And by the way, the current lineup of GNR sucks goat balls- while Velvet Revolver kicks ass. Axl Rose reminds me of David Lee Roth- an a**hole who thinks that he is better without his former bandmates... How much success have either one has had?
- Randy, Colerain Twp., OH

Easily my favorite Guns-N-Roses song ever!! "Just need a lil patience, Yeah yeah."
- Dylan, Olmsted Falls, United States

i love guns n' roses so much. although i don't think this song is the best. get in the ring, it's the best! hope you've heard it.
- eva, stockholm, Sweden

I dated the first boy i ever loved when i was 17 and he was not as into me as I was him. So the relationship was painful. Anyway he never commented much on music but once we were driving down the street and this song came on and he told me he liked it and turned it way up and got quiet. We broke up long ago but I always wondered if he was trying to tell me something with these lyrics, to be "patient" and it would work out fine, cause I kept rushing the relationship. I'll never know.
- Stacy, Evansville, IN

Also, to add on to what connie said, Duff's real name is Micheal and Slash's real name is Saul Hudson
- bill, Raleigh, NC

has anyone else heard john mayer's version? it's pretty good, and it's cool when he starts singing like axl during the "i've been walkin the streets at night. . ." part.
- Eric, Milltown, IN

thats not entirely true connie. Axl chnaged his name because he didnt want his fathers last name of bailey because he leanred he had abused his mom, but kept the first name william. his band at the time was called axl and so people started calling that instead of W. because he didnt like william. Eventually he decided to change his first name to axl after his band and kept the last name rose.
- Spencer, McBride, Canada

Izzy's real name is Jeffrey Dean Isbell. Axl's was born as William Bruce rose then changed to his step fathers name of Bailey he changed it back when he heard his real fathers name was Rose then to W.Axl Rose. I know this is correct I went to school with them. in Lafayette.
- connie, columbus, OH

axl rose is the most bloomin' gorgeous rocker on the whole planet, or was 20 years ago. i love all their songs, but patience is just plain beautiful. i worship the acoustics, and the whistling solo is damn hot!!! anyone who doesn't love g'n'r is crazy! get in the ring!!!!!
- Guinevre, Truro, England

awesome song.... great intro, lyrics, guitar solo and ending.... Just a litttle patience yeah...
- Darren, Bombay, India

The name Axl came from his early days with a band from Indiana he was in. They were trying to decide of names for the band. One member asked him what he thought of 'Axel' as the name of the band. Axl's response was 'A-X-L'. The band didn't keep the name but William became 'Axl'. The anagram for 'oral sex is a coincidence. We all know he goes by W. Axl Rose now. But the 'W' doesn't stand for William anymore it just stands for 'W' because in his words "William is an a**hole."
- Bruno, Detroit, MI

Its one of the most beautiful songs ever written and the whistle is so cool. saul hudson is a gorgeous name and a gorgeous person... cant anyone agree on axl and izzys names?? its: W. AXL ROSE = William(Bill) Bailey(his stepdads name) IZZY STRADLIN = Jeffrey Isbelle
- Amy, Leeds, England

I read his name somewhere as "W. Axl Rose", so I think I agree with Axl from LA, CA
- olivia, Perth, Australia

Patience is a great song. If I had never hurd patience then I maybe wasn't a GN'R fan now. And trust me the real name of Axl is William Bailey and nothing else.
- Caroline, -, Netherlands

And what's wrong with the name Saul Hudson? It's only a name. And a name doesn't tell you anything about the person behind that name. And I'm a realy big fan of GN'R. And you can also trust me about the fact that the real name of Izzy is Jeffrey Isbell and no George or somthing else.
- Caroline, -, Netherlands

Whats wrong with slash's real name: Saul Hudson? I think its quite cool, not many people are named Saul nowadays. Of course, slash is way cooler, but if i was called Saul, i'd be proud of my name, i wouldnt change it. not sure if i got the spelling right there...
- oscar, Stockholm

my youth wouldnt have been the same without GnR!
- marlow, perth

everywhere it has his name written as jefferey isbell n not gefrey or whatever. this song is heaps cool, i wrote ballad yesterday for my band and i want it to be like either this style or like november rain not the same music but the same feel.probably more like november rain because its like a love ballad and it would suit it to be lik either song
- john, northam, Australia

Axel Rose is more than a huge and eternal rock star.I believe in his strengh,kindness and intelligence. Peace,love,forever...
- Carla, Lisbon, Portugal

What a song.I believe the best song by the 'guns n roses'
- rahul, mumbai, IA

Like the rest of the members, Slash had to pick a cool name. His real name is Saul Hudson... GnR just wouldn't have been as badass if they had kept names like Jeff, Bailey and Saul.
- Jose, New York, NY

never mind what axl's real name is, hasn't anyone noticed how gorgeous he is (without the bread)? same to be said about izzy.
- Emu, Paradise City, Other

The real name of Izzy is Jeffrey Dean Isbell. Izzy wrote Patience about his ex-girlfriend named Angela - she left Iz for his friend Andy from Hanoi Rocks
- Michael_Stradlin, Slupsk, Poland

Hmmm funny they dont have Dont Cry on here, I had a vid of the making of Dont Cry and the band had a great deal of fun making it. Patience is a great song, the amazing thing about G&R is they have a song for every mood Im ever in.
- dave, Brisbane, Australia

Axl was born William Bailey. He hated his stepfather and went by Rose when he learned of his biological father. Eventually he chose Axl because of the anagram (Axl Rose = oral sex, rearranged), and became W. Axl Rose (it's listen that way on the IMDb, the GTA San Andreas credits, and on his grave in the Don't Cry video)
- Iain, Dubbo, Australia

beautiful song. specially the first line: shed a tear cause i'm missing you ...
- Ana, Lokev, Europe

I agree with annabel from canada, its a beautiful song, and i love the whistlin at the beginnin..one of my faves, deffo oh, and izzy is Jeff Isabelle, and axl is William Bailey, rose is his biological fathers real name
- Amy, Leeds, England

axl's real name is William Bailey, trust me!!!
- Chris, london, England

Axl Rose was once known by the name of Bill Bailey. Bailey being his stepfathers name (NOT HIS MOTHERS). He took the name of Rose when he found out when he found out it was his real father's name.
- Joe, Detroit, MI

Bailey was Axl's surname, but he changed it to his mothers maiden name "Rose" at one point.
- bob, Kelowna, Canada

hey axl's real surname isnt bailey, his name is william axel rose, but william is no true rockers name so he called himself axel (like his evil father) but he took the 'e' out because it looked unique AND because axl rose is an anagram of oral sex!!!!
- axl, LA, CA

This is a great song- the solo is amazing when Slash does it live! For the record, Axl's real name is William Bailey, Slash's real name is Saul Hudson, Izzy's Real name is Jeff Isbelle, Duff's real name is Micheal McKagan, and Steven Adler is Steven's given name.
- Katie, Montreal, Canada

I love this song! Its so beautiful without being sappy, a far cry from those 80's 'power ballads'. The wonderful use of acoustic instruments underscores the sweet message perfectly but Axl's performance is really the highlight here IMO (love the poignant whistle!): tender without being weak. Definetly one of my favs from GNR.
- Annabelle, Alliston, Ontario, Canada

actually, Izzy's real name isn't George. It's Jeff Isabelle.(Isabelle can be spelt differently, it just depends what your resource is)
- molly, philly, PA

not one of my favorites. guns n roses is supposed to be badass and this one is too subdued. at least november rain is a real wailer.
- Nate, Buffalo, NY

i think that this song is about william losing a girl to another man, he knows he can win her back if shes has patience. he under stands that if cant be with her now he'll wait how ever long it takes because his love will never change for, he wants her to know that hes the one she should be with.
- billy, laurinburg, NC

its got a great wistle solo in for an intro!
- john, holland, MI