Full Devil Jacket is an alternative metal band from Jackson, Tennessee during the late-90's/early 00's. They released one EP and one full-length album before disbanding.
The band started as the Voodoo Hippies when Josh Brown, Mike Reaves, Kevin Bebout, and Keith Foster all met at Josh Brown’s brother’s tattoo shop in Jackson, TN. Jonathan Montoya was the last addition to the band as the second guitarist.
Before being signed to Island/Def Jam Records, they changed the name to Full Devil Jacket. There are a couple stories on how the band got its name. One is that the band was named after a song written by lead singer Josh Brown, called “Full Devil Jacket.” Another story is that the band simply pulled the name from a magazine article.
While signed to Def Jam Records, the band had a successful career releasing one EP titled "A Waxbox To Put Your Frankenstein Head In..." and their self titled LP which quickly went Gold. While together, the band toured with Creed, Nickelback, Type O Negative, played at Woodstock 99, and was featured on the Tattoo the Earth tour with Mudvayne, Slipknot, Sepultura, Slayer, and Coal Chamber with Metallica headlining one show.
While on tour with Creed, Josh Brown suffered a drug overdose. Brown had to be resuscitated by his girlfriend. He then decided to quit the band. The album remains unreleased and unfinished to this day. Some of the songs that the band was working on were “Shelter,” “All Apologies,” “Superdysfunctional Hero,” and “Bottle.”
After the departure of lead singer Josh Brown, Michael Reaves also decided to leave the band. Full Devil Jacket then reformed with a new lead singer (Ben Hatch then later on Jamie Martin) and a new second guitarist, Dave White, and recorded an unreleased EP under their new name of "WaxBox" before the band dissolved altogether. This incarnation of the band decided to work on some of the same songs that they did with Josh Brown. The EP included “Shelter,” “All Apologies,” “Superdysfunctional Hero,” and “Sober.”
The band eventually reformed to play a benefit concert supporting cancer-stricken guitarist Michael Reaves, who later passed away.
Love Song
Full Devil Jacket Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you - I would break
True - I can only hold you
And you - I'd never take
Thought you were my friend
Now it's over
I cannot pretend
I feel below her
And you - I would break
True - I can only hold you
And you - I'd never take
Nails into my back
Worms within me
There's no turning back
She's within me
I wanted love
Felt so wrong
I wanted, I wanted, I wanted, I wanted love
I'll never, I'll never, I'll never
You can forget that shit
'Cause I don't need that shit
I never wanted love
Never needed it
Well, you took my life
And you took my soul
And you threw it all away
You - I want to love you
And you - I would break
True - I can only hold you
And you - I'd never take
I only wanted love
I only needed someone to hold
You were there for me
But I cut you out
And put you under me
The lyrics to "Love Song" by Full Devil Jacket are reflective of a complicated relationship where the singer expresses a desire to love someone while acknowledging that they are not capable of doing so. The repetition of the lines "You - I want to love you" and "True - I can only hold you" highlights the internal struggle of the singer wanting to be close to someone but not wanting to take that next step of commitment. This indecisiveness is compounded by the feeling of betrayal as the singer had thought the other person was their friend until that relationship ended.
The metaphorical language of "nails into my back" and "worms within me" reflects the physical and emotional pain that the singer is experiencing as they confront their conflicted feelings. They express a sense of loss over what they wanted - love - and how wrong that desire now feels. The repetition of "I wanted, I wanted, I wanted, I wanted love" emphasizes the desperation and frustration of the singer. Ultimately, they reject the idea of love altogether, saying "I never wanted love, never needed it."
Overall, "Love Song" by Full Devil Jacket is a complex exploration of a difficult relationship, including issues of emotional vulnerability, betrayal, and the struggle to reconcile what one wants with what one is capable of handling.
Line by Line Meaning
You - I want to love you
The singer desires to love the person.
And you - I would break
The singer may harm the person in order to keep them close.
True - I can only hold you
The singer can only keep the person close without controlling them.
And you - I'd never take
The artist will never force or expect anything from the person.
Thought you were my friend
The person was initially thought to be a friend.
Now it's over
The friendship has ended.
I cannot pretend
The singer cannot fake their emotions or actions towards the person.
I feel below her
The person’s presence makes the artist feel inferior.
Nails into my back
The artist feels pain and betrayal from the person’s actions.
Worms within me
The artist feels corrupted or eaten away from inside by the person’s actions.
There's no turning back
The singer knows they cannot undo what has been done.
She's within me
The person’s influence has infiltrated the artist’s being.
I wanted love
The singer initially desired love from the person.
Felt so wrong
The love that was offered felt uncomfortable or immoral.
I wanted, I wanted, I wanted, I wanted love
The repetition emphasizes the singer’s intense desire for love.
I'll never, I'll never, I'll never
The repetition emphasizes the artist’s certainty that they will not experience love.
You can forget that shit
The person should forget about the possibility of the artist offering love to them.
'Cause I don't need that shit
The singer does not require love.
I never wanted love
The singer reiterates their disinterest in love in general.
Never needed it
The artist never required love to feel whole or complete.
Well, you took my life
The person took away or negatively impacted the artist’s existence.
And you took my soul
The person caused damage to the artist’s emotional and mental state.
And you threw it all away
The person carelessly disregarded the singer’s worth and value.
I only wanted love
The artist wanted a genuine and pure love with the person.
I only needed someone to hold
The singer craved physical comfort and support from someone.
You were there for me
The person was present for the singer at some point in time.
But I cut you out
The singer chose to remove the person from their life despite their previous presence.
And put you under me
The artist made the person inferior or subservient to them in some way.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRIAN FOSTER, JAMES MICHAEL REAVES, JOHNATHAN DAVID MONTOYA, KEVIN DEAN BEBOUT, RICHARD JOSHUA BROWN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind