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)
Diamonds of the Black Chest
Running Wild Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's so wild he can't get no rest
A million diamonds blinding his eyes
Brighter than fire but colder than ice
Sweat on his brow, greed burns his mind
Hands like claws his teeth always grind
Soaked by sweat he wakes up and screams
"Oh, no, it was only a dream"
Diamonds, diamonds
Diamonds of the black chest
Years and years he sought that chest
He runs most every risk the man's obsessed
For too many years he's roamed all the lands
To feel the diamonds in his hands
He find the hallow spot, breaking its lock
He opens the gate which is carved of rock
Finding the chest he exults and screams
"Oh, yeah, it's no dream"
Diamonds, diamonds
Diamonds of the black chest
He holds out his hands and he touches the chest
He breaks its seals, he disturbs its rest
Curious and slow he opens the lid
He stares over the edge, what he sees he can't grip
No diamonds but he sees own face
A possessed wreck with an empty gaze
Thrilled by madness he's dying in pain
"No dream, he's insane"
Diamonds, diamonds
Diamonds of the black chest
The song "Diamonds of the Black Chest" by Running Wild tells the story of a man who becomes obsessed with finding a mysterious chest filled with diamonds. The man becomes so consumed by the thought of the diamonds that he risks his life to find it, spending years searching for the chest. When he finally discovers the treasure, he is filled with excitement and breaks the seals to reveal its contents. However, instead of finding diamonds, he is confronted with his own reflection in the mirrored bottom of the chest. The man is overwhelmed with his own madness and the realization that the diamonds were never the answer to his problems.
The lyrics of the song convey a powerful message about the dangers of greed and obsession. The singer's pursuit of wealth leads him to forsake everything else in his life, including his own sanity. The "diamonds of the black chest" symbolize the false promises of wealth and material possessions, which ultimately lead to emptiness and despair. The man's disappointment at discovering that the chest is not filled with diamonds serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of finding true meaning and purpose in life, rather than chasing after riches.
Line by Line Meaning
Since then he heard about the chest
Ever since he learned about the chest,
He's so wild he can't get no rest
His obsession is so intense that he can't sleep,
A million diamonds blinding his eyes
He imagines seeing a million diamonds that are blindingly bright,
Brighter than fire but colder than ice
Although the diamonds are bright, they are also cold and lifeless,
Sweat on his brow, greed burns his mind
He is sweaty and his mind is on fire with greed,
Hands like claws his teeth always grind
His hands are claw-like and he is constantly grinding his teeth,
Soaked by sweat he wakes up and screams
He wakes up from a nightmare covered in sweat and screams,
"Oh, no, it was only a dream"
Realizing it was only a dream, he breathes a sigh of relief,
Years and years he sought that chest
He has been searching for the chest for many years,
He runs most every risk the man's obsessed
He is willing to take any risk to obtain the chest, showing his obsession,
For too many years he's roamed all the lands
He has traveled far and wide for many years in search of the chest,
To feel the diamonds in his hands
His desire is to physically hold the diamonds that he believes are in the chest,
He find the hallow spot, breaking its lock
He finds the place where the chest is hidden and breaks open the lock,
He opens the gate which is carved of rock
He opens the gate to reveal the chest hidden inside the cave,
Finding the chest he exults and screams
He is overjoyed and screams with excitement upon finding the chest,
"Oh, yeah, it's no dream"
He realizes that his dream has become a reality and the chest is not just a figment of his imagination,
He holds out his hands and he touches the chest
He reaches out his hands and touches the chest,
He breaks its seals, he disturbs its rest
He breaks the seals on the chest, disturbing its slumber,
Curious and slow he opens the lid
He opens the lid cautiously, feeling both curious and apprehensive,
He stares over the edge, what he sees he can't grip
He looks inside the chest, but what he sees doesn't make sense to him,
No diamonds but he sees own face
Instead of diamonds, he sees his own reflection in the chest,
A possessed wreck with an empty gaze
His reflection shows a crazed and empty expression, revealing his true state of mind,
Thrilled by madness he's dying in pain
The realization of his obsession has driven him mad and causes him physical pain,
"No dream, he's insane"
He acknowledges that he is not dreaming and that he has gone insane over his pursuit of the chest,
Diamonds, diamonds
The repeated reference to diamonds emphasizes the man's obsession with material wealth,
Diamonds of the black chest
The black chest is the object of the man's obsession and the diamonds it contains represent his ultimate desire.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: ROLF KASPAREK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
M W
This song deserves more views. Very underrated.
Dido Didov
I was 14 years old when i heard this song for the first time. Now i'm on 48 and this song still rules, like and the all album "Under Jolly Roger". Greetings to Ralf!! Rock'n'Rolf forever! :):)
Tyler Thompson
Awesome song! German metal at its finest.
Páris Barbosa
🤘🏻😎
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