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)
War In the Gutter
Running Wild Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
want to beat their enemies
The shark's broke the truce
Tonight's the night, who'll win who'll lose
This is not your turf
Unarmed you just die first
Ruthless they fight their fight
To defend their walls feeds their pride
Senseless massacre tonight
Kid kills kid in this riot
The rulers don't want to care
Deaf and blind hiding in their lair
War in the gutter, hoy!
Watch out!
Angel shotgun
You have to fight or run
The leads tight tonight
Who knows who's wrong, who's right
Shining blade, a yell
Running blood, a lad fell
He's so surprised
He dies in a gutter another wasted life
Senseless massacre tonight
Kid kills kid in this riot
The rulers don't want to care
Deaf and blind hiding in their lair
War in the gutter, hoy!
"War in the Gutter" by Running Wild is a song that paints a bleak picture of a violent inner-city neighborhood where ruthless street warriors fight for control over their territory. The lyrics describe how the streets are ruled by gangs who are constantly looking for ways to beat their enemies. It's a place where peace truces are short-lived, and the slightest provocation can trigger a senseless massacre.
The song's first verse talks about the Sharks breaking a truce and how tonight's the night for them to fight it out with their rivals. The second verse is more graphic, depicting the aftermath of the fighting, where kids kill kids in a riot while the rulers of the neighborhood turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to the senseless bloodshed.
The chorus repeats the phrase, "War in the gutter, hoy!" to emphasize the theme of the song. The final verse tells the story of a young lad who dies in a gutter, another wasted life in a world where survival of the fittest is the order of the day.
Overall, Running Wild's "War in the Gutter" is a powerful commentary on the harsh realities of inner-city life, where violence is a way of life, and the innocent often pay the highest price.
Line by Line Meaning
Warriors of the street
People who live on the streets and are accustomed to violence
want to beat their enemies
They are looking to defeat anyone who threatens their way of life
The shark's broke the truce
Police officers, who were supposed to maintain order, have become corrupt and untrustworthy
Tonight's the night, who'll win who'll lose
It's time for a battle, and there's no telling who will come out victorious
This is not your turf
This area belongs to the people who are fighting to defend it
Unarmed you just die first
Those who are not prepared to defend themselves will succumb to the violence quickly
Ruthless they fight their fight
The people on the streets have no mercy for their opponents
To defend their walls feeds their pride
They take pride in protecting their territory from outsiders
Senseless massacre tonight
Many lives will be lost, but for no clear reason
Kid kills kid in this riot
Even children are caught up in the violence and are capable of committing murder
The rulers don't want to care
The people in power are ignoring the problem and refusing to take action
Deaf and blind hiding in their lair
Those in authority are avoiding the issue and failing to provide leadership
War in the gutter, hoy!
The battle is taking place in the streets and back alleys
Watch out!
Be prepared for anything because danger is lurking everywhere
Angel shotgun
The weapon of choice for someone who is willing to resort to extreme violence
You have to fight or run
There is no alternative to violence if you want to protect yourself
The leads tight tonight
The situation is tense and explosive, with violence looming large
Who knows who's wrong, who's right
It's impossible to determine which side is morally justified in this situation
Shining blade, a yell
Someone brandishing a knife is shouting out and causing chaos
Running blood, a lad fell
Someone has been seriously wounded or killed
He's so surprised
The victim had no idea what was coming and was caught off guard
He dies in a gutter, another wasted life
Someone has lost their life in a senseless act of violence, adding to the toll of the street wars
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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