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)
Locomotive
Running Wild Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sparks are dancing in the smoke, the fire's raging wild
Hundredweights of blackest coal to feed its burning hunger
A melting pot of glowing steel, a hell of grime and smoke
Smoke and fire, run that pyre
Steam and thunder gonna roll you under
The railway's gonna squeaking hard, wheels are dragging over
Red hot grease is on the steel, oiling all the bars
Rhythm's gonna pounding hard, the monsters own thunder
The whistle-pipe is blowing strong, foretelling what to come
Smoke and fire, run that pyre
Steam and thunder gonna roll you under
Rage and fury gonna spell its name, Locomotive
The stoker's gonna shoveling coal to melt it in the fire
Sweat is dripping from his brow, vaporizing in the heat
Pressure's gonna rising high, speeding up the engine
Purgatory comes alive to burn on fires rage
So comon now
Hundred-fifty tons of steel, rolling through the night
Sparks are dancing in the smoke, the fire's raging wild
Hundredweights of blackest coal to feed its burning hunger
A melting pot of glowing steel, a hell of grime and smoke
Smoke and fire, run that pyre
Steam and thunder gonna roll you under
Rage and fury gonna spell its name, Locomotive
The lyrics of Running Wild's song Locomotive describe the powerful force of a locomotive steam engine as it speeds through the night. The opening verse portrays the machine as a massive, unstoppable force with "hundred-fifty tons of steel rolling through the night." The fire, which fuels the machine's burning hunger, is also emphasized, with the lyrics referencing "sparks dancing in the smoke" and "a hell of grime and smoke." The chorus describes the steam and thunder of the locomotive, while the verse that follows emphasizes the different parts of the engine moving in sync with the pulsating rhythm, including the wheels, grease, and bars, all contributing to the machine's unstoppable nature. The final verse speaks of the stoker, who is responsible for shoveling coal to fuel the machine's fiery engine, and the sweat on his brow, which evaporates in the heat of the locomotive's fire. Overall, the lyrics of "Locomotive" effectively convey the power and energy of a steam engine in motion.
Line by Line Meaning
Hundred-fifty tons of steel, rolling through the night
Enormous amount of steel is moving forward through the darkness of the night
Sparks are dancing in the smoke, the fire's raging wild
Flames are out of control, covered with smoke, the sparks of fire are lively dancing around
Hundredweights of blackest coal to feed its burning hunger
The locomotive’s appetite is insatiable and can only be satisfied by consuming hundreds of weight units of the darkest coal
A melting pot of glowing steel, a hell of grime and smoke
The locomotive is an inferno of smog and soot; it is a melting furnace, made of glowing steel
Smoke and fire, run that pyre
The blazing fire and billowing smoke continue to fuel the locomotive's journey
Steam and thunder gonna roll you under
The powerful combination of steam and thunder created by the locomotive will crush and overwhelm anything in its path
Rage and fury gonna spell its name, Locomotive
Anger, violence, and sheer forcefulness embedded in the train will reveal its name - Locomotive
The railway's gonna squeaking hard, wheels are dragging over
The track is going to screech aloud while wheels are straining to be moved forward
Red hot grease is on the steel, oiling all the bars
The high temperature has set the grease on fire, covering every bar of steel and lubricating them
Rhythm's gonna pounding hard, the monsters own thunder
A harsh and pounding rhythm will be created by the train's thunder, announcing its dominance
The whistle-pipe is blowing strong, foretelling what to come
A powerful sounding whistle announces the treacherous events that will soon take place
The stoker's gonna shoveling coal to melt it in the fire
The stoker is continuously feeding coal into the furnace, causing it to burn hot and bright
Sweat is dripping from his brow, vaporizing in the heat
The intense heat is causing the stoker to sweat profusely, which is quickly vaporizing in the furnace's heat
Pressure's gonna rising high, speeding up the engine
The heat and the stoker's continuous shoveling of coal are contributing to the steam pressure and speeding up the velocity of the engine
Purgatory comes alive to burn on fires rage
Purgatory is an archaic term for the afterlife, and here it is being evoked to describe the furnace's fire, which seems to be hellish
So comon now
This is an encouraging call to action, urging people to move forward with it
Contributed by Lucy V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.