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)
Rolling Wheels
Running Wild Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trucker's standing by
Ready to hit the road again
Distance's drive you insane
Roars of anticipation
The lights are going down
Time to up and go
Still asleep 10am
Halls show signs of life
Roadies setting up the fiery scene
Living, with a sound check in between
Roars of anticipation
The lights are going down
Time to up and go
To another crazy town
Counted on you kid
To show up tonight
In this together
To give the censors a fight
Lights are hot and blinding
Sound is crystal clear
Smoke and fire billow all around
Dragging the mood up from the ground
Roars of anticipation
The lights are going down
Time to up and go
To another crazy town
Counted on you kid
To show up tonight
In this together
To give the censors a fight
Triumphant fists punch the air
Picks for eager hands
Backstage talk of travel's and deals
Living our lives on rolling wheels
Roars of anticipation
The lights are going down
Time to up and go
To another crazy town
Counted on you kid
To show up tonight
In this together
To give the censors a fight
Running Wild's "Rolling Wheels" is a song that captures the essence of life on the road as a rock band. The song starts off with the vinyl hot off the press and the trucker's standing by, ready to hit the road again. The distance between shows can during tours can be long and tiring, which can drive a person insane. The roars of anticipation fill the air, and the lights are going down as it's time to pack up and go to another crazy town.
As the day progresses, the halls show signs of life with the equipment being set up for the fiery scene that's to come. The soundcheck is done in between, and the anticipation only grows stronger. The song talks about how the bandmates count on each other to show up and give the censors a fight as they continue to travel from one show to the next.
The lights are hot and blinding, and the sound is crystal clear as the band takes the stage. Smoke and fire billow all around, dragging the mood up from the ground as the rockstars put on a show. Triumphant fists punch the air, picks for eager hands, and backstage talk of travels and deals are all a part of the rock and roll lifestyle as they live their lives on rolling wheels.
Line by Line Meaning
Vinyl hot from the press
Newly released music in its physical form is ready to be played
Trucker's standing by
The drivers of the touring truck are waiting and ready to hit the road
Ready to hit the road again
The band and crew are prepared to embark on another tour
Distance's drive you insane
Traveling long distances can be tiring and mentally taxing
Roars of anticipation
The excitement and energy of the crowd is palpable
The lights are going down
The stage lights are dimming, signaling the start of the show
Time to up and go
It's time to get on stage and start performing
To another crazy town
The band is headed to another city, ready to put on a wild show
Still asleep 10am
The band is sleeping in after a late night of performing
Halls show signs of life
The venue is bustling with activity as the crew sets up for another show
Roadies setting up the fiery scene
The road crew is preparing the pyrotechnics and other special effects for the performance
Living, with a sound check in between
The band is busy living their rockstar lives, but they also have to fit in a sound check before the show
Counted on you kid
The band is depending on each member to give their all during the performance
To show up tonight
The band needs everyone to be present and fully engaged for the show
In this together
The band is a team, relying on each other to put on a great show
To give the censors a fight
The band is willing to push boundaries and challenge censorship with their music
Lights are hot and blinding
The stage lights are intense and bright
Sound is crystal clear
The audio equipment is properly tuned and the sound quality is excellent
Smoke and fire billow all around
The pyrotechnics are in full effect, creating an exciting visual display
Dragging the mood up from the ground
The energy of the performance is elevating the mood of the audience
Triumphant fists punch the air
The band and the audience are celebrating the music and the performance
Picks for eager hands
Guitar picks are being thrown into the crowd, creating excitement and engagement
Backstage talk of travel's and deals
The band and crew are discussing the logistics of the tour and upcoming opportunities
Living our lives on rolling wheels
The band's lifestyle is defined by constant travel and performing on the road
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JENS BECKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alex Nemocon
la mejor de las épocas del buen heavy metal y los buenos grupos.
matt hansen
That main riff is a murderous weapon in itself, why no appreciation for this awesome song? One of my favorites from Running Wild and that's saying something since they're so good...
De Rothschild the IV
like the term y'r usin'
Annete Bailey
The guitars are awesome🎸🤘👨🎤
SADPHOMET reviews
SUCH A POWERFUL VOICE!
King Juanito
Blazon Stone, my favourite album! 🤘🏻💀
6 STRINGS
que recuerdos, gran canción
victor amadeu
Killer solo👏👏👏👏
victor amadeu
Running Wild is The Best......Magnanimo
M. Z.
Roars of anticipation The lights are going down Time to up and go In another crazy town