Back Off Bitch

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“Back Off Bitch” was written before the band’s 1987 debut album, Appetite for Destruction. The song was also played during Guns N' Roses concerts before the release of… Read More

Sep. 17, 19911 viewer20.8K views

Back Off Bitch Lyrics

[Intro]
Oh, baby
Pretty baby
Oh, honey
You let me down, honey

[Verse 1]
I ain't playing childhood games no more
I said, it's time for me to even the score
So, stake your claim, your claim to fame
But, baby, call another name
When you feel the fire, woah
And taste the flame, woah yeah yeah

[Chorus]
Back off, back off, bitch
Down in the gutter, dying in the ditch
You better back off, back off, bitch
Face of an angel with the love of a witch
Back off, back off, bitch
Back off, back off, bitch

[Post-Chorus]
Woah, woah, woah
Woah, woah, woah

[Verse 2]
Making love, cheap heartbreaker
Broken-backed, nasty ball-breaker
Stay outta my bed, outta my head
If it's loving you, I'm better off dead

[Chorus]
Now back off, back off, bitch
Down in the gutter, dying in the ditch
You better back off, back off, bitch
Face of an angel with the love of a witch
Back off, back off, bitch
Back off, back off, bitch

[Post-Chorus]
Woah, woah, woah
Woah, woah, woah

[Guitar Solo]

[Verse 3]
Emotions ripped, gone on a binge
Light lipped, I said you're off the hinge
Telling lies of such fame and glory
I don't even want to hear your story

[Chorus]
Back off, back off, bitch
Down in the gutter, dying in the ditch
You better back off, back off, bitch
Face of an angel with the love of a witch
Back off, back off, bitch
It's such a pity that you're such a bitch
Back off, back off, bitch
It's time to burn-burn the witch
Back off, back off, bitch
Back off, back off, bitch
Back off, back off, bitch
Back off, back off, bitch
Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch

[Outro]
"Hey, what do you think he's trying to say there, anyway?"
"I think it's something each person's supposed to take in their own special way"
Fucking bitch

About

“Back Off Bitch” was written before the band’s 1987 debut album, Appetite for Destruction. The song was also played during Guns N' Roses concerts before the release of Appetite for Destruction. “Back Off Bitch” was written partially about Axl’s girlfriend, Gina Siler, who moved with him to Los Angeles in 1982, and eventually kicked him out in 1983, due to his anger issues. It was also demoed several times by the band during this period.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Guns N' Roses say about "Back Off Bitch"?

Axl talked about how the song was inspired in a 1991 Rolling Stone interview:

“Back Off Bitch” is a ten-year-old song. I’ve been doing a lot of work and found out I’ve had a lot of hatred for women. Basically, I’ve been rejected by my mother since I was a baby. She’s picked my stepfather over me ever since he was around and watched me get beaten by him. She stood back most of the time. Unless it got too bad, and then she’d come and hold you afterward. She wasn’t there for me. My grandmother had a problem with men. I’ve gone back and done the work and found out I overheard my grandma going off on men when I was four. And I’ve had problems with my own masculinity because of that. I was pissed off at my grandmother for her problem with men and how it made me feel about being a man. So I wrote about my feelings in the song.

Who produced “Back Off Bitch” by Guns N' Roses?

When did Guns N' Roses release “Back Off Bitch”?

Who wrote “Back Off Bitch” by Guns N' Roses?