Sweet Child O’ Mine

Track 9 on Appetite for Destruction (Super Deluxe Edition)

Producer

“Sweet Child O’ Mine” is the 9th track of Guns N’ Roses’ debut album Appetite for Destruction. The song became GNR’s most successful single, topping the Billboard Hot 100. … Read More

Jul. 21, 19878 viewers2M views

Sweet Child O’ Mine Lyrics

[Instrumental Intro/Guitar Riff]

[Verse 1]
She's got a smile that it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky (Sky)
Now and then when I see her face
She takes me away to that special place
And if I stared too long, I'd probably break down and cry

[Chorus]
Woah, oh, oh
Sweet child o' mine
Woah, oh, oh, oh
Sweet love of mine

[Instrumental Break]

[Verse 2]
She's got eyes of the bluest skies
As if they thought of rain
I'd hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain
Her hair reminds me of a warm, safe place
Where, as a child, I'd hide
And pray for the thunder and the rain to quietly pass me by

[Chorus]
Woah, oh, oh
Sweet child o' mine
Woah woah, oh, oh, oh
Sweet love of mine

[Instrumental Break]
Ooh!

[Chorus]
Oh, oh-oh-yeah
Woah, yeah
Woah, oh, h-o
Sweet child of mine
Woah-oh, woah-oh
Sweet love of mine
Woah, oh-oh-oh
Sweet child of mine, ooh, yeah
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Sweet love of mine

[Guitar Solo]

[Outro]
Where do we go?
Where do we go now?
Where do we go?
Mm-mm, oh, where do we go?
Where do we go now?
Oh, where do we go now? (Where do we go?)
Where do we go? (Sweet child of mine)
Mm-huh, where do we go now?
Aye, aye, aye, aye, aye, aye, aye (Where do we go? Where do we go?)
Ooh, where do we go now? (Where do we go?)
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh, woah
Where do we go?
Oh-oh, where do we go now?
(Oh) Where do we go, oh-oh-oh-oh? (Oh, wow)
Where do we go now?
Where do we go?
Woah-oh, where do we go now?
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
Sweet child
Sweet child of mine

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About

Genius Annotation

“Sweet Child O’ Mine” is the 9th track of Guns N’ Roses’ debut album Appetite for Destruction. The song became GNR’s most successful single, topping the Billboard Hot 100.

The guitar solo was ranked as the 37th greatest solo of all-time by Guitar World. Amazingly, it was recorded in one take.

The lyrics were written by frontman Axl Rose as a dedication to his then-girlfriend Erin Everly. Once he heard guitarist Slash noodling downstairs, Axl found the musical backing he needed.

In 2015, the Australian website MAX TV revealed the song’s striking similarity to “Unpublished Critics,” a song released in 1981 by the band Australian Crawl. Duff McKagan, bass player for Guns N' Roses during the recording of “Sweet Child O' Mine,” said the similarities were startling. Speaking to Radio.com in 2015:

It is pretty stunning. But we didn’t steal it from them! I swear [puts his hand on his heart], I never heard that song until a couple of days ago."

Q&A

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

What did Guns N' Roses say about "Sweet Child O' Mine"?

Genius Answer

Slash has stated multiple times that he is not particularly fond of this song, despite it being the band’s biggest hit single. In an interview he explained why he wasn’t too keen on it:

I didn’t hate it, but I wasn’t fond of “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” And that gives you a good idea of how credible my opinion is… The actual riff itself I love, but the song itself… But at the same time, it’s a great song—I’m not knocking it—but at the same time, it just did not fit in with the rest of our, sort of, schtick.

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Genius Answer

Who produced “Sweet Child O' Mine” by Guns N' Roses?

When did Guns N' Roses release “Sweet Child O' Mine”?

Who wrote “Sweet Child O' Mine” by Guns N' Roses?