Cover art for Runaway Horses by The Killers

Runaway Horses

Aug. 13, 20211 viewer26.1K views

Runaway Horses Lyrics

[Intro]
Oh, my heck, so, yeah, the Ute Stampede, I mean that's a tradition for sure, um
One year, we wish— it was raining, all, like stampedes and this horse come out
And everyone, you know, said it was supposed to be the best
And it fell in the mud, and, I mean, you could see its leg just totally snapped
It was just hanging there
And the girl, you know, laid dow— it was the saddest thing
I mean, I think most of the crowd was crying
She set up and laid over her horse and just cried and hugged hеr horse
And, ’cause she knеw that, you know, that was her last moments with that horse


[Verse 1: Brandon Flowers]
Small-town girl, Coca-Cola grin, honeysuckle skin
Born beneath the ready sign of a strawberry moon
Small-town girl shows up for her friends, crazy about The Bends
I was there when she first put away childish things

[Chorus: Brandon Flowers & Phoebe Bridgers]
We had spring in our heels
Unwavering forces, headfirst into the unknown
Like runaway horses in a fever 'til the end
And every step is a silver prayer in the face of a hard wind

[Verse 2: Brandon Flowers & Phoebe Bridgers]
You traded school for wedding rings and rent
Invitations sent of you and him by a barn out on the edge of town
Small-town girl, you put your dreams on ice, never thinking twice
Some you'll surely forget and some that you never will
[Chorus: Brandon Flowers & Phoebe Bridgers]
There was a promise in our stride
But we changed courses, headfirst into the unknown
Like runaway horses in a fever ’til the end
And every step is a silver prayer in the face of a hard wind
Like runaway horses, it's a long way back home again
When every step is a silver prayer in the face of a hard wind

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About

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Genius Annotation

Phoebe Bridgers joins The Killers in the bittersweet number “Runaway Horses”. The highly anticipated track features acoustic minimalism permeating a cinematic coming-of-age narrative of someone who, unlike “Cody” and the character of “Terrible Thing”, successfully embraced domestic bliss, trading “school for wedding rings and rent”, a very different path from the one chosen by the narrator character.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did The Killers say about "Runaway Horses"?
Genius Answer

Life’s going to be hard for whatever choice or whatever road you take. There’s going to be obstacles and hurdles. In this case, it’s about two people that think that they’re going to finish the race together, and then they end up sort of going in different paths. It’s also about coming home. No matter where you go, how far you drift, you’re always trying to get home.

Live Performance
Genius Answer


Have The Killers worked with Phoebe Bridgers previously?
Genius Answer

No! “Runaway Horses” marks the first collaboration between the band and Phoebe.

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