Greatest Hits - Guns N' Roses - Welcome To The Jungle

About the song

This was the first track on Appetite For Destruction, which caused controversy because of its cover, a drawing of a robot apparently raping a woman. The album was a raging success, selling 18 million copies in America by 2008, making it the best-selling debut album in history until 2018, when the RIAA certified Cracked Rear View by Hootie & the Blowfish at 21 million.

"Welcome to the jungle" is about Los Angeles. It exposes the dark side of the city many people encounter when they go there to pursue fame. Guns N' Roses knew this side of the city well: in 1985, they lived in a place on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles that they called "Hell House." The house was often filled with drugs, alcohol and groupies.

Slash explains:

"I was at my house and I had that riff happening and Axl came over and he got those lyrics together, and then the band sort of arranged it. We got an arrangement for the whole band, 'cause that's how we work. Someone comes in with an idea and someone else has input and in that way everyone's happy. That came together really quickly too, that was arranged in one day."

Welcome To The Jungle - Lyrics

Oh my God Jump Welcome to the jungle, we got fun and games We got everything you want, honey, we know the names We are the people that can find whatever you may need If you got the money, honey, we got your disease In the jungle, welcome to the jungle Watch it bring you to your shun-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n, knees, knees Mwah, ah, I wanna watch you bleed Welcome to the jungle, we take it day by day If you want it you're going to bleed, but it's the price you pay And you're a very sexy girl, it's very hard to please You can taste the bright lights, but you won't get there for free In the jungle, welcome to the jungle Feel my, my, my, my serpentine Oh, ah, I wanna hear you scream Moaning Welcome to the jungle, it gets worse here everyday You learn to live like an animal in the jungle where we play If you got a hunger for what you see, you'll take it eventually You can have anything you want, but you better not take it from me In the jungle, welcome to the jungle Watch it bring you to your shun-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n, knees, knees Mwah, I wanna watch you bleed And when you're high, you never Ever want to come down So down, so down, so down, yeah You know where you are? You're in the jungle, baby You're gonna die In the jungle, welcome to the jungle Watch it bring you to your shun-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n, knees, knees In the jungle, welcome to the jungle Feel my, oh my, my, my serpentine Jungle, welcome to the jungle Watch it bring you to your shun-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n, knees, knees In the jungle, welcome to the jungle Watch it bring you to your, it's going to bring you down, huh

Guns N' Roses - Welcome To The Jungle - Live