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)
Lead or Gold
Running Wild Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The vessel is gliding along
Pounding the waves, majestically
Proudly and strong
A flag flutters on the horizon
The plunder ready-to-hand
The gunners are ready to fire
Awaiting command
Pounding the sea, like a storm
Wild and free
Obeying our call, fast and raw
The air sparks thunder and lightning
Their bellies are shivered with fear
We showered their cold hearted souls
With sarcastic sneer
Our cohorts are for seizing
The skull and the crossbones fly high
We're talking over your vessel
Whatever you try
Pounding the sea, like a storm
Wild and free
Obeying our call, fast and raw
Lead or gold, we're daring our fate
On the wings of the sea
Lead or gold, cursing all the
Conformists who'll never be free
Guns spitting iron and fire
Acid smoke clouding the air
Ripping the planks
Feeding the flame of despair
Hoisting the flag of surrender
Delivering their silver and gold
A generous gift to the poor
For the brothers they sold
Pounding the sea, like a storm
Wild and free
Obeying our call, fast and raw
Lead or gold, we're daring our fate
On the wings of the sea
Lead or gold, cursing all the
Conformists who'll never be free
The lyrics to Running Wild's song "Lead or Gold" are about a pirate ship sailing through rough seas, searching for other vessels to plunder for their riches. The ship is described as "proud and strong," and the pirates on board are ready for battle as they await their captain’s command to fire their guns. As the pirate ship approaches another vessel, the air is filled with thunder and lightning, and fear grips the hearts of those on the other ship. The pirates mock them with sarcastic sneers.
The pirates are eager to seize their prey, and they raise the skull and crossbones on their own ship. They overpower the other vessel, killing some and taking everything of value, including silver and gold. The song ends with the pirates celebrating their triumph and mocking those who conform to the law and never take risks in life.
The lyrics to "Lead or Gold" are a metaphor for taking risks and daring to live life to the fullest. The pirates are willing to risk everything in order to achieve their goal, even if it results in death. The song celebrates living life on one's own terms, with freedom and adventure, rather than conforming to societal expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
Riding the tempests of glory
We are sailing through dangerous waters with the hope of obtaining great rewards.
The vessel is gliding along
Our ship is smoothly sailing through the rough seas.
Pounding the waves, majestically
We are fearlessly and impressively conquering the tumultuous waters.
Proudly and strong
We are sailing with confidence and strength.
A flag flutters on the horizon
We see a sign of hope in the distance.
The plunder ready-to-hand
We are prepared to take control of the enemy's valuables.
The gunners are ready to fire
Our artillery is armed and ready for battle.
Awaiting command
We are awaiting orders to begin our attack.
The air sparks thunder and lightning
The clash of our weapons creates a violent and powerful storm.
Their bellies are shivered with fear
Our enemies are scared and trembling with fear.
We showered their cold hearted souls
We taunt and disdain our opponents' souls that they have no feeling.
With sarcastic sneer
We scornfully look down on our enemies with a crooked smile.
Our cohorts are for seizing
Our allies are eager to capture the enemy's ship.
The skull and the crossbones fly high
Our pirate flag is raised for all to see that we are conquerors.
We're talking over your vessel
We have successfully taken control of the enemy's ship.
Whatever you try
No matter what you do, you cannot defeat us.
Lead or gold, we're daring our fate
We are taking a big risk in search of great rewards, be it material or historical.
On the wings of the sea
With our sails out and the wind behind us, we feel unstoppable.
Cursing all the conformists who'll never be free
We challenge and condemn all those who conform to societal rules and will never break free from them.
Guns spitting iron and fire
We are firing our weapons with great force and fury.
Acid smoke clouding the air
The smoke from our weapons is toxic and making it hard to see.
Ripping the planks
We are destroying the ship piece by piece.
Feeding the flame of despair
Our attack is causing the enemy to feel hopeless and helpless.
Hoisting the flag of surrender
The enemy has given up and raised the white flag of surrender.
Delivering their silver and gold
Our enemies willingly hand over their treasure.
A generous gift to the poor
We perceive ourselves as generous in redistributing the wealth we have acquired to the less fortunate.
For the brothers they sold
The treasure was taken from someone whom the enemy had betrayed.
Lead or gold, we're daring our fate
We are taking a big risk in search of great rewards, be it material or historical.
On the wings of the sea
With our sails out and the wind behind us, we feel unstoppable.
Cursing all the conformists who'll never be free
We challenge and condemn all those who conform to societal rules and will never break free from them.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ROLF KASPAREK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dom Russo
Riding the tempests of glory
The vessel is gliding along
Pounding the waves, majestically
Proudly and strong
A flag flutters on the horizon
The plunder ready-to-hand
The gunners are ready to fire
Awaiting command
Pounding the sea, like a storm
Wild and free
Obeying our call, fast and raw
The air sparks thunder and lightning
Their bellies are shivered with fear
We showered their cold hearted souls
With sarcastic sneer
Our cohorts are ready for seizing
The skull and the crossbones fly high
We're talking over your vessel
Whatever you try
Pounding the sea, like a storm
Wild and free
Obeying our call, fast and raw
Lead or gold, we're daring our fate
On the wings of the sea
Lead or gold, cursing all the
Conformists who'll never be free
Guns spitting iron and fire
Acrid smoke clouding the air
Ripping the planks
Feeding the flame of despair
Hoisting the flag of surrender
Delivering their silver and gold
A generous gift to the poor
For the brothers they sold
Pounding the sea, like a storm
Wild and free
Obeying our call, fast and raw
Lead or gold, we're daring our fate
On the wings of the sea
Lead or gold, cursing all the
Conformists who'll never be free
Bozhidar Bozhilov
one of the best song...
Dom Russo
Riding the tempests of glory
The vessel is gliding along
Pounding the waves, majestically
Proudly and strong
A flag flutters on the horizon
The plunder ready-to-hand
The gunners are ready to fire
Awaiting command
Pounding the sea, like a storm
Wild and free
Obeying our call, fast and raw
The air sparks thunder and lightning
Their bellies are shivered with fear
We showered their cold hearted souls
With sarcastic sneer
Our cohorts are ready for seizing
The skull and the crossbones fly high
We're talking over your vessel
Whatever you try
Pounding the sea, like a storm
Wild and free
Obeying our call, fast and raw
Lead or gold, we're daring our fate
On the wings of the sea
Lead or gold, cursing all the
Conformists who'll never be free
Guns spitting iron and fire
Acrid smoke clouding the air
Ripping the planks
Feeding the flame of despair
Hoisting the flag of surrender
Delivering their silver and gold
A generous gift to the poor
For the brothers they sold
Pounding the sea, like a storm
Wild and free
Obeying our call, fast and raw
Lead or gold, we're daring our fate
On the wings of the sea
Lead or gold, cursing all the
Conformists who'll never be free
Juan Pablo Molho
metal tocado con bolas! excelente!
Martin Verburg
Awesome song! :-D
Patrick knoll
thx man and as i see running wild will never die as long as we are running wild
Mahey Dog
ROCK"N"ROLF !!!
Albert Pascual Olivé
The gunners are ready to fire, AWAITING COMMAND!
Patrick knoll
greetings from an old sailor from germany . lets keep on running wild
Zane Goodeker
"Running Wild"
Виктор Семенов
Творческих успехов ребята,все круто.