(No, I won't)
You know you're all alone
Your friends they aren't at home
Everybody's gone to the garden
As you look into the trees
You can look but you don't see
The flowers seem to tease you at the garden
Everybody's there, but you don't seem to care
What's it with you man, and this garden, oh yeah

Turned into my worst phobia
A crazy man's utopia
If you're lost no one can show ya
But it sure was glad to know ya
Only poor boys take a chance
On the garden's song and dance
Feel her flowers as they wrap around
But only smart boys do without

You can find it all inside
No need to wrestle with your pride
No you ain't losin' your mind
You're just in the garden
They can lead you to yourself
Or you can throw it on the shelf
But you know you can look inside
For the garden, oh yeah

I wasn't really scared
Lost my virginity there
To a gypsy with blond hair
But now no one seems to care
Like a mouse inside a maze
Wandering 'round for days
With a smile upon my face
I never wanna to leave this place
Only poor boys take a chance
On the garden's song and dance
Feel her flowers as they wrap around
But only smart boys do without
Turned into my worst phobia
A crazy man's utopia
If you're lost no one can show ya
But it sure was glad to know ya

Bye bye
So long, bye bye
It's glad to know ya
Bye bye
Bye
Aw so long


Lyrics submitted by mike

The Garden Lyrics as written by West Arkeen W. Axl Rose

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

The Garden song meanings
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33 Comments

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  • +3
    General Comment

    I'm pretty sure this about drugs, its general weird sound sort of reflects the distorted perceptions drugs give you. The guitar riff after "whats it with u man and this Garden" sounds like being high

    Maxpowerson May 09, 2008   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    It's about falling in love with heroin and what it does to you. U try it for the first time (lose ur virginity) become addicted (the flower wraps around) you know it's bad for u but you don't care. With a smile on your face you never wanna leave this place. It's good to know ya, so long by by.

    Axlfan2010on July 18, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Totally strange. It sounds like something he probably wrote when he was high. The music and the lyrics.

    AeroLed286on April 07, 2003   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Agree fuckin' completely, AeroLed206. He was high when he wrote. Do you know that it was co-written by Del James? Maybe he was high too. Too stoned men writing a song may end up like that...

    Kizy GNFRFukinRoxxon June 04, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I was driving through San Francisco last week and I saw a strip club amongst all the strip clubs on Broadway that was named "The Garden Of Eden". It made me think about this song. This song could be about a whore house. But I think that it is more likely to be about love or sex and how they can become a trap.

    Feel her flowers as they wrap around But only smart boys do without

    I think that line is important. It's describing something that feels good, but if you're smart, you do without it. I'm thinking it's either love or sex.

    You know you're all alone You're friends, they aren't at home Everybody's gone to the garden

    To me, it sounds like his friends are all in love and he is not. Now, this could just be the fact that currently, all my friends are in love, and I am not, but I don't think that's it.

    He also mentions losing his virginity in the "garden". I'm thinking that the garden is probably an analogy for love.

    Ratman_84on November 24, 2004   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This song is about Times Square in New York City when it was all drugs, hookers and total death in the early 90's. Plain and simple fellas.

    Pazzoon February 15, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I know that it's very down to earth, but I guess it's about a hooker. The chorus sung by Alice Cooper is maybe about a guy, not very confident and lonely, who lives not far from some whorehouse and who finally indulges himself. He lost his virginity to a gypsy with blond hair. Felt so good he never wants to leave this place. At the beginning he's not sure about going there but he finally makes the move and loves it, feeling the flowers as they wrap around, but only smart boys do without. Smart boys live in surburbs, are married and have kids. But they would really like to be poor once in a while so they could let the flowers wrap around. And when it's over, Bye Bye, so long, it's glad to know you.

    marietormaon June 01, 2012   Link
  • +1
    My Opinion

    This songs speaks clearly about brοthel (whore-house) .It is very clear.

    nio1004940on September 10, 2019   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This is defiently a strange song. And the Alice Cooper chorus makes it even stranger. Obviously its about some crazy garden that seduces you and once you're in you never get out. But what does it mean?

    Eversioon March 29, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    that's pretty close to right ratman...except it's about him being in love then losing it, and being so horny he'd fuck anything that moves and somethings that don't like stumps, but then he sees all the happy loving people and just gives up and most likely commits suicide. but that's just my take.

    dwfp99on January 22, 2005   Link

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