Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull is an English singer and actress. She ach… Read Full Bio ↴Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull is an English singer and actress. She achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her hit single "As Tears Go By" and became one of the lead female artists during the British Invasion in the United States.

Born in Hampstead, London, Faithfull began her career in 1964 after attending a Rolling Stones party, where she was discovered by Andrew Loog Oldham. Her debut album Marianne Faithfull (released simultaneously with her album Come My Way on April 15, 1965) was a commercial success followed by a number of albums on Decca Records. From 1966 to 1970, she had a highly publicised romantic relationship with Mick Jagger. Her popularity was further enhanced by her film roles, such as those in I'll Never Forget What's'isname (1967), The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968), and Hamlet (1969). However, her popularity was overshadowed by personal problems in the 1970s. During that time she was anorexic, homeless and a heroin addict.

Noted for her distinctive voice, Faithfull's previously melodic and higher-registered vocals (which were prevalent throughout her career in the 1960s) were affected by severe laryngitis, coupled with persistent drug abuse during the 1970s, permanently altering her voice, leaving it raspy, cracked and lower in pitch. This new sound was praised as "whisky soaked" by some critics and seen as having helped to capture the raw emotions expressed in Faithfull's music.

After a long commercial absence, Faithfull made a comeback with the 1979 release of her critically acclaimed album Broken English. The album was a commercial success and marked a resurgence of her musical career. Broken English earned Faithfull a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance and is often regarded as her "definitive recording". She followed this with a series of albums, including Dangerous Acquaintances (1981), A Child's Adventure (1983) and Strange Weather (1987). Faithfull also wrote three books about her life: Faithfull: An Autobiography (1994), Memories, Dreams & Reflections (2007) and Marianne Faithfull: A Life on Record (2014).

Faithfull is listed on VH1's "100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll" list. She received the World Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2009 Women's World Awards and was made a Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the government of France.

Running For Our Lives
Marianne Faithfull Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Move along staying close to the wall
Looking over your shoulder just in time.
Avoid the light, close your eyes
And put your hand in mine.
And put your hand in mine.

Are we in danger, or is it that
You think we might be ?

But I think I'd like to get out of here,
This place it frightens me,
This place it frightens me.

[Chorus]
Running for our lives,
At least we're pretending we are.
Running for our lives,
We never get very far. [Repeat: x3]

Stop pretending
This is a child's adventure,
The only way I can take it
Is playing the game.

Be quiet, there's a gate ahead.
Do you think we can make it ?
Will it be different, or just the same ?
How long can we keep escaping [Repeat: x3]
Into another prison ?

[Chorus]

Move along staying close to the wall,
Looking over your shoulder just in time.
Avoid the light, close your eyes
And put your hand in mine
And put your hand in mine.

[Chorus]

We never get very far. [Repeat: x3]
We never get

Overall Meaning

very far.

"Marianne Faithfull's song Running For Our Lives" is a song that presents itself as a story of two individuals who are on the run, possibly from danger or just general fear, and are attempting to escape. When listening to the song, it is evident that the person they are running from is not explicitly stated, but the pervasive sense of fear and danger is present throughout the track. The lyrics suggest that while the person singing may not necessarily feel like they are in immediate danger, the atmosphere of their surroundings makes them feel like they may be. This is made apparent in the lines "Are we in danger, or is it that you think we might be? But I think I'd like to get out of here, this place it frightens me, this place it frightens me." The lyrics highlight the desire to escape and the uncertainty of whether or not the escape will work, as evidenced in the lines "Will it be different, or just the same? How long can we keep escaping into another prison?"

In the chorus, the line "Running for our lives, at least we're pretending we are" suggests that while the duo is running, they are not necessarily in immediate danger. The use of the word "pretending" implies that their feelings, while valid, may not be entirely accurate or justified. Throughout the song, the urgency of the escape manifests itself in the repetition of the phrase "we never get very far" adds a sense of defeat and hopelessness to the overall tone of the song.

Line by Line Meaning

Move along staying close to the wall
Stay near the wall as we move along.

Looking over your shoulder just in time.
Check for danger by looking over your shoulder as we go.

Avoid the light, close your eyes
Stay hidden by avoiding the light and closing your eyes.

And put your hand in mine.
Stay close to me by holding my hand.

Are we in danger, or is it that
Are we really in danger, or are you just scared?

You think we might be ?
Do you think we might be in danger?

But I think I’d like to get out of here,
I want to leave this place.

This place it frightens me,
I am scared of this place.

This place it frightens me.
I am scared of this place.

[Chorus]
The chorus repeats multiple times throughout the song.

Running for our lives,
We are running as if our lives depend on it.

At least we’re pretending we are.
We are only pretending to run for our lives.

Running for our lives,
We are running as fast as we can.

We never get very far. [Repeat: x3]
We can never escape for long.

Stop pretending
Stop pretending that we are running for our lives.

This is a child’s adventure,
This is what a child might imagine an adventure to be like.

The only way I can take it
The only way I can cope with it.

Is playing the game.
Is by pretending it is a game.

Be quiet, there’s a gate ahead.
Be quiet, there is a gate coming up.

Do you think we can make it?
Do you think we can get through the gate?

Will it be different, or just the same?
Will the next place be any better than this one?

How long can we keep escaping [Repeat: x3]
How long can we keep running away?

Into another prison?
Will we end up in another scary place?

[Chorus]
The chorus repeats multiple times throughout the song.

Move along staying close to the wall,
Stay near the wall as we move along.

Looking over your shoulder just in time.
Check for danger by looking over your shoulder as we go.

Avoid the light, close your eyes
Stay hidden by avoiding the light and closing your eyes.

And put your hand in mine
Stay close to me by holding my hand.

And put your hand in mine.
Stay close to me by holding my hand.

[Chorus]
The chorus repeats multiple times throughout the song.

We never get very far. [Repeat: x3]
We can never escape for long.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: WALLY BADAROU, MARIANNE FAITHFULL, BARRY REYNOLDS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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