by Roy Orbison · 2024
The song “Running Scared” by Roy Orbison is about a man who lives in fear of losing his lover to her former partner, but ultimately finds relief and happiness when she chooses to stay with him instead.
This song has been Shazamed over 180,492 times. As of this writing, Running Scared is ranked 140
Running Scared’ by Roy Orbison is a famous old song about feeling nervous and unsure in love. We’re going to break down what makes this song so powerful and why it sticks with people even today. ⬇️
The mood of “Running Scared” is thick with suspense, almost like walking through fog at midnight with your heart pounding. Orbison spins a tale of a man haunted by the shadow of his lover’s past, every moment tinged with the possibility of heartbreak.
The chorus aches with anxiety—“Just running scared, what would I do if he came back and wanted you?”—and suddenly, we’re right there, holding our breath. Fear and longing twist together, making us question the security of our own attachments. The words tumble out in a rush, as if we, too, are standing on the brink, waiting for fate’s verdict.
The verses paint a picture of a man living in constant dread, tiptoeing from place to place, always glancing over his shoulder. “You loved him so,” he admits, the sting of insecurity sharp as ice; yet, hope flickers in the uncertainty—what if, just maybe, she’ll choose him after all? When Orbison sings, “If he came back, which one would you choose?” it’s a gut punch, a window into the universal fear of not being enough.
And then comes that cinematic finale: the rival appears, brimming with confidence, while the narrator’s heart shatters in slow motion—but, in a twist worthy of a black-and-white romance, she turns, choosing the man who waited, not the ghost who haunted them both.
The real message of “Running Scared” is that sometimes the scariest moments in love are exactly when we discover we’ve truly won.
Writer(s) of Running Scared:
