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Run To The Hills

The 1982 single from 'The Number of the Beast' tells the story of colonial violence from two perspectives.

Iron Maiden visibility 33 visits Editor's note

person Curated by Ethan Walker Hiper Musicas team

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Editor's note

Iron Maiden's 'Run to the Hills' and its brutal history

The 1982 single from 'The Number of the Beast' tells the story of colonial violence from two perspectives.

Run to the hills

Released in 1982 on 'The Number of the Beast,' 'Run to the Hills' became one of Iron Maiden's signature tracks. It arrived during a period when the band was facing accusations of promoting violence through their lyrics, which they defiantly ignored. The song itself tackles historical violence head-on, not fantasy or mythology.

The verse 'White man came across the sea / He brought us pain and misery' sets the scene plainly. It's a first-person account of invasion and loss, detailing the killing of tribes and creed. The perspective then flips to the colonizer's view with lines about 'chasing the redskins back to their holes.'

That simple, shouted phrase becomes the entire chorus. It's not a metaphor; it's a literal, panicked instruction for survival against an overwhelming force.

Bruce Dickinson's delivery on 'Run for your lives' turns a warning into a desperate, repeated command. The relentless pace of the music mirrors the flight it describes.

Lyric sheet

Run To The Hills

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,

the stab in the back Women and children are 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 their 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 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