The music was written by David Gilmour (one of the three songs on The Wall for which Gilmour wrote music), while the lyrics were by Roger Waters alone. On the record, Waters provided the vocals (except for "Run, Run", in which Gilmour is lead singer). The song features the only keyboard solo on The Wall (although on live performances, "Young Lust" and "Another Brick in the Wall, Part II" would also feature keyboard solos); after the last line of lyrics, a synthesizer apparently takes over Waters' singing. Also in the song are the sound of the mob's maniacal laughter, running footsteps, car tires skidding and a loud scream.
This song was originally much longer, however it had to be cut because of the time limitations on the original vinyl record format. Although the lyrics "Run like hell" appear several times in the liner notes, they are never actually heard in the song. Near the end, the same piercing shriek (made by Waters) can be heard, almost identical to that heard during "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" when seguing into "Another Brick in the Wall, Part II".
The original single version and promo EP both contain a clean guitar intro, without the live crowd effects.
Following Waters' departure from Pink Floyd, the song became a regular number in the band's concerts, usually ending the show and going over nine minutes long. One live version was used as the B-side to "On the Turning Away". It can be heard, for example, closing the live album Delicate Sound of Thunder. Gilmour generally played an extended guitar introduction, sharing vocals with touring bassist Guy Pratt, with Pratt singing Waters' lines. In the 1994 tour, Pratt sometimes sang the name of the city where they were playing instead of the word mother in the line "...they're going to send you back to mother in a cardboard box..." – in the P•U•L•S•E video (live at Earls Court, 1994), he clearly sings London. In fact, in his book My Bass and Other Animals, Pratt states that for the final leg of the tour, he replaced the word mother with the name of whichever town they were playing in.
In addition to doing the song with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has also performed it himself on his solo tour in 1984, in support of his About Face album. In Waters' absence, Gilmour would trade lines with bassist Mickey Feat. He also performed the song solo at the Colombian Volcano benefit concert in 1986, trading lines with house-band keyboardist John "Rabbit" Bundrick.
Run Like Hell
Pink Floyd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Run, run, run, run
Run, run, run, run
Run, run, run, run
You better make your face up with your favorite disguise
With your button down lips and your roller blind eyes
With your empty smile and your hungry heart
With your nerves in tatters as the cockleshell shatters
And the hammers batter down your door
You better run
Run, run, run, run
Run, run, run, run
Run, run, run, run
Run, run, run, run
You better run all day and run all night
Keep your dirty feelings deep inside
And if you're taking your girlfriend out tonight
You'd better park the car well out of sight
'Cause if they catch you in the back seat trying to pick her locks
They're gonna send you back to mother in a cardboard box
You better run
The song Run Like Hell by Pink Floyd is a high-energy rock anthem that portrays a sense of paranoia and urgency with its lyrics. The song begins by stressing the importance of disguising oneself to blend in with society's expectations. The lyrics suggest that one must hide their true feelings and emotions beneath a facade of happiness and contentment, as an unmasked expression of inner thoughts could result in one being ostracized and isolated from society. The phrase "buttoned-down lips and roller-blind eyes" signifies the act of suppression and control over one's speech and vision.
As the song progresses, the lyrics emphasize the importance of running away from a guilt-laden past. The singer suggests that the act of running is necessary to escape the consequences of one's actions. The use of the imagery of a "conch shell shattering" and "hammers battering down the door" paints a violent and intense picture of circumstances that the singer feels requires immediate escape. The repetition of the word "run" throughout the song acts as an urgent and desperate call to action to take the necessary steps to escape.
The second half of the song takes a more specific tone, warning against societal and cultural taboos. The lyrics suggest that one must be cautious and aware of the prevailing norms of society, as failing to do so may lead to dire consequences. The mention of "dirty feelings" and the necessity to hide them further emphasises this fact. The song's final lines illustrate the severity of these taboos, indicating that failure to comply might result in death.
Line by Line Meaning
Run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run
The song starts with a repetition of 'run', emphasizing the need to escape from something.
You better make your face up in
The singer advises the listener to disguise themselves to avoid being recognized.
Your favorite disguise
The disguise should be comfortable and known to the listener.
With your button down lips and your
The disguise should include shutting up and not revealing anything.
Roller blind eyes
The disguise should also involve not looking around and avoiding suspicious glances.
With your empty smile
The disguise should include pretending everything is fine, even if it's not.
And your hungry heart
The singer acknowledges that the listener is running from something they desire, like a dream or aspiration.
Feel the bile rising from your guilty past
The listener may be haunted by something they've done, and the fear of it being discovered is making them sick.
With your nerves in tatters
The situation is incredibly stressful and causing the listener to break down.
When the conch shell shatters
This is a metaphor for when the situation explodes or goes wrong.
And the hammers batter
The hammers symbolize those who are chasing the listener and trying to capture them.
Down your door
The hammers are trying to break into the listener's hiding place.
You'd better run
The singer repeats the message that running is the only option.
Run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run
The chorus repeats the message that the listener needs to run as fast and as far as possible.
You better run all day
Running is not a temporary solution; it needs to happen constantly.
And run all night
The listener shouldn't stop running even at night.
Keep your dirty feelings
The singer advises the listener to keep their guilty desires inside and not act on them.
Deep inside
Suppressing these feelings should be internal, not external.
And if you're taking your girlfriend
The listener is also trying to hide someone else along with themselves.
Out tonight
The situation is happening right now.
You'd better park the car
The listener needs to make sure their hiding place (the car) is not visible.
Well out of sight
The car should be hidden where no one will find it.
'Cause if they catch you in the back seat
There is a possibility of being found out if not careful.
Trying to pick her locks
The couple is trying to engage in something that shouldn't be happening.
They're gonna send you back to mother
The punishment for getting caught is severe and possibly lethal.
In a cardboard box
Actually being sent back to 'mother' would result in death, and a cardboard box is the most basic type of coffin.
You better run
The chorus again emphasizes that running is the only option.
"Hey, open up!"
Someone is looking for the listener and trying to break into their hiding place.
"Hammer, hammer"
The person is using hammers to try to break down the door or window of where the listener is hiding.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: David Jon Gilmour, George Roger Waters
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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