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)
Heads or Tails
Running Wild Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We are a thorn in their side
'cause we are insisting on our rights
Fed up with their tutelage
Which we will over come
We will stand, so they will run
Evil machinations
They stick at nothing for themselves
Senile and restrained
They say they know what's wrong or right
You know true evil, will never see the light
Heads or tails
Which way you will choose now?
Die or live, surrender or fight
Wild and free, together we'll stand
Strong and proud, we claim our rights
They say I am a sinner and seducer
They try to put the blame on me
Don't give a fuck for the way they see
Stand up and you'll win
Surrender and you'll lose
It's heads or tails, you have to choose
Heads or tails
Which way you will choose now?
Die or live, surrender or fight
Wild and free, together we'll stand
Strong and proud, we claim our rights
The lyrics of Running Wild's song Heads or Tails present a defiant message about standing up against oppression and corruption. The song acknowledges that there are liars and deceivers who will stop at nothing to maintain their power and wealth. The band emphasizes the importance of insisting on our rights and refusing to surrender or give up in the face of adversity. Delving deeper, the lyrics suggest that individuals have a choice to make, heads or tails, which represents either surrendering or choosing to fight for their beliefs. The call to "stand up and you'll win" emphasizes the importance of taking action and being proactive in the face of injustice.
Overall, the song presents a powerful message of courage and defiance in the face of oppression. The band emphasizes the importance of unity and standing together in the struggle for freedom, declaring that together we'll stand, strong and proud, and claim our rights. Through this song, Running Wild inspires individuals to stand up for what they believe in and to resist those who seek to oppress them.
Line by Line Meaning
Liars and deceivers
There are people who are dishonest and manipulate, and they are not to be trusted.
We are a thorn in their side
The liars and deceivers are bothered by us and our insistence on our own rights.
'cause we are insisting on our rights
We are fighting for what we believe is right and will not back down.
Fed up with their tutelage
We are tired of being controlled and patronized by those who think they know better.
Which we will over come
We will rise above this adversity and claim our freedom.
We will stand, so they will run
We will remain steadfast in our cause and those who oppose us will back down.
Evil machinations
There are people who are plotting and scheming for their own gain.
For power and for wealth
These people are after power and riches, even at the expense of others.
They stick at nothing for themselves
They will stop at nothing to achieve their goals, even if it means hurting others.
Senile and restrained
These people are old and outdated in their thinking, and they are trying to hold us back.
They say they know what's wrong or right
They claim to have the answers to everything and think they know better than anyone else.
You know true evil, will never see the light
Their wickedness and deceit will always remain hidden and in the dark.
Heads or tails
It's time to make a choice.
Which way you will choose now?
Will you fight for your freedom or will you give up?
Die or live, surrender or fight
The choices are stark: either be defeated or stand up and defend yourself.
Wild and free, together we'll stand
We'll stand strong and united in our beliefs.
Strong and proud, we claim our rights
We will assert our rights and show the world what we're made of.
They say I am a sinner and seducer
They are trying to vilify and discredit us.
They try to put the blame on me
They are scapegoating and making us out to be the bad guys.
Don't give a fuck for the way they see
We don't care about their opinion of us – we know we're in the right.
Stand up and you'll win
If we fight back, we will be victorious.
Surrender and you'll lose
If we give up, we will be defeated.
Heads or tails
It's up to us to determine our own fate.
You have to choose
The decision is yours to make – but choose wisely.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: ROLF KASPAREK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Phasio OT
Great riffs, great chorus, great solo - my favourite song from Running Wild
Shawn Dugan
Greatest Song on this album for sure! Wish more bands sounded like RW.🤘
Tom Andre Tidemann
This song is great!!! The album is great!!! Good memories from the 90s!😎🤘🏻🔥🔥
demonhunter02
Heads or Tails Which way you will choose Now die or live Surrender or fight Wild and free Together we stand Strong and proud we claim our right! I love the chorus its so powerful!
nosevener
best song of RW ever!! yeah and best chorus ever!! thats true
gold kok
True i love it too <3
mcbure1
I had vinyl of this album ... my father has thrown it away long time ago. What a loss. Sound if this music from classic gramophone was amazing :)
RabbiSchlomo
Blazon Stone was my first Vinyl! Proud Fan of Rock´n´Rolf and the Dudes for good 20 years! Ride the Storm!
Dan Hess
Love Running Wild. Love this song. And I agree with you that death/black metal really doesn't have much artistic value. Power metal's probably my favority, but I listen to just about anything that's good, I'm really a fan of the oldschool bands. Feel free to chat me up if you feel like it sometime. =)
Admonisher .official
Excellent rythm guitar sound ! crunchy!