Originally comprising vocalist, bassist and songwriter Duff McKagan (formerly of Guns N' Roses), guitarist Michael Barragan (formerly of Plexi), guitarist Dez Cadena (formerly of Black Flag) and drummer Taz Bentley (formerly of The Reverend Horton Heat), the band released Episode 1999: Live in 1999.
In 2000, McKagan began recording Dark Days, which was released in 2001, with drummer Geoff Reading (formerly of New American Shame and Green Apple Quick Step) and Dave Dederer (formerly of The Presidents of the United States of America) with additional guitar parts added by touring guitarist Mike Squires (formerly of Nevada Bachelors and Harvey Danger). For the tour, bassist Jeff Rouse (formerly of Alien Crime Syndicate) was added to the group. During the tour, both Squires and Rouse left to rejoin Alien Crime Syndicate with gutiarist Dave Kushner, formerly of Wasted Youth and Electric Love Hogs, and bassist George Stuart Dahlquist, formerly of Asva and Burning Witch, replacing them.
With both McKagan and Kushner going on to form Velvet Revolver with McKagan's former Guns N' Roses bandmates, Slash and Matt Sorum, and then former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland in 2002, Loaded were put on semi-hiatus with the band playing a few shows each year with former members Rouse and Squires returning to the group.
Loaded regrouped in 2008, with the lineup still consisting of McKagan, Squires, Rouse and Reading. The band released extended play Wasted Heart in September in support of their UK/European tour. The follow up to Dark Days, Sick, was released on April 7, 2009 and charted at number 43 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers Chart. A tour of the US and Europe as well as South America followed along with stints supporting Black Stone Cherry and Mötley Crüe.
In September 2009, drummer Reading announced his departure from the group with Isaac Carpenter, formerly of Loudermilk, Gosling and The Exies, announced as his replacement. The group are currently working on new material for their next release.
Cocaine
Duff McKagan's Loaded Lyrics
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In short it said that you've been so far away,
It said where you've been, what's been on your mind,
It makes you feel so much better when there's something to hide,
You're shifting blame again,
Lie to yourself about it,
Pretend your life is sane,
The world forgets your name,
Move on from there, get up and go on,
Wait any longer you'll be stuck where you are,
Leave all your things, clean up your face,
The scars of the past are the dust that remain in the way,
Stop shifting blame again,
Lie to yourself about it,
Pretend your life is sane,
Basking in faded glory,
The world forgets your name,
How could it be that you sunk down so low?
Word around town is you got no place to go,
Your story's got a crack and you got no one to follow,
I couldn't care less,
Lie to yourself about it,
Pretend your life is sane,
Basking in faded glory,
The world forgets your name,
Cry to yourself about it,
Drive all your friends insane,
You failed to prove your story,
I will forget your name.
The lyrics of Duff McKagan's Loaded's song Cocaine describe the hardships of addiction and the lies and denial that come with it. The song appears to be directed towards someone who has been struggling with addiction and has been distant from the writer for a while. The writer receives a letter from this person, where they explain where they have been and what has been on their mind. The main theme of the song lies in the lines "Lie to yourself about it, pretend your life is sane, basking in faded glory, the world forgets your name." These lines portray the idea that the person in question is living in a world of denial, pretending like everything is okay while they are struggling with addiction.
The second verse of the song marks a turning point in the lyrics. The writer suggests that the person should "move on from there, get up and go on." If they wait any longer, they might get stuck in their addiction. The writer encourages them to leave behind their past, clean up their face, and leave all their things behind. The scars of the past are the dust that remains in the way, and it's time to move on. The chorus repeats the idea of the first verse, with the writer stating that the person should stop shifting blame and lying to themselves, and face the reality of their situation. The writer suggests that the person's addiction has led them to sink down so low that they don't have any place to go. The world is forgetting their name, and their story has a crack in it. In the end, the writer suggests that they don't care about the person anymore, and they will forget their name.
Line by Line Meaning
Read a letter from you today,
Received a letter from you today
In short it said that you've been so far away,
You have been far away as mentioned in the letter
It said where you've been, what's been on your mind,
The letter mentioned where you have been and what has been on your mind
It makes you feel so much better when there's something to hide,
Keeping secrets makes you feel better
You're shifting blame again,
You are blaming others again
Lie to yourself about it,
You are lying to yourself
Pretend your life is sane,
You are pretending your life is normal
Basking in faded glory,
You are enjoying past achievements
The world forgets your name,
The world has forgotten about you
How could it be that you sunk down so low?
Wondering how you fell to such a low point
Word around town is you got no place to go,
People are saying that you have nowhere to go
Your story's got a crack and you got no one to follow,
Your story has loopholes and no one to support it
I couldn't care less,
I am indifferent to your situation
Cry to yourself about it,
You are crying to yourself
Drive all your friends insane,
You are causing your friends to become insane
You failed to prove your story,
You failed to prove your story is true
I will forget your name.
I will forget about you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DUFF MC KAGAN, ISAAC HEATH CARPENTER, JEFFREY JOHN ROUSE, MICHAEL JAMES SQUIRES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind