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Discography Listings:
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Written by Stevie Nicks.
Throughout a child's life there always seems to be someone who will ask them,
"What do you want to be when you grow up?" Some of them answer that they want
to be firefighters or doctors or the President of the United States. Many
others will respond that they want to be famous. No doubt, Miss Stephanie
"Stevie" Nicks felt the same way. And, after many struggles with near
poverty, those dreams became reality. What she probably didn't foresee was a
life in which she would have to battle between her super stardom and having a
normal, everyday life. But shortly after her quick climb to fame with
Fleetwood Mac, she realized the brutal truth that likely faces many people in
the music business--in order to be truly successful in this world of fame, they
need to succumb to it and put their personal lives on the back burner. This
usually means for as long as the need to be in the spotlight is there in their
hearts. Stevie has nearly thirty years of making music under her belt.
Although these years have been her dream and she would not give them up for
anything, there are bound to be some regrets for not being able to enjoy a
somewhat "down to earth" life.
And he says, "What do you love to do?
Most agree that the man who is speaking to Stevie is not one particular
person. She could be referring to any man from her past, present, or future.
It is likely that she is speaking to all of them. He is asking Stevie what she likes to do besides writing her music and performing. To her, this is her
"world". She feels that as long as the music is there then she is happy.
However, someone looking at her from outside of this "world" wonders how she
has the time to have hobbies or a deeply meaningful relationship. On the Best
Buy CD, Stevie is quoted as saying this about "Sweet Girl": "This song sort of came to me out of me thinking it might be time for me to figure out what is
it that I like to do outside of music. That's really what Sweet Girl is all
about."
"Where would you go,
Once again, the man asks her how she would spend her time if she was away from
the music. While she is crossing the state-lines on her tours, does she have
anyone who she can really talk to? Someone who will let her cry on their
shoulder? The line, "People are unkind," refers to her critics who have put
her down in the past. He wonders if there is someone there who can comfort
her from the emotional pain--or does she hold it deep within herself?
But I chose to dance across the stages of the world
Stevie was quoted as saying, "All of my friends that are famous are all sorry.
For me, the price was that I never married and never had children because
there was never time. And if I had ever decided to do any of that it would
have taken Fleetwood Mac off for two years and the band would have broken up.
So that wasn't even acceptable. That wasn't even a choice." Fleetwood Mac
and her solo career have been a priority for her, and it was something that
she had chosen to do. She sacrificed the events in life that are considered
the "norm" for most people. Instead, she opted to put this all aside for
touring. In the line "Everyone said that I'd never learn", this could be
referring to her family and friends outside of the business who did not agree
with her choices. In the line "And I still hear your words...", Stevie makes
a point here to remember what these men have told her. They wanted a life
with her and yet she still chose to put the music first.
I did try to come back and listen.
This is where Stevie reveals that she is not ignorant to the options she could
have chosen. The people in her life did not realize this because she never
wanted to make it known to them. She wanted to appear strong. However, she
really does think about what her life could have been without music, but the
music offers her the protection. It is the only world she knows and feels
safe in. She knows if she learns to fall in love again that she has the risk
of getting hurt once more, and she does not wish to face that.
Still through the sunlighted days I wait
The previous stanza before this one showed some hint of breaking down the
barriers as she admits that she has considered choosing love but was afraid.
This stanza, however, is now the turning point of the song. She is realizing
how important love really is to her. "Still through the sunlighted days I
wait" is revealing that she is still secretly waiting for love. She may be
scared but she has the longing for a lasting relationship. "Track a ghost
through the fog" was a line that was also featured in her song "Angel", which
is believed to be about Lindsey Buckingham. Thus, it is very possible that
this whole verse is referring to him. The ghost could be representative of
herself and how difficult it is for Lindsey (or any man) to reach her. The fog could represent the element that has kept her and Lindsey apart through the years. They were blinded by many things (anger, hurt, drugs, revenge,
love) and could not see through to each other any longer...as if in a fog.
"The sun is burning me" The sun could represent her realization of what she
has lost from the termination of the relationship with Lindsey. She lost the
benefits of marriage and children that she could have had with him. But she
remembers the destructive path that their relationship went through and she
doesn't want to go back. Stevie was quoted in Rolling Stone as saying, "I
don't want to be a part of that darkness." However, there is a conflicting
idea here because in this song the light of the sun could mean she is seeing
him as a different man now. These strong, conflicting thoughts in her mind
are burning her because they are pulling her in different directions. She is
being pulled away from the safety of being alone. "And you come running out
in the wind with me" The wind here is a cooling element to the sun that was
once burning her. Once he comes to her, the effect of the burn is gone and
there is only happiness. "The ocean is your blanket" Oceans have been used
to symbolize the enormity of things. In this case, it could mean the enormity
of her feelings for Lindsey. It serves as a blanket of protection for both of
them--the protection that she was seeking earlier in the song and could only
find in her music. She could be realizing that his love is the only other
protection she has felt besides what she got from her career. The fact that
Stevie wrote this song only a week before the band's reunion is somewhat
significant. Old emotions about her former bandmates were bound to come up
in her thoughts so close to their coming back together again. So it is very
possible that she was thinking through her relationship with Lindsey.
But I chose to dance across the stages of the world Here the song goes back to Stevie's feelings of choosing music over love.
This change back could mean she is still unsure. She is wavering between the
two choices as if she doesn't know which form of protection is better for her.
I want to fly through the world The golden ball represents something that will shield and protect her. She
comes to the realization that she would enjoy the ability to see the world
without being rushed through it like she was when out on tour. She feels like
she was always working and could not experience the world around her. In an
interview talking about the days of Rumours, Stevie compares being in
Fleetwood Mac as being on-call, "like a doctor". She also is known to have
said that being in Fleetwood Mac was "like being in the Army." Despite all of
this, Stevie never regretted any of it. This was her life. Now she sees that
even Stevie Nicks can "fall" and come back down to the way her life was before
her fame. She can enjoy the things she missed out on. The song ends with the
coaxing of the mystery man once again. He wants her to come down from her
level of stardom and experience life. Her description of herself as "Sweet
Girl" could refer to the fact that, despite her immense drive for success and
popularity, she still maintains a warm and friendly presence to the people she
meets. Although she may not live this type of down to earth lifestyle any
longer, the core of her personality is still the same as it used to be before
her fame.
In summary, this song takes us through Stevie's thought process. She tries to
make a decision on what is most important to her. In the beginning of the
song, she is faced with questions she does not want to openly answer. As the
song progresses, she begins to analyze what is most important to her--the
benefits of having love in her life or the benefits of music. It doesn't end
with a definite answer. It's possible that Stevie hadn't really decided yet. It's possible that she wishes for the best of both worlds and hopes that
someday that could be possible.
Transcribed to HTML by Marty Adelson.
Outside your world,
Who spends time with you?
Whom do you love when you're not working,
Sweet Girl..."
If you had the time?
Crossing some crazy state-line somewhere
To whom do you cry?
People are unkind
Sweet Girl."
Everyone said that I'd never learn
And I still hear your words, "Well, I waited all my life for you....
Sweet Girl."
You never knew it.
I didn't wish it.
And I did hear every answer to every question...
It's all about protection.
Track a ghost through the fog
The sun is burning me
And you come running out
In the wind with me
The ocean is your blanket
Everyone said that I'd never learn
And I still hear your words, "Well, I waited all my life for you....
Sweet Girl."
In a golden ball
Many are the cities that I never saw at all
Sometimes I feel like I was always on call
Sometimes even I am allowed to fall
He says, "Come down here for a minute...Well, come down here for a
minute."
He says, "Come down here for a minute...Sweet Girl. Sweet Girl."
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