The song was written by the Creedence's lead singer, guitarist and songwriter, John Fogerty. It was included on their 1970 album Cosmo's Factory, the group's fifth album. The song's title and lyrics, as well as the year it was released (1970), have led many to assume that the song is about the Vietnam War. The fact that previous Creedence Clearwater Revival songs such as "Fortunate Son" and "Who'll Stop the Rain?" were protests of the Vietnam War added to this belief.
However, according to the song's composer, that's not really the case. Fogerty, in a
1993 interview with the Los Angeles Times, said,
β I think a lot of people thought that because of the times, but I was talking about America and the proliferation of guns, registered and otherwise. I'm a hunter and I'm not antigun, but I just thought that people were so gun-happy -- and there were so many guns uncontrolled that it really was dangerous, and it's even worse now. It's interesting that it has taken 20-odd years to get a movement on that position. β
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The song's opening featured jungle sound effects created by, according to the band's bassist Stu Cook, "lots of backwards recorded guitar and piano." The harmonica part on the song was played by John Fogerty. The song was also Tom Fogertyβs favorite CCR song: "My all-time favorite Creedence tune was "Run Through the Jungle". . . . Itβs like a little movie in itself with all the sound effects. It never changes key, but it holds your interest the whole time. Itβs like a musicianβs dream. It never changes key, yet you get the illusion it does."
The song was released as the flipside of a double sided single, along with "Up Around the Bend," that was released in April 1970. Counted as one chart entry by Billboard's chart methodology, the single reached number four on the Pop Singles chart (the band's sixth single to reach the top ten), and eventually was certified gold by the RIAA, for sales of over one million copies. The song has been covered by The Gun Club, Bruce Springsteen, Georgia Satellites, 8 Eyed Spy, Killdozer, Link Wray, The Cramps, and Los Lobos.
Fogerty v. Fantasy
The song was later the subject of controversy when Saul Zaentz, the boss of CCR's record label, Fantasy Records, which owns the distribution and publishing rights to the music of Creedence Clearwater Revival, brought a series of lawsuits against John Fogerty, including a claim that the music from Fogerty's 1984 song "The Old Man Down the Road" was too similar to "Run Through the Jungle." Zaentz won some of his claims against Fogerty, but lost on the copyright issue (Fantasy, Inc. v. Fogerty). The judge found that an artist cannot plagiarize himself. After winning the case, Fogerty sued Zaentz for the cost of defending himself against the copyright infringement claim. In such (copyright) cases, prevailing defendants seeking recompense were bound to show that original suit was frivolous or made in bad faith.
Fogerty v. Fantasy became precedent when the United States Supreme Court (1993) overturned lower court rulings and awarded attorneys' fees to Fogerty, without Fogerty having to show that Zaentz's original suit was frivolous.
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"Run Through the Jungle" has appeared in the following films:
Rude Awakening (1989), Air America (1990), Rudy (1993), The Big Lebowski (1998), Radiofreccia (1998), Tropic Thunder (2008) and the TV movie To Heal a Nation. It also appeared on the television series Supernatural in the episode "Sin City" (2008), and on the television series Entourage in the episode "The Scene" (2004). It was also featured in the final episode of the fourth season of Skins (2010).
The song is available as a playable song for the Rock Band series of music video games as downloadable content.
Run Through the Jungle
Creedence Clearwater Revival Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lord, it's all so true
They told me, don't go walking slow
The devil's on the loose
Better run through the jungle
Better run through the jungle
Better run through the jungle
Whoa, don't look back to see
Thought I heard a rumblin'
Calling to my name
Two hundred million guns are loaded
Satan cries, "Take aim"
Better run through the jungle
Better run through the jungle
Better run through the jungle
Whoa, don't look back to see
Over on the mountain, thunder magic spoke
Let the people know my wisdom
Fill the land with smoke
Better run through the jungle
Better run through the jungle
Better run through the jungle
Whoa, don't look back to see
"Run Through the Jungle" by Creedence Clearwater Revival is a song that is often interpreted as a protest song against the Vietnam War. The opening lines of the song, "Whoa, thought it was a nightmare, Lord it was so true", suggest that the singer is experiencing a horrifying situation that he cannot escape from. The second and third lines - "they told me don't go walking slow, the devil's on the loose" - can be interpreted as a warning from other people that something dangerous is happening. The use of the word "devil" adds to the ominous feeling of the song.
The chorus, "better run through the jungle, whoa, don't look back to see", is a call for the singer to escape from the situation as quickly as possible. The second verse adds to the sense of danger as the singer hears "a rumbling" that is "calling to my name". The line "two hundred million guns are loaded, Satan cries, 'Take aim'" is a chilling reminder of the violence and chaos of war. The third verse includes the lines "over on the mountain, thunder magic spoke, let the people know my wisdom, fill the land with smoke", which can be interpreted as a call to action or a statement of rebellion against those in power.
Overall, "Run Through the Jungle" is a powerful song that captures the fear and horror of living through a war. It can be interpreted in different ways depending on the listener's perspective, but it remains a relevant and resonant song today.
Line by Line Meaning
Whoa, thought it was a nightmare
I couldn't believe what I was seeing
Lord it was so true
It was reality and not a dream
They told me don't go walking slow
People warned me to be cautious
The devil's on the loose
Evil is present and active
Better run through the jungle
It's better to escape through the difficult terrain
Whoa, don't look back to see
Don't hesitate or look back
Thought I heard a rumblin'
I was afraid and heard something ominous
Calling to my name
It seemed like something was beckoning me
Two hundred million guns are loaded
There are countless weapons being prepared for violence
Satan cries, "Take aim"
Evil urges people to harm others
Over on the mountain, thunder magic spoke
Something seemed powerful and supernatural
Let the people know my wisdom
It seemed like a message was meant to be shared broadly
Fill the land with smoke
Something was happening that would fill the air with chaos
Lyrics Β© CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: John Cameron Fogerty
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Andrew-sk8es
LYRICS
Whoa thought it was a nightmare
Lord it was so true
They told me don't go walking slow
The devil's on the loose
Better run through the jungle
Better run through the jungle
Better run through the jungle
Whoa don't look back to see
Thought I heard a rumblin'
Calling to my name
Two hundred million guns are loaded
Satan cries "take aim"
Better run through the jungle
Better run through the jungle
Better run through the jungle
Whoa don't look back to see
Over on the mountain, thunder magic spoke
Let the people know my wisdom
Fill the land with smoke
Better run through the jungle
Better run through the jungle
Better run through the jungle
Whoa don't look back to see..
@Max-zu8xj
Whoa, thought it was a nightmare
Lord, it was so true
They told me 'don't go walkin' slow',
the devil's on the loose'
Thought I heard a rumblin' callin' to my name Two hundred million guns are loaded
Satan cries 'take aim'
Over on the mountain, thunder magic spoke 'Let the people know my wisdom,
fill the land with smoke
Damn, these lyrics give me chills
@Oilupimtherein5
Malevelon creek veteran here
@RedBoko2017
welcome home, helldiver
@kilnareth7970
I salute you good sir. In a week's time, I will be join the frontlines at the creek.
@Oilupimtherein5
The things I have seen... we are never liberating that forsaken planet
@Fr0stbite1801
they call me private meatshield out here
I wonder why
@ycreatives8645
Man, I love helldivers community
@alexh6681
To all of my fellow helldivers that also served in Malevelon creek I salute you!
@ehrgeiz5649
you're an embarrassment to your entire family!
@asmordisfluffbreaker4999
No. cease. Joel take you, democracy be damned.
@jasonsmith530
Damn commie bugs