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
Now and then when I see her face
She takes me away to that special place
And if I stare too long, I'd probably break down and cry

Whoa, oh, oh
Sweet child o' mine
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
Sweet love of mine

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

Whoa, oh, oh
Sweet child o' mine
Whoa whoa, oh, oh, oh
Sweet love of mine

Whoa, yeah
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
Sweet child o' mine
Whoa, oh, whoa, oh
Sweet love of mine
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
Sweet child o' mine
Ooh, yeah
Ooh, sweet love of mine

Where do we go?
Where do we go now?
Where do we go?
Ooh, oh, where do we go?
Where do we go now?
Oh, where do we go now?
Where do we go? (Sweet child)
Where do we go now?
Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay
Where do we go now?
Ah, ah

Where do we go?
Oh, where do we go now?
Oh, where do we go?
Oh, where do we go now?
Where do we go?
Oh, where do we go now?
Now, now, now, now, now, now, now
Sweet child
Sweet child of mine


Lyrics submitted by mike, edited by michaelwvo, VMedina879

Sweet Child O' Mine Lyrics as written by Saul Hudson W. Axl Rose

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Sweet Child O' Mine song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

239 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +21
    General Comment

    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...

    sweetie4uon January 12, 2002   Link
  • +10
    General Comment

    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.

    Dressed2Depresson July 25, 2006   Link
  • +8
    General Comment

    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.

    Lesteron September 25, 2002   Link
  • +8
    General Comment

    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...

    SteelHeartGirlon August 10, 2010   Link
  • +6
    General Comment

    this song is about what you want it to be

    Lesteron June 06, 2003   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    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.

    KattHikarioftheTurkson April 12, 2004   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    it reminds me of my little baby sister.

    UseYourIllusionon July 08, 2002   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    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!

    die my brideon June 16, 2004   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    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

    Sir_Larrikinon July 10, 2007   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    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.

    jillianleeon September 03, 2007   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Album art
When We Were Young
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Album art
Midnight
Ed Sheeran
“Midnight” is a song about finding a love that is so true that it provides a calming feeling through every storm. Ed Sheeran reflects on his good fortunes in landing someone with such peace and support and speaks of not fearing the dark days because he knows they’ll all end in the safety nets of her arms. “Well, good morning there / What a way to start the day / With everything laid bare,” Ed Sheeran sings in the first verse, enthusiastic to be waking up beside his woman. He apologizes for missing her calls in the second verse and promises to return them because for him, speaking to her is the most important thing. “Well, I get lost inside my head / In this chaos, you’re my calm / And I will find my feet again / ‘Cause еven the worst days of my life will always еnd / At midnight in your arms,” sings Ed Sheeran in the chorus, revelling in his good luck.