Runnin' Away
Bob Marley & The Wailers Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ya running and ya running
And ya running away
Ya running and ya running
And ya running away
Ya running and ya running
And ya running away
Ya running and ya running,
But ya can't run away from yourself
Can't run away from yourself
Can't run away from yourself
Can't run away from yourself
Can't run away from yourself
Can't run away from yourself

Ya must have done (must have done)
Somet'in' wrong (something wrong)
Said ya must have done (you must have done)
Wo, somet'in' wrong (something wrong)
Why you can't find the place where you belong?
Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do (running away)
Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do (running away)
Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do (running away)
Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do (running away)
Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do (running away)

Every man thinketh his
Burden is the heaviest (heaviest)
Every man thinketh his
Burden is the heaviest (heaviest)
Ya still mean it, who feels it knows it, Lord
Who feels it knows it, Lord
Who feels it knows it, Lord
Who feels it knows it, Lord

Ya running and ya running
And ya running away
Ya running and ya running
And ya running away
Ya running and ya running
And ya running away
Ya running and ya running
But ya can't run away from yourself
Could ya run away from yourself?
Can you run away from yourself?
Can't run away from yourself
Can't run away from yourself
Yeah from yourself

You must have done somethin'
Somethin' somethin' somethin'
Somethin' ya don't want nobody to know about
Ya must have, Lord, somethin' wrong,
What ya must have done, ya must have done somethin' wrong
Why you can't find where you belong?

Well, well, well, well, ya running away, heh, no
Ya running away, ooh, no, no, no
I'm not (running away), no, don't say that, don't say that
'Cause (running away) I'm not running away, ooh (running away)
I've got to protect my life, (running away)
And I don't want to live with no strife (running away)
It is better to live on the housetop (running away)
Than to live in a house full of confusion (running away)
So, I made my decision and I left ya (running away)
And now you comin' to tell me
That I'm runnin' away (running away)




But it's not true
I am not runnin' away (running away)

Overall Meaning

The song "Running Away" by Bob Marley & The Wailers talks about a person who is constantly running away from something or someone. The repeated lines of "ya running and ya running and ya running away" convey the sense of desperation and urgency in running away, but the person cannot escape from themselves. Running away is not a solution to any problem as one cannot escape from their own conscience.


The second verse suggests that the person has done something wrong and feels guilty about it. The line "why you can't find the place where you belong" suggests that the person is lost and cannot find their true path because they are too busy running away from their mistakes. They cannot find peace within themselves and struggle to find where they belong in life. Every person has their own burdens to bear, but the person in the song thinks that their burden is the heaviest.


The bridge of the song suggests a certain level of insight that the person has about themselves - "Who feels it knows it, Lord." It implies that the person knows that they are the source of their own problems and struggles. The final verse of the song suggests that the person is not necessarily running away from a person or situation, but rather from the negative energy and confusion that surrounds them. They have made a conscious decision to leave the stressful environment to better protect their own well-being.


Line by Line Meaning

Ya running and ya running And ya running away
You're constantly on the move, trying to escape


But ya can't run away from yourself Can't run away from yourself Can't run away from yourself Can't run away from yourself Can't run away from yourself Can't run away from yourself
No matter how far you run, you can't escape your problems


Ya must have done (must have done) Somet'in' wrong (something wrong) Said ya must have done (you must have done) Wo, somet'in' wrong (something wrong)
You know you've done something you shouldn't have


Why you can't find the place where you belong?
You're lost and can't figure out where you fit in


Every man thinketh his Burden is the heaviest (heaviest) Every man thinketh his Burden is the heaviest (heaviest) Ya still mean it, who feels it knows it, Lord Who feels it knows it, Lord Who feels it knows it, Lord Who feels it knows it, Lord
Everyone thinks their problems are the worst, but only those who experience them truly understand


You must have done somethin' Somethin' somethin' somethin' Somethin' ya don't want nobody to know about Ya must have, Lord, somethin' wrong, What ya must have done, ya must have done somethin' wrong Why you can't find where you belong?
You're hiding something you're ashamed of and it's affecting your ability to find your place in the world


Well, well, well, well, ya running away, heh, no Ya running away, ooh, no, no, no I'm not (running away), no, don't say that, don't say that 'Cause (running away) I'm not running away, ooh (running away) I've got to protect my life, (running away) And I don't want to live with no strife (running away) It is better to live on the housetop (running away) Than to live in a house full of confusion (running away) So, I made my decision and I left ya (running away) And now you comin' to tell me That I'm runnin' away (running away) But it's not true I am not runnin' away (running away)
You're not running away, you've made a conscious decision to leave a toxic situation to protect yourself and your well-being




Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BOB MARLEY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@sebastianandradesperea8157

You running and you running
And you running away (repeat)

You running and you running
But you can't run away from yourself
Can't runaway from yourself,
Can't runaway from yourself,
Can't runaway from yourself (repeat)

You must have done,
Something wrong (repeat)
Why you can't find the
Place where you belong
Running away, running away,
Running away (repeat)

Every man thinketh his
Burden is the heaviest (repeat)
But who feels it knows it Lord
Who feels it knows it Lord,
Who feels it knows it Lord

You running and you running
And you running away (repeat)

You running and you running
But you can't runaway from yourself,
Could you runaway from yourself,
Can you runaway from yourself
Can't runaway from yourself,
Can't runaway from yourself

You must have done, something,
Something, something something,
Something, you don't want nobody to
Know about, you must have ... Lord.
Something wrong you must have done,
You must have done, something wrong
Why you can't find where you belong

Well, well, well, you running away,
Running away, no, no, no,
I'm not running away, don't say that
Don't say that, cause I'm not running away
I've got to protect my life,
And I don't want to live with no strife
It is better to live on the house top
Than to live in a house full of confusion
So, I made my decision and I left you
Now you coming to tell me
That I'm running away
But it's not true,
I am not running away



All comments from YouTube:

@westyraviz

Written after Bob fled Jamaica & moved to England after the assassination attempt. There were detractors who implied that he was chicken chit for running away. This song is his response to those critics and at the same time addressing his own self-doubt.

@sudenkompass5185

Merci!

@-Atmos1

Thanks for the info . I Love this song , Bob Marley is Courage & Truth in a corrupt World

@natletics

Unfortunately, this is not quite true. The original form was already published in 1966 by the Wailers under the title "He Who Feels It Knows It".

So "Running Away" is basically a derivative of the earlier version, which was created when the three prophets were still united. Certainly the attempted assassination had an influence on this interpretation. But also many other factors had a significant influence on this masterpiece of music history.

@victormorgado5318

When songs come from the depth of the soul, they always touch many souls..

@victormorgado5318

@@natletics I agree with you, it sounded like the usual slander envious people spread against people like Bob Marley

9 More Replies...

@pastorterrelllewis5327

Can't run away from yourself! One day, you'll have to deal with yourself! One day you'll have to deal with the Maker of yourself!!!!!

@stuartjohnson7967

No, man. This is Bob’s way of saying. “You can’t run away from yourself “. Conscience, the mirror in the morning if you are prepared to have the balls to look at yourself. Otherwise keep runnin away from YOU YOURSELF. Dig deep and face up to you and your actions.

@terufekreunya

Yes 👍🏾

@stuartjohnson7967

@@terufekreunya We know, don’t we. Thank You for the reply. ❤️🙏

More Comments

More Versions