About The Song
“Run to the Hills” is a song by the English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was released as their sixth single and the first from the band’s third studio album, The Number of the Beast (1982). It is their first single with Bruce Dickinson as vocalist. Credited solely to the band’s bassist, Steve Harris, Dickinson contributed to the song but could not be credited due to a contractual agreement with his former band Samson. “Run to the Hills” remains one of the band’s most popular songs, with VH1 ranking it No. 27 on their list of the 40 Greatest Metal Songs, No. 14 on their list of the Greatest Hard Rock Songs, and Rolling Stone ranking it No. 10 on their list of the 100 greatest heavy metal songs
A live version of the song, from Live After Death, was released in 1985 and the original single was reissued in 2002, with all income donated to former drummer Clive Burr’s MS Trust Fund. In 1990, as part of The First Ten Years box set, both the original and the 1985 live single were reissued on CD and 12″ vinyl, combined with “The Number of the Beast” and “Running Free (live)” respectively.
“Run to the Hills” depicts the historical conflict between Native Americans and European settlers. The song begins with the perspective of the Native Americans: ‘White man came across the sea / He brought us pain and misery.’ This verse reflects the suffering and upheaval caused by European arrival. The subsequent verses shift to the European viewpoint, with lines such as ‘Riding through dust clouds and barren wastes / Galloping hard on the plains’ and ‘Hunting and killing’s a game.’ These parts depict the Europeans’ actions and attitudes towards the conflict. The recurring chorus, ‘Run to the hills / Run for your lives,’ serves as a haunting reminder of the dire consequences of these conflicts. Overall, the song presents a vivid portrayal of this tumultuous period in history from both perspectives.
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Lyrics
White man came across the sea
He brought us pain and misery
He killed our tribes, he killed our creed
He took our game for his own need
We fought him hard, we fought him well
Out on the plains, we gave him hell
But many came, too much for Cree
Oh, will we ever be set free?
Riding through dust clouds and barren wastes
Galloping hard on the plains
Chasing the redskins back to their holes
Fighting them at their own game
Murder for freedom, a stab in the back
Women and children and cowards attack
Run to the hills
Run for your lives
Run to the hills
Run for your lives
Soldier blue in the barren wastes
Hunting and killing’s a game
Raping the women and wasting the men
The only good Indians are tame
Selling them whiskey and taking their gold
Enslaving the young and destroying the old
Run to the hills
Run for your lives
Run to the hills
Run for your lives
Yeah
Run to the hills
Run for your lives
Run to the hills
Run for your lives
Run to the hills
Run for your lives
Run to the hills
Run for your lives