Although their earlier releases contained Satanic themes and imagery, from the third album on, the band's primary subject matter centered around pirates, sailing and other historical events. In 1987, the band released the album Under Jolly Roger, which was a switch to pirate-based and historical themes, creating and influencing the later named pirate metal subgenre of heavy metal in the 2000s in the process. While the historical lyrics were very superficial at first, the lyrics for later albums were intensively researched, by frontman Rolf Kasparek in particular.
After this album, from 1988 to 1992 (for the albums Port Royal, Death or Glory, Blazon Stone and Pile of Skulls), Running Wild mainly wrote historically based lyrics. In addition to lyrics about pirates, the band also addressed subjects like the Wars of the Roses, the Battle of Waterloo, or the colonization of the New World by the Conquistadors.
In April 2009, Kasparek announced that Running Wild had split up. Their intended last show was at Wacken Open Air in July that year. It was recorded for CD and DVD release and appeared as The Final Jolly Roger in 2011. The split would prove temporary as they reunited in 2012. Running Wild played live for the Wacken Open Air festival in 2015. As of 2021, the band have released 17 studio albums, with their most recent being Blood on Blood.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Running_Wild_(band)
Studio albums
Gates to Purgatory (1984)
Branded and Exiled (1985)
Under Jolly Roger (1987)
Port Royal (1988)
Death or Glory (1989)
Blazon Stone (1991)
Pile of Skulls (1992)
Black Hand Inn (1994)
Masquerade (1995)
The Rivalry (1998)
Victory (2000)
The Brotherhood (2002)
Rogues en Vogue (2005)
Shadowmaker (2012)
Resilient (2013)
Rapid Foray (2016)
Blood on Blood (2021)
Live albums
Ready for Boarding (1988)
Death or Glory Tour – Live (1989)
Live (2002)
The Final Jolly Roger (2011)
Compilation albums
The First Years of Piracy (1991)
The Story of Jolly Roger (1998)
The Legendary Tales (2002)
20 Years in History (2003)
Best of Adrian (2006)
Black Demons on Stage (2010)
Greatest Hits (2011)
Riding the Storm: Very Best of the Noise Years 1983-1995 (2016)
Singles and EPs
"Victim of States Power" (1984)
"Bad to the Bone" (1989)
"Wild Animal" (1990)
"Little Big Horn" (1991)
"Lead or Gold" (1992)
"The Privateer" (1994)
"The Rivalry" (1998)
"Revolution" (2000)
"Crossing the Blades" (2019)
Bloody Red Rose
Running Wild Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
King Edward was bound to die
Richard III the new "lord protector"
Ruled with "loyalty me lie"
A vigilant guardian to the sons of the king
As sure as an eagle will fly
He died in a battle in 1485
And Henry defamed Richard with lies
Richard was charged in the "act of attainder"
With tyranny, murder and gain
Henry revoked the "titulus regulas"
With the smile of the vicious insane
Henry the 7th that rotten bastard
Executed the whole house of York
Elizabeth Woodville was immured for life
And Tyrrel the liar was acquitted by court
The poisoned thorns of the bloody red rose
Red venom of deepest dye
Henry the traitor, the victor by sin
Soiled Richard's blood with a grin
While Richard was ruling, the boys were alive
When he died the boys disappeared
Henry killed them to get onto the throne
But the book of truth was sealed
Henry paid Tyrrel to say that he had murdered
In the name of Sir Richard the brave
Henry killed Tyrrel without any trial
So Tyrrel took the truth to his grave
The poisoned thorns of the bloody red rose
Red venom of deepest dye
Henry the traitor, the victor by sin
Soiled Richard's blood with a grin
The poisoned thorns of the bloody red rose
Red venom of deepest dye
Henry the traitor, the victor by sin
Soiled Richard's blood with a grin.
The song Bloody Red Rose by Running Wild tells the story of the English Wars of the Roses, a series of medieval dynastic wars fought between the House of Lancaster and the House of York. The lyrics specifically focus on the downfall of King Richard III and the ensuing rise of Henry VII. The opening lines of the song mention King Edward's impending death and the subsequent appointment of Richard III as Lord Protector. The song suggests that Richard III was a "vigilant guardian" to the sons of the King, but ultimately died in battle, and was defamed by Henry VII with lies.
The second verse of the song delves into the political intrigue surrounding Richard III's reign and death. Richard III was charged with acts of attainder, namely tyranny, murder, and gain. Henry VII "revoked the titulus regulas," or the royal title, with a "smile of the vicious insane." The House of York was executed, and Tyrrel, the man who supposedly murdered the King's two sons, was acquitted by court. The "poisoned thorns of the bloody red rose" symbolize the treachery and deceit that led to Richard III's downfall and the ascendancy of Henry VII, who allegedly murdered the young princes to secure his claim to the throne.
Overall, the lyrics of Bloody Red Rose provide a vivid retelling of the historical events that occurred during the English Wars of the Roses. The song highlights the brutality and political machinations that plagued the English monarchy during this period, and offers a critical commentary on the legacy of Richard III and Henry VII.
Line by Line Meaning
In the war of the roses, the tragedy source
The conflict between House of Lancaster and House of York, known as the War of the Roses, was the reason behind the tragic events that took place.
King Edward was bound to die
King Edward's destiny was to die.
Richard III the new "lord protector"
Richard III became the new protector of the young sons of King Edward.
Ruled with "loyalty me lie"
Richard III ruled the country with absolute loyalty to the crown.
A vigilant guardian to the sons of the king
Richard III was a watchful guardian to the king's sons.
As sure as an eagle will fly
Richard III's loyalty as a protector was as unquestionable as the flight of an eagle.
He died in a battle in 1485
Richard III died fighting in a battle in 1485.
And Henry defamed Richard with lies
Henry defamed Richard III with false accusations after his death.
Richard was charged in the "act of attainder"
Richard III was accused of treason and his title was stripped away by the Act of Attainder.
With tyranny, murder and gain
Richard III was accused of committing acts of tyranny, murder, and personal gain.
Henry revoked the "titulus regulas"
Henry VII revoked Richard III's royal right to the throne.
With the smile of the vicious insane
Henry VII smiled with pleasure while revoking Richard's royal right to the throne.
Henry the 7th that rotten bastard
The singer expresses disdain towards Henry VII.
Executed the whole house of York
Henry VII carried out the execution of every member of the York family.
Elizabeth Woodville was immured for life
Elizabeth Woodville, the queen dowager and mother of the two princes, was imprisoned for life.
And Tyrrel the liar was acquitted by court
Tyrrel, who confessed to murdering the two princes, was acquitted of the crime by the court.
The poisoned thorns of the bloody red rose
The bloody red rose is a symbol of the York family and represents their tragic fate.
Red venom of deepest dye
The red color of the rose is representing poison and danger of the situation.
Henry the traitor, the victor by sin
Henry VII, who betrayed Richard III and his family, became the king through sinful means.
Soiled Richard's blood with a grin
Henry VII was proud of himself and his victory against Richard III.
While Richard was ruling, the boys were alive
The princes were still alive while Richard III was in power.
When he died the boys disappeared
After Richard III's death, the two princes went missing.
Henry killed them to get onto the throne
Henry VII had the princes killed in order to secure his right to the throne.
But the book of truth was sealed
The truth about what happened to the princes was not revealed.
Henry paid Tyrrel to say that he had murdered
Henry VII bribed Tyrrel into confessing to the murder of the princes.
In the name of Sir Richard the brave
Tyrrel claimed that Richard III ordered him to murder the princes.
Henry killed Tyrrel without any trial
Henry VII had Tyrrel executed without giving him a fair trial.
So Tyrrel took the truth to his grave
Tyrrel died without revealing the truth about the princes' murder.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: ROLF KASPAREK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind