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)
Fall of Dorkas
Running Wild Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Two souls to rule the elements to fight a constant fight
One soul to save the light, one soul to serve the dark
Rivals to eternity, the savior and the shark
Before the darkness, before the light
The guardians' soul stood the sands of time
He ruled the void, he ruled the dark
Watch out, be strong, choose! when the war is on
Watch out, time's long, until all evil is gone
Rise or fall, standing proud or losing all
Die or live, destruction takes and freedom gives
He watches dark, he watches light
Two souls to proof, wrong or right
A constant fight, a war foretold
A settled plan, what future holds
Before the darkness, before the light
The guardians' soul stood the sands of time
He ruled the void, he ruled the dark
All came to birth, the holy spark
Watch out, be strong, choose! when the war is on
Watch out, time's long, until all evil is gone
Rise or fall, standing proud or losing all
Die or live, destruction takes and freedom gives
He watches dark, he watches light
Two souls to proof, wrong or right
A constant fight, a war foretold
A settled plan, what future holds
[Pre]
[Chorus]
[Leadbreak Rolf]
The final plan, the final fight
Casting out, dark or light
The lie will fall, truth will stand
The serpent dies by its own hand
[Pre]
[Chorus]
[Twinsolo Rolf]
The lyrics to Running Wild's song Fall of Dorkas describe the creation and ongoing struggle between two guardians - one representing the forces of light and the other representing the forces of dark. The song portrays them as eternal rivals, constantly fighting for supremacy over the elements. One of the guardians is tasked with saving the light and the other with serving the dark, leading to a constant battle of good versus evil. The lyrics also allude to a settled plan for the future, with the guardians' souls standing the sands of time, ruling the void and giving birth to the holy spark.
The chorus of the song urges the listener to "watch out, be strong, choose" during the war between light and dark, which will continue until all evil is gone. The verses speak of the guardians watching over the two souls, constantly testing them to prove their worthiness and righteousness. The song concludes with the idea of a final plan and final fight, where truth will triumph over lies and the serpent (representing evil) will ultimately destroy itself.
The lyrics to Fall of Dorkas can be interpreted as a metaphor for the struggle between good and evil within oneself or in the world at large. The song's imagery of eternal rivals and a constant fight between light and dark presents a powerful message about the ongoing battle between opposing forces.
Line by Line Meaning
Creation of the guardian, the force of dark and light
The guardian was created to embody both dark and light forces.
Two souls to rule the elements to fight a constant fight
The two opposing souls of the guardian must fight each other for control of the elements.
One soul to save the light, one soul to serve the dark
The two souls within the guardian have opposing goals, with one seeking to save the light and the other serving the dark.
Rivals to eternity, the savior and the shark
The two souls within the guardian will constantly be in opposition to each other, with neither able to overpower the other.
Before the darkness, before the light
The guardians' soul stood the sands of time
He ruled the void, he ruled the dark
All came to birth, the holy spark
The guardian existed before darkness and light, and ruled over the emptiness of the void until the beginning of creation.
Watch out, be strong, choose! when the war is on
Watch out, time's long, until all evil is gone
During the constant battle between the light and dark forces within the guardian, it is important to be strong and choose wisely. The struggle will take a long time, but eventually all evil will be defeated.
Rise or fall, standing proud or losing all
Die or live, destruction takes and freedom gives
In the struggle between light and dark, there is always the possibility of triumph or defeat, of living or dying. Destruction must first take place in order for freedom to be achieved.
He watches dark, he watches light
Two souls to proof, wrong or right
A constant fight, a war foretold
A settled plan, what future holds
The guardian watches over the two opposing souls within him, who must prove themselves right or wrong in their struggle. This battle has been foretold, and its outcome will determine the future.
The final plan, the final fight
Casting out, dark or light
The lie will fall, truth will stand
The serpent dies by its own hand
The final battle between the light and dark forces within the guardian will determine whether truth or lies emerge victorious. Ultimately, the snake (symbolizing evil) will be destroyed by its own actions.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ROLF KASPAREK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ger
Creation of the guardian, the force of dark and light
Two souls to rule the elements to fight a constant fight
One soul to save the light, one soul to serve the dark
Rivals to eternity, the saviour and the shark
The gods will fight, the titans clash in time and galaxies
The serpent and its tamer a fight so endlessly
Falling, fate is calling, the liar, tamed in fire
The fall of Dorkas, the curse of selfish pride
Reign of darkness, condemned to fear the light
Heart of blackness caught in eternal hate
Armageddon fullfills the longawaited fate
Dorkas as the chancellor, a charlatan surpreme
A godforsaken liar, intrigue, sly and mean
He made his bid for power, dropping down his mask
The uncrowned king of failures, Walloron kicked his ass
(Pre)
(Chorus)
(Leadbreak Rolf)
3.7 billion years, Armageddon's here
Madness shakes the underworld, they are lost in fear
The fire of catastrophy opens up the gate
Evil souls will drown in hell and Dorkas' soul will fade
(Pre)
(Chorus)
William Smith
Rolf, I love you and Running Wild, from one end of the sea to the next.
...but that's a drum machine. 100%.
TheNikmetallica
The best Running Wild song indeed!!!!
ger
Creation of the guardian, the force of dark and light
Two souls to rule the elements to fight a constant fight
One soul to save the light, one soul to serve the dark
Rivals to eternity, the saviour and the shark
The gods will fight, the titans clash in time and galaxies
The serpent and its tamer a fight so endlessly
Falling, fate is calling, the liar, tamed in fire
The fall of Dorkas, the curse of selfish pride
Reign of darkness, condemned to fear the light
Heart of blackness caught in eternal hate
Armageddon fullfills the longawaited fate
Dorkas as the chancellor, a charlatan surpreme
A godforsaken liar, intrigue, sly and mean
He made his bid for power, dropping down his mask
The uncrowned king of failures, Walloron kicked his ass
(Pre)
(Chorus)
(Leadbreak Rolf)
3.7 billion years, Armageddon's here
Madness shakes the underworld, they are lost in fear
The fire of catastrophy opens up the gate
Evil souls will drown in hell and Dorkas' soul will fade
(Pre)
(Chorus)
Andrés Maximilien
Mi primer album de metal
jared l'esperance
Screw the haters, the last GREAT RW album!
-CFH-ArcHitectoR
Killer Rhythm
Vermin Killah
The most Epic song of this genre!! 🤘🤘😹😹🐱👤🐱👤🐱🐉🐱🐉🐱💻🐱💻🐱🏍🐱🏍😹😹
leonard_tv
This whole album is a banger
kostas schnippering
What the fuck's are you saying here?
The song is brilliant !!!!
Rock and Rolf
He said that this is his first metal album. 😉😉