His first album, Marshall Crenshaw, was acclaimed as a pop masterpiece upon release, proving Crenshaw a first-rate songwriter, singer and guitarist. His second album, Field Day, sported a somewhat heavier sound which displeased some listeners, but Field Day is regarded by many critics as Crenshaw's best album, and one of the classic power pop statements, although Crenshaw's work, like Alex Chilton's, transcends the genre. "Some of the stuff I've done you could call power pop," he told an interviewer. "But the term does have sort of a dodgy connotation."
Although Marshall Crenshaw has never sold enormous numbers of records, he enjoys a reputation as one of the finest songwriters of the era, with roots in classic soul music, British Invasion songcraft, Burt Bacharach and Buddy Holly -- to whom Crenshaw was often compared in the early days of his career, and whom he portrayed in the 1987 film La Bamba. In 1989 he compiled a collection of Capitol Records country performers of the '50s and '60s called Hillbilly Music...Thank God, Vol. 1, which was extremely well-received. In 1993 he made an appearance in the cult TV show The Adventures of Pete and Pete, in the role of a guitar-playing meter reader. In 1994 he published a book, Hollywood Rock: A Guide to Rock 'n' Roll in the Movies. He continues to record, and in 1999 released the critically acclaimed #447.
Crenshaw has recently been playing guitar with the reunited members of the MC5.
On the Run
Marshall Crenshaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Run...i'm on the run
And it's goodby for good this time
Don't care where the road may wind
I'm gonna leave all my troubles far behind
Run...i'm on the run...just like a killer
Down the dark highway
Been running since she walked away
Night's fallin'...the wind's callin' her name
How did I ever get caught in this game?
No I couldn't know
'cause I've always been the trusting kind
Then one day I had to wake up and find
That I'd lost everything that I thought was mine
Gone...now I'm long gone
Little girl don't come looking round for me
Oh yes I'm gonna be wild and free
In a little while you'll be just a memory
White lines on the road keep rolling by
Try and catch me
I'll take off and fly
Marshall Crenshaw's song On The Run is about a man running away from his problems and the pain caused by a lost love. The singer is running away on a dark highway without any specific destination in mind. He is so caught up in his thoughts that he hasn't realized how far he has come or where he has been. The night seems to be closing in on him and is calling out the name of his lost love. He had always been a trusting person, but this loss has made him realize that he had lost everything he had thought was his. The pain of the loss overtook his mind and pushed him to the point of running away from everything he knows.
The chorus of the song is powerful as it shows the singer declaring that he is on the run "just like a killer." The song's lyrics suggest that he wants to leave his past behind and start afresh. He is going to be wild and free, and his lost love is going to fade away from his memory. Despite the difficulties he's facing, he is determined to keep running until he's out of reach, shown in the last line where he tells his lost love that he'll take off and fly.
Overall, the song paints a picture of a broken-hearted man who has lost everything and is now trying to escape it all.
Line by Line Meaning
Run...i'm on the run
I am leaving and never coming back
And it's goodby for good this time
This is a final farewell, with no chance of returning
Don't care where the road may wind
I have no predetermined destination, I will go wherever fate takes me
I'm gonna leave all my troubles far behind
I am escaping the problems and worries of my past
Run...i'm on the run...just like a killer
I am fleeing like a criminal, with urgency and caution
Down the dark highway
I am traveling on a road shrouded in darkness and uncertainty
Don't know where I've been today
I've been moving so fast and far that I've lost track of where I've been
Been running since she walked away
I started running when the love of my life left me
Night's fallin'...the wind's callin' her name
As darkness falls, I am haunted by the memories of the person who left me
How did I ever get caught in this game?
I don't understand how I let myself get caught up in this mess
No I couldn't know
I couldn't have predicted what would happen
'cause I've always been the trusting kind
I've always been naive and trusting in others
Then one day I had to wake up and find
I had an awakening moment when I realized my situation
That I'd lost everything that I thought was mine
I lost everything that I believed belonged to me
Gone...now I'm long gone
I am gone, and I won't be coming back
Little girl don't come looking round for me
I do not want the person who left me to come searching for me
Oh yes I'm gonna be wild and free
I am going to live life on my terms, without any restrictions
In a little while you'll be just a memory
You will soon be forgotten, just a distant memory of my past
White lines on the road keep rolling by
I am driving fast and far, with the white lines of the road passing by quickly
Try and catch me
You won't be able to keep up with me
I'll take off and fly
I will continue my journey with reckless abandon, leaving everything and everyone behind
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Marshall Crenshaw
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind