Chords + Lyrics | Sweet Child O’ Mine (tune down 1/2)
Intro
||: D | Dadd4 | Cadd9 | Cadd9 |
| G5 | G5 | D | Dadd4 :|| x3
Verse 1
| D5 | D5 |
She’s got a smile that it seems to me,
| C | Cadd9 |
reminds me of childhood memories,
| G5 | G5 | D | Dadd4 |
where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky.
| D | D Dadd4 |
Now and then when I see her face,
| C | Cadd9 |
she takes me away to that special place,
| G | G6 G5 | D | Dadd4 |
and if I stared too long, I’d probably break down and cry.
Chorus 1
| A Aadd4 | Csus4 Cadd9 | Dsus4 | Dadd4 |
Whoa, oh, oh. Sweet child o’ mine.
| A Aadd4 | Csus4 Cadd9 | D5 | D5 |
Whoa, oh, oh, oh. Sweet love of mine.
Instrumental 1
| D | D | C | C |
| G | G | D | Dadd4 |
Verse 2
| D | Dadd4 |
She’s got eyes of the bluest skies,
| Cadd9 | Cadd9 |
as if they thought of rain.
| G | G | D | Dadd4 |
I’d hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain.
| D | Dadd4 |
Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place,
| Cadd9 | Cadd9 |
where as a child I’d hide.
| G | G | D | Dadd4 |
And pray for the thunder and the rain to quietly pass me by.
Chorus 2
| A5 (B5) | C5 | Dsus4 | Dadd4 |
Whoa, oh, oh. Sweet child o’ mine.
| A5 (B5) | C5 | D5 | D5 |
Whoa whoa, oh, oh, oh. Sweet love of mine.
Instrumental 2
| D | D | C | C |
| G | G | D | Dadd4 |
| D | D | C | C |
| G | G | D | D |
Whoa, yeah.
Chorus 3
| A5 (B5) | C5 | D | Dadd4 |
Whoa, oh, oh, oh. Sweet child o’ mine
| A5 (B5) | C5 | D5 | D5 |
Whoa, oh, whoa, oh. Sweet love of mine.
| A5 (B5) | C5 | D5 | Dadd4 |
Whoa, oh, oh, oh. Sweet child o’ mine.
| A5 (B5) | C5 | D5 | D (D#) |
Ooh, ooh, sweet love of mine
Instrumental 3
| Em | C | B7 | Am :|| x3
| Em | C | B7 | A5 | A5 |
Solo
||: Em (F#) | G5 | A5 | C5 D5 G5 :||
Breakdown
||: E5 (N.C) (F#) | G5 (N.C) | A5 (N.C) | C5 D5 G5 :||
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?
| Em (F#) | G5 | A5 | C5 D5 |
Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay, ay Where do we go now? Ah, ah
Outro
| Em (F#) | G5 | A5 | C5 D5 G5 |
Where do we go? Oh, where do we go now?
| Em (F#) | G5 | A5 | C5 D5 G5 |
Oh, where do we go? Oh, where do we go now?
| Em (F#) | G5 | A5 | (E D B Bb A G) |
Where do we go? Oh, where do we go now? Now, now, now, now, now, now, now.
| Em (F#) | G5 | A5 | C5 D5 | Em |
Sweet child. Sweet child of mine.
Sweet Child O’ Mine Chords: Exploring the Key and Progressions
Verse
First, we’re tuned down a semitone and play in the key of G, moving from V – IV – I – V for the verse, like this:
| D5 (V) | D5 | C (IV) | Cadd9 |
| G5 (I) | G5 | D | Dadd4 |
Starting on the V chord and hiding the I chord in the middle of the progression creates momentum and drives the progression forward in Sweet Child O’ Mine.
Chorus
The chorus uses power chords to blur the line between minor and major. We move from II – IV – V, with a quick III chord used as a passing chord (B5). There are no 3rds—only power chords or sus4:
| A5 (II) B5 (III) | C5 (IV) | Dsus4 (V) | Dadd4 |
Solo
For the solo, breakdown, and outro, the chords follow this progression:
||: Em (VI) /F# | G5 (I) |
| A5 (II) | C5 (IV) D5 (V) G5 (I) :||
When viewed as Roman numerals, this progression uses almost all the chords from the E Aeolian mode, with the III chord missing. The movement is: VI (with VII as a passing note) – I – II – (skip III) – IV – V.
There are some subtle variations in the chords, which you’ll uncover by studying the chords and lyrics above.
Getting the chords right is crucial for Sweet Child O’ Mine, but more importantly, you need to find a way to combine the two guitars from the original recording into one playable part for a band. For that, you’ll need TAB.
Here’s a link to the TAB lesson: Sweet Child O’ Mine – Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Spend time with the TAB, and once you’ve got it down, this chord chart will be your guide for the gig.
Sweet Child O’ Mine Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
If you’d like to download the chart, here’s a PDF: Sweet Child O’ Mine chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro. Here’s the link to that file: Sweet Child O’ Mine iReal Pro.
With this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key. This could be a helpful solution if you don’t have a guitar tuned down a semitone and find yourself with a singer who’s a bit unreasonable.
TAB | Course Preview
There’s so much TAB in the course, you’ll be busy all night! Everything is written as if you’re tuned down a semitone—or the band is playing a semitone up.
As a preview, here’s the first instrumental section. Pay attention to how the intervals land on chord tones—this is a big part of why Sweet Child O’ Mine became a hit!
Sweet Child O’ Mine put Guns N’ Roses on the map!
Guns N’ Roses‘ signature song, Sweet Child O’ Mine, is an epic masterpiece that blends rock with pop sensibility.
This track is what truly put the band on the map, helping their heavier repertoire reach a mass audience.
The deeper you dive into the song, the more you’ll appreciate its complexity, especially the guitar work.
Perhaps the biggest challenge is that even if you learn both Izzy and Slash’s guitar parts note for note, you’ll still face the dilemma of how to combine the parts—since you’ll likely be the only guitarist at the gig.
Another dilemma is deciding whether to bring a spare guitar tuned down a half-tone or invest in the Digitech drop pedal.
Alternatively, you could always suggest to the singer that Sweet Child O’ Mine’s chords should be played a semitone up. That should make for an interesting conversation…
Sweet Child O’ Mine Chords: Continue Learning
Want to master this song? Check out the full TAB lesson here: Sweet Child O’ Mine (Guns N’ Roses) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:
