Loaded (also known as Duff McKagan's Loaded) is an American hard rock super… Read Full Bio ↴Loaded (also known as Duff McKagan's Loaded) is an American hard rock supergroup that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1999. It's current lineup consists of founder Duff McKagan of Velvet Revolver, formerly of Guns N' Roses, on lead vocals and guitar, Mike Squires formerly of Alien Crime Syndicate and Nevada Bachelors on lead guitar, Jeff Rouse formerly of Alien Crime Syndicate, Vendetta Red, and Sirens Sister on bass and drummer Isaac Carpenter formerly of Loudermilk, Gosling and The Exies. They have released two albums (Dark Days and Sick) one EP (Wasted Heart) and one live album (Episode 1999: Live) since the groups inception.

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.

Executioner's Song
Duff McKagan's Loaded Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Kill with a Judas kiss
Revenge ain't sweet when the blood is on your lips

Democracy is such a whore
Fools and kids march off to war

Cold comes the reaper's grin
How will we pay for our greatest sin?

Democracy is such a whore
(Know your history)
Fools and and pawns march off to war
(Without victory, there's no history)

Down underground
Where will you go when the witch hunt turns around?

Democracy is such a whore
(Know your history)
Brothers and sons march off to war

(Without victory, there's no history)
No one wins, no one wins, no one wins

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Duff McKagan's Loaded's song Executioner's Song discuss the dire consequences that come with the pursuit of power, revenge, and war. The first two lines of the song suggest that those who seek revenge will ultimately suffer the consequences of their actions. The next line, "Democracy is such a whore," criticizes the idea that democracy is for sale or can be bought by anyone with money, power, or influence. The next few lines warn against the dangers of war and how easily people can be manipulated into marching off to fight without understanding the consequences. The lines "How will we pay for our greatest sin? / Down underground / Where will you go when the witch hunt turns around?" seem to be ominous warnings that our actions will have severe consequences, and someday, we'll have to face the music. The chorus, "No one wins, no one wins, no one wins," seems to suggest that war, revenge, and greed are futile, and no one benefits from them.

The song was written during the Iraq war, and the lyrics express the band's opposition to the war. Duff McKagan, the band's lead singer, bassist, and primary songwriter, has stated that the song was inspired by his experiences serving in the US army reserve in the 1980s. The song was also inspired by the Salem witch trials and the idea of people turning on each other in times of fear and uncertainty. The lines "Brothers and sons march off to war" were inspired by the fact that McKagan's brother and son were serving in the military at the time.

Line by Line Meaning

Kill with a Judas kiss
To kill someone using deceit, like Judas did to Jesus

Revenge ain't sweet when the blood is on your lips
When seeking revenge, one must be prepared to face the consequences and live with the guilt

Democracy is such a whore
Democracy can be manipulated and corrupted by those in power

Fools and kids march off to war
War often involves naive and inexperienced young people who are easily persuaded to fight

Cold comes the reaper's grin
Death is inevitable and can come when we least expect it

How will we pay for our greatest sin?
We must face the consequences of our actions, especially those that have caused harm to others

Down underground
Referring to death or the afterlife

Where will you go when the witch hunt turns around?
When accusations and blame are turned back on the accusers, where will they hide?

Brothers and sons march off to war
War often involves close family members who may suffer personal loss and tragedy

No one wins, no one wins, no one wins
War brings destruction and loss to all parties involved, there are no true winners

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: DUFF MC KAGAN, ISAAC HEATH CARPENTER, JEFFREY JOHN ROUSE, MICHAEL JAMES SQUIRES

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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