I don't believe in that.
I mean, your subjects might change because you're not an angry 20 year old. But some things never change.
Relationships between human, or groups of humans, is still a subject that inspire artists.
But yes, it's obvious some artists treat lyrics as something necessary. To have some words to sing. Without any big meaning behind them.
/jarmo
I agree, the songs aren't going to be about drinking 3 dollar wine in the park anymore, but Axl certainly has plenty of material to draw from globally. He wrote several albums worth of material in what was essentially a 5 year period from 85-90. He has lived 30 years since then with only CD and "Rock the Rock" as his outlet.
The other thing that I think GnR fans and possibly even Axl get too wrapped around the axel about is that every new song isn't going to be November Rain. Every album needs a Shadow of Your Love, Jungle, or You Could be Mine to balance out the really deep stuff. Trying to always create the next Sgt. Pepper or White Album is going to fail more often than not.