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)
Faceless
Running Wild Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Being invisible without a dream to reach
A schoolboy second-rate a toady all the way
He never fights for nothing, never goes astray
He never makes a stand a man of average size
Green suit, nothing -mind wearing average ties
Soulless the empty hull that was never fighting
Shapeless he was born, the man without a face
Never done right or wrong the man who's left no trace
No thoughts critical ever comes his way
Bundled unimportance what he does or say
Never been a benefactor coming off his shell
Never been a troublemaker character to spell
[Pre & Chorus...]
Hey what you're done with your life did you ever grow
A lock of character you never could say "no"
The song "Faceless" by Running Wild is about a man who was born without any distinguishing characteristics. He has no speech, no dreams, and no desire to stand out from the crowd. As a schoolboy, he was always second-rate, toady, and never fights for anything. He lives an average life, wears average clothes, and never makes a stand.
The man is drowning in grey and has no personality or soul. He was born shapeless and without a face, and he has never done anything right or wrong. No critical thoughts ever come his way, and he is unimportant in everything he does or says. He has never been a benefactor or a troublemaker; he is just a characterless shell.
The message of the song is to question what this man has done with his life. Has he grown as a person, or is he still the same faceless, shapeless, soulless shell? Has he ever shown any character and stood up for what he believes in, or is he always a follower? It is a call to discover oneself and be unique, rather than living an average, unremarkable life.
Line by Line Meaning
Faceless he was born the kind without a speech
He was born without a unique voice or identity.
Being invisible without a dream to reach
He is unseen and lacks a purpose in life to strive towards.
A schoolboy second-rate a toady all the way
He is mediocre in his studies and a follower of others.
He never fights for nothing, never goes astray
He never takes a stand or deviates from his average path.
He never makes a stand a man of average size
He is a small, average person who never stands up for himself.
Green suit, nothing -mind wearing average ties
He wears plain clothes and has no unique sense of style or personality.
Faceless drowning in grey, never been striking
He is lost in monotony and blends in with the masses.
Soulless the empty hull that was never fighting
He lacks passion and drive and has never stood up for anything in his life.
Shapeless he was born, the man without a face
His lack of identity and character makes him a non-entity.
Never done right or wrong the man who's left no trace
He has never made a significant impact or accomplished anything noteworthy.
No thoughts critical ever comes his way
He does not engage in deep thinking or reflection.
Bundled unimportance what he does or say
His actions and words hold no weight or significance.
Never been a benefactor coming off his shell
He has never helped anyone or made a positive impact on society.
Never been a troublemaker character to spell
He has never caused any trouble or had any noteworthy personality traits.
[Pre & Chorus...] Hey what you're done with your life did you ever grow A lock of character you never could say "no"
The lyrics serve as a call to action for the listener to take control of their life and develop a strong sense of character by standing up for themselves and saying "no" to things that do not align with their values and goals.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: SALVATORE P. ERNA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gerald Hentrich
Faceless he was born the kind without a speech
Being invisible without a dream to reach
A schoolboy second-rate a toady all the way
He never fights for nothing, never goes astray
He never makes a stand a man of average size
Green suit, nothing -mind wearing average ties
Faceless drowning in grey, never been striking
Soulless the empty hull that was never fighting
Shapeless he was born, the man without a face
Never done right or wrong the man who's left no trace
No thoughts critical ever comes his way
Bundled unimportance what he does or say
Never been a benefactor coming off his shell
Never been a troublemaker character to spell
[Pre & Chorus...]
Hey what you're done with your life did you ever grow
A lock of character you never could say "no"
Roman Roman
Faceless he was born the kind without a speech
Being invisible without a dream to reach
A schoolboy second-rate a toady all the way
He never fights for nothing, never goes astray
He never makes a stand a man of average size
Green suit, nothing -mind wearing average ties
Faceless drowning in grey, never been striking
Soulless the empty hull that was never fighting
Shapeless he was born, the man without a face
Never done right or wrong the man who's left no trace
No thoughts critical ever comes his way
Bundled unimportance what he does or say
Never been a benefactor coming off his shell
Never been a troublemaker character to spell
Thomas Frank
I agree 100%,I sure hope Rolf Never calls it quits,I am a 62 year old metal head/musician,and this music is the fountain of youth to me !!
prolamer7
I love metal since young age and i will propably love it since old :-)
binaryanarchist
Running Wild is definitely within my top 5 favourite bands of all time, they're super fucking awesome
Krzywy
What is the full top 5?
Nonrev Nosnibor Metal & Beer reviews
these guys never write a bad track
Annete Bailey
Mesmerizing, hypnotizing exciting
Metal . Running Wild is my dream metal band
Jan Blackhand
105% I agree
buentiosi
Un genio este Rock n` Rolf Kasparek, hace mas de 20 años que hablo de Nibiru en Genesis, de las Hermandades y del peligro del Globalismo.
Hoy hay millones de personas que llevan piercings en la nariz y en todos lados, de los tatuajes ya no hablemos.
En otra cosa que fue un adelantado a su tiempo, fue en decir que las giras eran una ruina, porque no se cubrían gastos.
También hizo bien en ser su propio jefe, no querer compañeros y mejor tener mercenarios.
Lo dicho un Genio este tío.
Gerald Hentrich
Faceless he was born the kind without a speech
Being invisible without a dream to reach
A schoolboy second-rate a toady all the way
He never fights for nothing, never goes astray
He never makes a stand a man of average size
Green suit, nothing -mind wearing average ties
Faceless drowning in grey, never been striking
Soulless the empty hull that was never fighting
Shapeless he was born, the man without a face
Never done right or wrong the man who's left no trace
No thoughts critical ever comes his way
Bundled unimportance what he does or say
Never been a benefactor coming off his shell
Never been a troublemaker character to spell
[Pre & Chorus...]
Hey what you're done with your life did you ever grow
A lock of character you never could say "no"
valentinian2003
Hard to believe that such a great song never made it under the 10 songs of "The Brotherhood" and had to be released as Bonus track on the limited edition of the same album..