Eric Victor Burdon (May 11, 1941 in Newcastle, England) is a singer. He for… Read Full Bio ↴Eric Victor Burdon (May 11, 1941 in Newcastle, England) is a singer. He formed The Animals in 1963, a blues rock group who were one of the early influences of punk rock. They were known for their organ-guitar sound and Burdon's aggressive show performance, screaming, growling and howling. In September 1966 he formed Eric Burdon & The Animals, a psychedelic/progressive/hard rock group, who influenced grunge, heavy metal and the modern alternative rock genre. When they disbanded in late 1968, Burdon formed War, an experimental funk/soul/jazz/blues/latin rock-outfit.

Burdon left also this band and run back to stardome in the mid-70s with The Eric Burdon Band producing heavy rocking songs. He went on forming short-living groups such as Eric Burdon's Fire Dept. in 1980, another Eric Burdon Band in 1981, especially for a motion picture-starring role in Comeback for which he made the soundtrack and a reunion band with The Animals in 1983 to get back to the Mainstream Charts. The 1980s saw Burdon in genres such as heavy metal, new wave, pop, reggae, disco, blues, rock and roll, punk, funk and rap. He also published his album "I Used To Be An Animal" as well as his autobiography with the same title. He went on touring in stadiums as well as in small clubs around the world.

In 1990 he formed the Eric Burdon & Robby Krieger Band who toured mainly in America. They recorded some demo tapes, but never released them. In 1991 he toured the world again as Eric Burdon & Brian Auger Band. They released a double-live album, "Access All Areas" in 1993, showing versions of Burdon's old hits in new musical outfits, once again as a blues, metal, reggae and fusion performer.

In 1994 they got disbanded, Burdon got introduced into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where he performed 1995 with Bon Jovi and created a new group of high-professional musicians, Eric Burdon's i Band. They disbanded in 1998 and he formed Eric Burdon & The New Animals. In 2003 they changed their name in Eric Burdon & The Animals, after some band changes. In 2004 the long awaited studio-album "My Secret Life" was released and brought him back into the mainstream charts and in late 2005 the live album "Athens Traffic Live" was released.

Burdon formed a new band-line-up, also touring as Eric Burdon & The Animals. In January 2006 he released "Soul of a Man", with good critics worldwide. He wanted to create an album who is dedicated to the blues and rnb. Since then he toured the world without a break, always looking for new material, performing with other famous musicians.

Recently, Burdon wrote a screenplay called "Twisted Oliver" and is working on a new studio album. He turned down tours with War and Linkin Park in the last year, but it seems that the new year is bringing many surprises.

Many of his bands also used elements of speed metal, thrash metal, grindcore and death metal.

He's definitely one of the most important people in music history, while recording the first #1 hit with a length more than four minutes, "House of the Rising Sun", the most popular anti-vietnam song "We Gotta Get out of this Place", the first song recorded in stereo, "Sky Pilot" and the first latin rap in pop music, "Spill the Wine". His self-written rock song "Year of the Guru" (1968) proves that he created the first rap rock-song. His political environment can be seen in his multi-racial project with the band War from late 1969 to early 1971. In 2008 he reunited with the band at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Without his experimental vocals, hip hop, rap, heavy metal, rock, pop and rnb would have a completely different face.

His singing style and music also influenced artists such as Joe Cocker, The Doors, Deep Purple, The Brute Chorus, Ted Nugent, Janis Joplin, The Sonics, Steppenwolf, Chester Bennington, Bruce Springsteen, The Black Crowes, Tom Petty, The White Stripes, Ryan Adams, John Mellencamp, The Compulsive Gamblers, The Vines, Julian Thome, The Hives, MC5 and many more.

In November 2008 the magazine Rolling Stone ranked him #57 on their list of the Best Singers of all Times.

Formations:

The Animals & Sonny Boy Williamson (December 30, 1963)
The Animals (1964 - September 1966, 1976, 1983/84)
Eric Burdon & The Animals (1967 - 1968)
Eric Burdon & War (1969 - 1971)
Eric Burdon & Jimmy Witherspoon (1971)
The Eric Burdon Band (1973 - 1975)
Eric Burdon's Fire Department (1980)
Eric Burdon, Robbie Krieger & Friends (1990)
Eric Burdon & Brian Auger Band (1991 - 1993)
Eric Burdon's I Band (1995 - 1998)
Eric Burdon & The New Animals (1999 - 2002)
Eric Burdon (1976 - ...)

Run for Your Life
Eric Burdon Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Tension in the city
Danger in the air
I can hear the footsteps of people running scared
Somebody is watching me
I can feel it in my bones
And now the night is callin' me
Callin' me back home

Run for your life
Run to survive
The streets are alive
So you'd better run for your life

Another broken window
Reflects another fight
Another confrontation is being planned tonight
Look ! I don't wanna be no hero
I just wanna stay alive
Can't we talk this over
'Cause I don't want to fight

Run for your life
Run to survive
The streets are alive
So you'd better run for your life

Keep on runnin, keep on runnin'
'Cause they keep on comin' at you
Hatches, ratches, sticks and stones
They don't ca re if you're young or old
Replicants, handguns, shotguns, and rubber bullets
Then they hit you with the TV-reports of the
Downtrodden
And the oppressed
Meanwhile, you're obsessed
But the fact Is it's you everybody is tat king about

Got to keep on running
Cause the people keep on comin'
And they're comin' after you and me
Got to keep on moving
'Cause the shadows keep on moving
And they're movin' in on you and me
I'm looking for direction and I'm looking for
Protection
And I want to escape the knife
So you'd better run for your life

Run for your life
Run to survive

The streets are alive
So you'd better run for your life

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Eric Burdon's song Run for Your Life depict the fear and tension within a city where danger is palpable in the air. The singer can feel the fear and tension in the air, and he senses that someone is watching him. He expresses his desire to stay alive and avoid a confrontation as he acknowledges that he is not a hero. He urges the listener to run for their lives as danger lurks at every corner, and keeping moving is the only option.

The fear of being chased or hunted is evident in the lyrics as the singer talks about the weapons used against him, including replicants, handguns, shotguns, and rubber bullets. The tension in the air is only compounded by the constant influx of TV reports depicting oppressed individuals. However, despite the fear and danger, the singer desires to escape the knife and remain safe. The song's title "Run for Your Life" is not just a catchy phrase, but it is an urgent plea to escape danger and avoid confrontation.

Overall, the lyrics of "Run for Your Life" are full of fear, tension, and urgency. The listener gets a feeling of the danger lurking around every corner of the city, and the only way to survive is to keep running.

Line by Line Meaning

Tension in the city
The atmosphere of the city is very tense.

Danger in the air
There is a sense of imminent danger everywhere.

I can hear the footsteps of people running scared
I can hear people's panicked footsteps as they try to escape the danger.

Somebody is watching me
I feel like someone is watching my every move.

I can feel it in my bones
I am certain and instinctively aware of the situation.

And now the night is callin' me
I feel like I should retreat into the safety of the night.

Callin' me back home
Urging me to return to the safety of my own home.

Run for your life
You need to flee in order to survive.

Run to survive
Running is the only way to stay alive in this situation.

The streets are alive
The streets are full of activity and danger.

So you'd better run for your life
Running is imperative for your survival.

Another broken window
There is yet another sign of violence in the form of a broken window.

Reflects another fight
The broken window serves as a reminder of another recent fight.

Another confrontation is being planned tonight
There is going to be another violent confrontation tonight.

Look ! I don't wanna be no hero
I don't want to get involved or act like a hero in this dangerous situation.

I just wanna stay alive
My only goal is to stay alive and survive.

Can't we talk this over
Is there any way we can resolve this situation through peaceful negotiation?

'Cause I don't want to fight
I am not interested in engaging in any form of violent conflict.

Keep on runnin, keep on runnin'
The situation is still dangerous, so you need to keep running to stay alive.

'Cause they keep on comin' at you
The threats and dangers keep coming at you from all directions.

Hatches, ratches, sticks and stones
All kinds of weapons are being used against you, including hatches, ratches, sticks, and stones.

They don't care if you're young or old
The attackers are ruthless and do not differentiate between young or old.

Replicants, handguns, shotguns, and rubber bullets
The attackers are using various kinds of weapons against you, including replicants, handguns, shotguns, and rubber bullets.

Then they hit you with the TV-reports of the
The media jumps on the story and starts broadcasting it on TV.

Downtrodden
The victims of the violence are portrayed as helpless and disadvantaged.

And the oppressed
The victims are also portrayed as oppressed.

Meanwhile, you're obsessed
You are consumed by thoughts of the violence and danger surrounding you.

But the fact Is it's you everybody is tat king about
The focus and attention is on you, the victim of the violence and danger.

Got to keep on running
Running is your only option.

'Cause the people keep on comin'
The attackers keep coming after you.

And they're comin' after you and me
Both you and I are under attack.

Got to keep on moving
You need to keep moving to avoid getting caught or trapped.

'Cause the shadows keep on moving
There are unknown threats and dangers lurking in the shadows.

And they're movin' in on you and me
We are both at risk of being caught and attacked by these shadows.

I'm looking for direction and I'm looking for protection
I am searching for guidance and safety in this dangerous situation.

And I want to escape the knife
I want to escape the danger and potential violence that threatens me.

So you'd better run for your life
Once again, running is the only way to stay alive and survive.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: O'NEIL NORMAN BRYAN, GERALD EATON, C. MORRISON, C. HAMMOND, B. GRANT, BOB WEST

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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