Locomotive

by **Soulmonster** Sun Aug 08, 2010 6:57 pm

LOCOMOTIVE

Album:
Use Your Illusion II, 1991, track no. 9.

Written by:
Slash and Axl Rose.

Musicians:
Drums: Matt
Bass: Duff
Lead and Rhythm Guitars: Slash
Piano: Dizzy
Percussion: Matt, Duff
Vocals: Axl

Live performances:
'Locomotive' was played live for the first time at Shoreline Amphitheatre, USA, on July 19, 1991. In total it has, as of {UPDATEDATE}, at least been played {LOCOMOTIVESONGS} times.

Lyrics:

Gonna find a way to cure this loneliness
Yeah I'll find a way to cure the pain
If I said that you're my friend
And our love would never end
How long before I had your trust again

I opened up the doors when it was cold outside
Hopin' that you'd find your own way in
But how can I protect you
Or try not to neglect you
When you won't take the love I have to give

I bought me an illusion
An I put it on the wall
I let it fill my head with dreams
And I had to have them all
But oh the taste is never so sweet
As what you'd believe it is-
Well I guess it never is
It's these prejudiced illusions
That pump the blood
To the heart of the biz

You know I never thought
That it could take so long
You know I never knew how to be strong
Yeah, I let you shape me
But I feel as though you raped me
'Cause you climbed inside my world
And in my songs

So now I've closed the door
To keep the cold outside
Seems somehow I've found the will to live
But how can I forget you
Or try not to reject you
When we both know it takes time to forgive

Sweetness is a virtue
And you lost your virtue long ago
You know I'd like to hurt you
But my conscience always tells me no
You could sell your body on the street
To anyone whom you might meet
Who'd love to try and get inside
And bust your innocence open wide

'Cause my baby's got a locomotive
My baby's gone off the track
My baby's got a locomotive
Got ta peel the bitch off my back
I know it looks like I'm insane
Take a closer look I'm not to blame
No

Gonna have some fun with my frustration
Gonna watch the big screen in my head
I'd rather take a detour
'Cause this road ain't gettin' clearer
Your train of thought has cut me off again

Better tame that boy 'cause he's a wild one
Better tame that boy for he's a man
Sweetheart don't make me laugh
You's gettin' too big for your pants
And I's think maybe you should
Cut out while you can

You can use you illusion-
Let it take you where it may
We live and learn
And then sometimes it's best to walk away
Me I'm just here hangin' on
It's my only place to stay at least
For now anyway
I've worked too hard for my illusions
Just to throw them all away

I'm taking time for quiet consolation
In passing by this love that's passed away
I know it's never easy
So why should you believe me
When I've always got so many things to say

Calling off the dogs a simple choice is made
'Cause playful hearts
Can sometimes be enraged
You know I tried to wake you
I mean how long could it take you
To open up your eyes and turn the page

Kindness is a treasure
And it's one towards me you've seldom shown
So I'll say it for good measure
To all the ones like you I've known
Ya know I'd like to shave your head
And all my friends could paint it red
'Cause love to me's a two way street
An all I really want is peace

But my baby's got a locomotive
My baby's gone off the track
My baby's got a locomotive
Got ta peel the bitch off my back
I know it looks like I'm insane
Take a closer look I'm not to blame
No

Affection is a blessing
Can you find it in your sordid heart
I tried to keep this thing together
But the tremor tore my pad apart
Yeah I know it's hard to face
When all we've worked for's gone to waste
But you're such a stupid woman
And I'm such a stupid man
But love like time's got its own plans

'Cause my baby's got a locomotive
My baby's gone off the track
My baby's got a locomotive
Got ta peel the bitch off my back
I know it looks like I'm insane
Take a closer look I'm not to blame
Yeah

If love is blind I guess I'll buy myself a cane

Love's so strange

Quotes regarding the song and its making:

My next home [in 1989] was a house Izzy and I rented up in the Hollywood Hills, and that lasted for about a month. (...) We had fun while we were there and I also managed to write a lot; I wrote 'Coma' and the two of use wrote 'Locomotive' in that house; there was some creativity going on.

Bozza, Anthony, & Slash (2007). Slash. Harper Entertainment: New York. p. 252

'Locomotive' is played on an Explorer. What I do is turn the tone knob down.

Guitar For The Practising Musician, April 1990

[Picking technique] is probably my weakest point. 'Locomotive' has this ongoing riff; I have to be really consistent with it. If I don't concentrate on my right hand - really watch the angle - I can lose it.

Guitar Player, December 1991

And there was this song called Locomotive. And I just gotten a hold of this really cool, Noble and Cooley [?] drum. Which was kind of a little custom snare drum company up in upstate New York, I believe. On the East Coast. And it was this little white shell, 5 inch deep drum. And it just had the most killer crack sound to it. So I grabbed that and as soon as I kicked in to Locomotive, started with the drum fill, the band was like, "Wow, that's so cool, I love the sound of that." So we ended up using that.

Spitfire, January 25, 2016

After having started playing it live again in 2019:

This last tour we did "Locomotive" a few times and that was really cool. I love that song. And it was fun to finally do that.

Forbes, January 12, 2020

by **Soulmonster** Tue May 09, 2023 10:13 am

And there was this song called Locomotive. And I just gotten a hold of this really cool, Noble and Cooley [?] drum. Which was kind of a little custom snare drum company up in upstate New York, I believe. On the East Coast. And it was this little white shell, 5 inch deep drum. And it just had the most killer crack sound to it. So I grabbed that and as soon as I kicked in to Locomotive, started with the drum fill, the band was like, "Wow, that's so cool, I love the sound of that." So we ended up using that.

Spitfire, January 25, 2016

by **Soulmonster** Mon Oct 07, 2024 6:46 am

This last tour we did "Locomotive" a few times and that was really cool. I love that song. And it was fun to finally do that.

Forbes, January 12, 2020

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