Run For The Hills

Album: Think Later (2023)
Charted: 55 69
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Run For The Hills" is a song about falling for the wrong person. Tate McRae knows the guy is bad for her, but she can't resist him. She remembers how he made her feel even though she knows he'll never love her back. She's in a dilemma: Should she follow her heart or her head?
  • McRae sings in the chorus:

    The way you touch me
    Straight to the heart, yeah, it cuts me
    'Cause I know deep down that it's
    Never going to be us


    You can hear the sadness in her voice. She's addicted to this guy who's only going to hurt her.
  • I'm walkin' out until I lock the door
    Maybe the danger's covered by the thrill
    'Cause I know I should be runnin' for the hills


    The expression "run for the hills" is a figurative saying that signifies escaping or avoiding danger or unpleasant situations. It's often used to describe someone attempting to steer clear of something they find fearful or distasteful. The phrase is thought to have originated in the mid-19th century. In this song, McRae employs the idiom to depict her efforts to persuade herself to break away.
  • McRae collaborated with songwriter Amy Allen and producers Ryan Tedder and Jasper Harris to pen the track for her second album, Think Later. Although it was among the initial songs crafted for the record, McRae revisited the lyrics many times. Determined to capture the essence of the relationship, she made multiple revisions until she felt she had truly nailed the emotions.

    "I was just absolutely obsessed with it, and I was obsessed with this person," she explained to Apple Music. "I began to fall in love with the toxicity of it. Usually I'm a really stubborn person and I feel like I can get myself out of any situation, but for some reason I was stuck in this ongoing cycle of being so attached. I'm now on the other side of it and I can be like, 'Oh, thank god I'm on my own,' but I think in the moment it was a mix of the worst and most magical feelings ever."

Comments: 1

  • Ahurira Namara Deborah from Uganda KabaleIt was so touching
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The Kingdom

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The KingdomSongwriter Interviews

The Bush frontman on where he finds inspiration for lyrics, if his "machine head" is a guitar tuner, and the stories behind songs from the album The Kingdom.

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")

Phil Hurtt ("I'll Be Around")Songwriter Interviews

Phil was a songwriter, producer and voice behind many Philadelphia soul classics. When disco hit, he got an interesting project: The Village People.

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The Remasters

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The RemastersSong Writing

Brian has unearthed outtakes by Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello and hundreds of other artists for reissues. Here's how he does it.

Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton HeatSongwriter Interviews

The Reverend rants on psychobilly and the egghead academics he bashes in one of his more popular songs.

British Invasion

British InvasionFact or Fiction

Go beyond The Beatles to see what you know about the British Invasion.

Chris Rea

Chris ReaSongwriter Interviews

It took him seven years to recover from his American hit "Fool (If You Think It's Over)," but Chris Rea became one of the top singer-songwriters in his native UK.