The Story Behind “Run Away”
“Run Away” is one of the most personal songs I’ve written.
When I was about eleven, during the summer, I would always wake up at dawn while the rest of the house was still asleep. I would quietly get dressed, sneak out through the door and head down to the river.
I had my watch with me because I knew I had to be back before my parents woke up.
To me, it was my runaway adventure.
I would sit beside the river (the Leeds and Liverpool canal) and watch the ripples moving across the water as the early morning sunlight danced across the surface. I loved those quiet mornings. I was completely on my own, away from the noise and everything happening at home.
Looking back now, I understand that I wasn’t simply going on an adventure.
I was escaping a lonely childhood.
The river became my place of peace. The sunrise became my time of day. For those few hours, I could forget everything and just be a little boy.
I would say my prayers, asking God for love, and then watch the river and the sunlight until I knew it was time to go home.
My watch was important. I had to make sure I got back before my parents woke up.
At around half past nine, I would quietly return, turn the door latch as slowly as I could and creep back inside.
If everyone was still asleep, I’d sometimes bite into a biscuit and feed my mouse.
It sounds like such a small memory now, but I can still see it so clearly.
The river.
The sunrise.
The ripples on the water.
A little boy with his watch, trying to make sure he got home in time.
“Run Away” isn’t really about wanting to leave home.
It’s about a lonely little boy finding a few precious hours of freedom and peace.
For those mornings, the river was my escape.
And perhaps those runaway adventures gave me something I desperately needed at the time — somewhere I could feel safe, somewhere I could think, and somewhere I could simply be me.
To me, it was my runaway adventure.
