Night Ranger is an American rock band from San Francisco that formed in 198… Read Full Bio ↴Night Ranger is an American rock band from San Francisco that formed in 1982 and gained popularity during the 1980s with a series of albums and singles.
The band's first five albums sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and have sold 17 million albums total. After their success waned in the late 1980s, the band split up in 1989 and its members pursued other musical endeavours including group and solo efforts. Brad Gillis and Kelly Keagy teamed up with bassist Gary Moon and released an album without the other original band members in 1995, but the band soon re-united to release two new albums in the latter half of the decade.

Jack Blades (bass/vocals)
Brad Gillis (guitars)
Kelly Keagy (drums/vocals)
Joel Hoekstra (guitars)
Christian Cullen (keyboards)

Let Him Run
Night Ranger Lyrics

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Strap on your safety belt
Blazing in the sky
Thinking of nothing
No disguise
What happened to the one
The one you thought you knew
Did he just take away
What is missing in you

Let him run
Till he sees what he has done
Let him go on
Having all his fun
Mm let him run

Take off your rocket shoes
And the straps from your wings
Wishing for miracles
Hear the young boys sing
What will you say to him
When he's back at your door
Got no time for users
I don't need you anymore

Let him run
Till he sees what he has done
Let him go on
Having all his fun
Let him cry
See the tears fall from his eyes

Let him run
Run run run run run

Overall Meaning

The song "Let Him Run" by Night Ranger is a poignant tale about a relationship gone awry. The opening lines, "Strap on your safety belt, blazing in the sky, thinking of nothing, no disguise," set the scene for the fast-paced and exhilarating journey the singer is undertaking, perhaps to distract himself from the pain he is feeling. The song then takes a reflective turn as the singer ponders what happened to the person he thought he knew. It seems that the other person has taken something from him, and he has been left feeling incomplete. Nevertheless, the singer lets him go and have his fun, perhaps realizing that he cannot control another person's actions or emotions.

The second verse of the song extends the metaphor of space travel, with the singer telling the other person to take off his "rocket shoes" and release the "straps from [his] wings." This suggests the other person is trying to escape from something, but he cannot run away forever. The lyric "Got no time for users, I don't need you anymore" reinforces this point, indicating that the singer has moved on and is no longer willing to tolerate the other person's negative impact on his life. In the end, the song encourages the other person to "run run run" and face the consequences of his actions.

Line by Line Meaning

Strap on your safety belt
Prepare yourself for what's to come

Blazing in the sky
Feeling powerful and unstoppable

Thinking of nothing
Ignoring the consequences of your actions

No disguise
Being true to yourself and not hiding your true intentions

What happened to the one
Questioning the change in someone you thought you knew

The one you thought you knew
The person you believed to be someone else

Did he just take away
Did he steal something important from you

What is missing in you
What you feel is lacking in your life

Let him run
Allow him to act with freedom and face the consequences of his actions

Till he sees what he has done
Until he realizes the impact of his actions

Let him go on
Continue to allow him to do what he wants