Use Your Illusion

Song Facts and Meaning Behind the Guns N' Roses Track 'The Garden'

The Garden Facts

  • Alice Cooper sings lead vocals with Axl Rose on the track, while Blind Melon's Shannon Hoon provides background vocals.
  • The song was co-written by West Arkeen who also plays acoustic guitar on the song.
  • The song was played heavily on the Skin N' Bones US Leg of the Use Your Illusion Tour in 1993.
  • The only pro-shot footage of the liver performance of the song that exists online was the 1993 Saskatoon show.
  • A music video was released for the song even though it was never released as a single. The video didn't get much airplay on MTV.
  • The music video was shot in New York City during the band's co-headlining tour with Metallica.

Source: http://www.a-4-d.com/t115-the-garden

Album:
Use Your Illusion I, 1991, track no. 1.

Written by:
Izzy Stradlin, Timo Caltia and Axl Rose

Musicians:

Drums / Percussion: Matt
Bass: Duff

Lead and Rhythm Guitars / Slide Guitar / Acoustic Guitar: Slash
Acoustic Guitar: West Arkeen
Vocals: Axl, Alice Cooper
Background Vocals: Axl, ShannonLive performances:
'The Garden' was played live for the first time at Frank Erwin Center, USA, February 23, 1993. It was only played during 1993. In total it has, as ofJuly 19, 2017, at least been played20 times.

In Their Own Words

Duff McKagan

[West Arkeen] wasn't the type who wanted to be in a band, but he was an incredible guitar player. He ended up writing songs with several of us. He had a hand in an unreleased song called 'Sentimental Movie,' and in 'Yesterdays' ad 'The Garden,' which eventually turned up on Use Your Illusion. All of those songs were written there on El Cerrito [where Duff lived] together with various members of our band [Duff's autobiography, "It's So Easy", 2011, p. 86-87]

Slash

Talking about the slide playing: [i][…] For 'The Garden,' where it's got a big solo session, and slide all the way through it, I d

id that overhand […] I came up with it that day in the studio, so there wasn't much practising involved. I had the basic idea, improvised it, and did it a couple of times [Guitar For The Practising Musician, April 1990].

[i]Axl sang a part in 'The Garden,' and it sounded exactly like Alice Cooper. I mean, it sounded exactly like Alice. So we were like, 'Let's get Alice to do it,' you know, rather than just steal his style. So Alice came down and sang it. It was cool [Guns N' Roses The Illusion Of Greatness by Lonn M. Friend; RIP June 1991].

I came up with it that day in the studio, so there wasn't much practising involved. I had the basic idea, improvised it, and did it a couple of times. I played it overhand. This solo is particularly focused, in terms of where your energy is. I thought of Jeff Beck. That's cool. I like Jeff Beck. That's another one that was one take. It's aggressive. I think I have my regular Les Paul with the Alnico pickups that I use most of the time. The same one I used on the last record[No Illusions, Guitar – April, 1992].

Lyrics:


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 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


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 4 daze
With a smile upon my face,
I never wanna 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 bye
Aw…so long