Sweet Child O' Mine

to me this is about a man who has fallen in love with a woman who is much younger then him. she reminds him of his youth, and he loves her not only for the woman she is but the man that she makes him. in the end when he says where do we go i feel like hes wondering if this relationship has a future since she has so much more to learn about life...

I think the whole being in love with someone younger than you line of interpretation is one possibility. I do however prefer the idea that this girl is just lively and makes him feel young at heart again.

I just wanted to add that the opening riff to this song is one of the best three note riffs you're likely to ever here. I really like Slash's guitar work in this song. One of my friends who generally hates guitar solos agrees with me that slash's solo fits perfectly within the frame of Sweet Child and doesn't seem contrived or artificial. The little bass solo at the start is cool too.

However in terms of lyrics I think there are far superior love songs out there Into My Arms by Nick Cave is the one that comes immediatly to mind. However Sweet Child O' Mine will always hold a sentimental place for me.

How about this: Axl misses the times when he was a child, because he has made some wrong decisions in his life. The girl might be an imaginative projection of his innocence (maybe even childhood), a suggestive image of something he had lost forever, summoned from the depths of his memory. He is never getting all this back, and has to cope with it. "Where do we go?" could mean a cry of a confuzed man who came to face the fact, that regardless of whether certain things are gone forever or not, life goes on - the poor man has to move on with the life, even if he doesn't know where to go. I know this is probabely an overinterpretation, but hell, that's the way I feel about it.

No matter to whom this song is dedicated to but for me...

I use to sing it to my son (he's my only son and I have him when I was 16) and now that he is about to get married (he is now 24 grad fron U of Michigan and USAF Lt.) he ask me to dance it with him at his wedding...

As I was revewing the lyrics I found a whole new meaning for me...

For me now is a song of a man longing his mom and his childhood when he was happy, worry free, and he feel safe ("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")("Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place Where as a child I'd hide And pray...")

For me, Sweet child o' mine is my son and Sweet love of mine it's me...

And in this part "Where do we go Where do we go now Where do we go Sweet child o' mine" for me, is like we are both grownups so we ask what's next?

I respect the original intention of this song and your analysis but this is just what it means for me...

this song is about what you want it to be

I've always wanted to go up to Slash, stare at him for a little bit, and then ask "..Where are your eyes..?"

Just thought I'd share.

it reminds me of my little baby sister.

Has anyone noticed that in the video for this song, all the band have their girlfriends there except for the sad bastard Izzy who has his dog with him. I love guns'n'roses but this just seems really pathetic to me! Great song though!

I found this on the Internet, and wanted to share. So funny...

JOHN MOE'S POP-SONG CORRESPONDENCES, VOLUME XIII. BY JOHN MOE

Notes on "Sweet Child O' Mine," as Delivered to Axl Rose by His Editor.

Hi, Axl,

Just got your manuscript and demo for the song "Sweet Child O' (sic) Mine." I think we need to talk. As your editor, I am responsible for making your songs as cogent as possible, for helping them reach the high editorial standards your public has come to expect. With this one, I am certainly earning my keep. After several attempts to reach you by phone, I am sending along my notes. Please make appropriate fixes as soon as possible, at which point I can send them to copyediting and proofreading in time for your upcoming studio session.

She's got a smile that, it seems to me—Why equivocate? You weaken your point by framing this as a mere personal observation instead of a fact.

Reminds me of childhood memories—Redundant. You either have a memory or you're reminded of something. You're not reminded of a memory. Heavy-metal fans won't stand for such writing, my friend.

Where everything was as fresh as a bright blue sky—I asked around the office and no one is sure a blue sky is "fresh." You could have a blue sky at the end of a long, sweaty day and there would be nothing fresh about it. And she reminds you of a time when things were fresh? Fond reminiscences of freshness are no foundation for love. Fix.

Now and then when I see her face it takes me away to that special place—Again, you're weakening your own argument. Why does the sight of her face transport you only periodically? And is it just her smile or her entire face that does this to you? Because you've already said both. Consistency, Axl!

And if I stared too long, I'd probably break down and cry—Why would you do that? Because you miss the freshness you described earlier? I think the whole "fresh" thing is really tripping you up. Also, crying? Wimpy.

OK, on to the second verse.

She's got eyes of the bluest skies—See, this is just getting worse. Now her eyes are made of sky? Nice imagery, but you just got done saying her smile reminded you of memories of sky. Is this verse actually supposed to be a second draft of the first verse? Am I just confused on formatting? Help!

As if they thought of rain—Axl, eyes can't think of rain. And even if they could, which they can't, why would bluest skies think of rain? Perhaps less imagery of thinking eyes made of sky and more direct exploration of your feelings?

I hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain—Well, hell. I guess in your special Axl World anything is possible. Eyes can be made of sky, ponder the weather, and exhibit pain in amounts that can be weighed.

Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place where as a child I'd hide—Delete. Fix. Do something. You'd hide in a place that reminded you of hair? Never show me such phrases again.

And pray for the thunder and the rain to quietly pass me by—Whew. OK, listen to me now: Thunder can't quietly do anything. It's thunder. And, more importantly, do you really want to come across as a wuss who's constantly on the verge of weeping and skittering into hair caves to escape from rain? Is this a song about love or climatic anxiety? You need to work these things out.

Finally, Axl, I think we might have had a misunderstanding regarding my previous notes. When I wrote in colored pencil "Where do we go now?" I wasn't offering that as a lyric. I was simply observing that, in narrative terms, the song needed to progress in some way. You love the girl, she's helping you work through some issues, whatever. So where do we go now? But instead of providing a satisfactory conclusion, you simply took my note and repeated it over and over again before ultimately just stating the title of the song. This is unacceptable. Don't ask us, the listeners, where we go. That's up to you as the writer! Tell us where we go now!

Again, let's try to fix these things soon and get "Sweet Child of Mine" ("My Sweet Child"?) into your fans' hands as quickly as possible. Because, frankly, if it should ever hit the street in its current form, the song would be a colossal failure.

Talk soon!

Your Editor

to me its about my grandmother. probably because she raised me. and the "where do we go now" bit, when she dies my family is going to be lost.