Expert: J.J.B - 2/21/2004

Question
"don't cry"
I really like this song, but I never have understood what he ment by "I was the one who's washing blood of your hands".

what is the lyrical meaning of "so fine" ?

thank you,
cathy

Answer
Hello Cathy,

Thank you for using AllExperts.com!

Both versions of 'Don't Cry' are songs about the pain of a loved one leaving forever, be it the degeneration of a marriage or the death of a lover etc., and Axl's lyrics for both versions of this song reflect that emotion. However, while Axl's songwriting abilities are up there with the greatest of all time, one must not leap to the conclusion that everything Axl pens is cryptic and requires the listener to study its meaning.

'I was the one who's washing, blood off your hands' is simply a way Axl is portraying the way 'he' (if indeed he was meant to be the focus of this song) loved, cared for and protected the person in mind (whom the song is directed at). The act of washing blood off your hands is usually linked to the act of murder, therefore Axl is saying that he would protect and destroy any evidence of such an act just so they would never have to part. It is not meant to be taken literally, it is, though, a symbol of dedication and a testiment to the lengths people will go to look after loved ones.

The song 'So Fine' is written by then-GNR bassist, Duff McKagan, and is dedicated to Johnny Thunders, the glam-rocking guitarist of The New York Dolls, who died of a methadone overdose mid-1991. Thunders had quite a feminine appearance, and it is no surprise that McKagan used this as the premise to point the song towards (for example 'How could SHE look so fine?, How could it be SHE might be mine'). Johnny Thunders was also infamous for the way lived, often appearing on stage intoxicated and drugged up beyond belief. This is reflected in the song McKagan wrote:

It's a story of a man
Who works as hard as he can
Just to be a man who stands on his own
But the book always burns
As the story takes it turn
An leaves a broken man

Obviously, this is a reference to Thunders' own lifestyle. The song is a very, very personal one, detailing how significant and influential Johnny Thunders was to Duff. For example:

Well I'd look right up at night
And all I'd see was darkness
Now I see the stars alright
I wanna reach right up and grab one for you
When the lights went down in your house
Yeah that made me happy
The sweat I make for you
I think you know where that comes from

This is Duff basically pouring his heart out and paying every respect he can to a man he obviously idolised and had a great deal of admiration for. Johnny Thunders was what real rock n' roll stars are made of, and its not hard to see why a member of Guns N' Roses would have fallen in love with his image.

Sorry if this reply is a tad on the late side Cathy, but I tried to go into as much detail as possible to make up for it! Please feel free to contact me again in the future about any other GNR-related questions you have, I'll only be too happy to help you out!

Take care of yourself,

Regards,

JJB