Band on the Run
Paul McCartney and Wings Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Stuck inside these four walls
Sent inside forever
Never seeing no one
Nice again like you
Mama you, mama you

If I ever get out of here
Thought of giving it all away
To a registered charity
All I need is a pint a day
If I ever get outta here
If we ever get out of here

Well, the rain exploded with a mighty crash
As we fell into the sun
And the first one said to the second one there
I hope you're having fun

Band on the run, band on the run
And the jailer man and sailor Sam
Were searching every one
For the band on the run
Band on the run
For the band on the run
Band on the run

Well, the undertaker drew a heavy sigh
Seeing no one else had come
And a bell was ringing in the village square
For the rabbits on the run

Band on the run
Band on the run
And the jailer man and sailor Sam
Were searching every one
For the band on the run
Band on the run

Yeah, the band on the run
The band on the run
Band on the run, hey
Band on the run

Well, the night was falling as the desert world
Began to settle down
In the town they're searching for us everywhere
But we never will be found

Band on the run
Band on the run
And the county judge who held a grudge
Will search for evermore
For the band on the run
The band on the run




Band on the run, yeah
Band on the run, yeah

Overall Meaning

The opening of the song "Band On The Run" by Paul McCartney and Wings talks about someone who feels stuck inside a small space and has not seen anyone as nice as their mother in a long time. The person is contemplating giving everything away to a registered charity and says all they need is a pint of something each day. The second half of the song speaks of a chaotic scene where a group of people, the "band on the run" are running from the law, and a "jailer man" and "sailor Sam" are searching for them. The song speaks of their escape from the authorities and how they manage to slip out of the town unnoticed.


The inspiration for the song came from a real-life incident where Paul McCartney was arrested and jailed in Japan for carrying marijuana. He was later released, but the incident left a deep impression on him. The song is about his desire to escape from confinement and be free again. McCartney has since said that the song is not an autobiographical piece, but the experience served as an inspiration for it.


Line by Line Meaning

Stuck inside these four walls,
Trapped within a confined space,


Sent inside forever,
Sentenced to a lifetime of confinement,


Never seeing no one
Not being able to socialize,


Nice again like you,
Being separated from a loved one,


Mama you, mama you.
Expressing endearment and longing for a mother figure.


If I ever get out of here,
Hypothetically considering an escape from confinement,


Thought of giving it all away
Considering donating all possessions,


To a registered charity.
Donating to a recognized non-profit organization,


All I need is a pint a day
Admitting to dependence on alcohol,


If we ever get outta of here
Contemplating escape with others,


Well, the rain exploded with a mighty crash
Experiencing a sudden and dramatic change in environment,


As we fell into the sun,
Experiencing a delirious state due to the change,


And the first one said to the second one there
Start of a conversation between two people,


I hope you're having fun.
Sarcastic wish to enjoy the unexpected situation,


Band on the run, band on the run.
Title of the song, repeated to emphasize it,


And the jailer man and sailor Sam
Referring to people in authority who are searching,


Were searching every one
Searching for the escapees,


For the band on the run,
Looking for the group of people who escaped,


Well, the undertaker drew a heavy sigh
The mortician expressing disappointment,


Seeing no one else had come,
No one else had arrived to the scene,


And a bell was ringing in the village square
A sign of warning signaling danger,


For the rabbits on the run.
A metaphorical reference to escapees who are hunted like prey,


The night was falling as the desert world
The time of day, during a desolate scene,


Began to settle down.
Suggesting things are quieter,


In the town, they're searching for us everywhere
The authorities are looking for the fugitives all over,


But we never will be found.
Asserting that they will successfully evade capture,


And the county judge who held a grudge
A legal official who has a deep resentment,


Will search for evermore
Vowing to keep looking for the escapees indefinitely,


For the band on the run,
Looking for the group who evaded imprisonment,


Band on the run.
Repeated title of the song, emphasizing the theme.




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Linda McCartney, Paul James McCartney

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@Hermanoel

00:02 Band On The Run
05:15 Jet
9:23 Bluebird
12:48 Mrs. Vandebilt
17:30 Let Me Roll It
22:20 Mamunia
27:10 No Words
29:48 Picasso's Last Words (Drink To Me)
35:40 Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five
40:51 Band On The Run Reprise
41:06 End.



All comments from YouTube:

@minicrownedmelanatedqueen

Who’s listening in 2023! 😍 Arrangement, vocals of this era is classic!

@jaydemo5792

Who's listening in March of 2023 ? This is the PERFECT example of TIMELESS.....

@SuperBullyone

I bought the Band on the Run cassette the day it hit the shops in the mall.. I Skipped college classes and began driving around town in my VW bus. I ended up at my dads house about 9 am, just in time to race him to the hospital in my bus. About 20 years later when my dad was dying, I had a new VW micro-bus camper, I rushed him to the hospital in my bus. This album by chance was in the cassette player again. I don't know if it means anything, just two pivotal days in my life. I listened to this album during his funeral a few days later. 49 years later it remains one of my favorite albums.

@darlenemc3586

I call this the magic of life. I don't know what it means either, but it's an amazing story. God Bless

@d.harrison1570

Its 2023 and this album is 50 years old. It still sounds amazing. We are alive at the same time as one of the greatest musicians ever!

@Broomehall

As I stand here tonight in my top floor apartment looking out over the view as a 64 year old man having a party for friends of old, a cheer the likes of which I haven't heard in years goes up as I put this album on ...... we are all transported back in time to the summer of 73 when as 14 and 15 yr olds we were just starting down the road of life, love, and friendships .....what a journey it's been, "In loving memory of Steve Tucker" ....... Marko .....Jan 2023.

@thetenthdoctor1000

@@Broomehall Chin up! the journey is far from being over, there's room to make plenty of new memories ;)

@Hanzey1966

I did grow up on this , my Mum being a Big Beatles Fan . The four Heads as a Poster in the White Album was the first thing You did see when coming in the Front door, as they were on the wall in the hallway. Made a hughe impression on Me as a Kid . Always Beatles and later Wings music played by Mum, and Dad being a Slade and Deep Purple fan , it was a nice and warm Rock&Roll Home . Then I discovered AC/DC myself as a 13 Year Young Kid . And got into the Hardrock scene ...so in a way you can say I did hang on to Dads side . . . But when somewaht older I begun to ,,Understand,, the Beatles . The passing of Bon Scott and John Lennon in 1980 played kinda role into that . To long a story to tell here . Now way into my 50s I do listen quite a lot Beatles music.

@stephanietadic2051

Paul is my lifelong love! ❤️

@lisaparsons4124

Yes I agree I remember in 1973, I was 7,Paul McCartney a awesome singer and song writer

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