Comments: 31

• Me2 from U.s.This just played while I was driving. I had to look it up, because I was thinking about what a hot mess I was back then. This song describes that time so well. Lol. So well, I even dedicated it on the radio one night to the cheater after I'd heard it from a friend..or maybe it was the relative who actually WITNESSED...Ha! So many, many times..I knew it, I didn't want to believe it, I didn't want to put up with it, but I didn't want to let go, either. So, yes, it's messy & complicated and full of contradictions, because that's what relationships are until you land in the right one.
• Paulie Waulie from FloridaThe song is not complicated. It basically a guy that hears rumors about his girl cheating on him while he is away. The lead guitarist wrote this because his girlfriend was actually cheating on him at the time. Very similar to the situation of Mr. Brightside by the The Killers. Same exact scenario. Take it on the run, means you will sleep with anyone that gives you affection. Under the gun, means the girl is feeling emotional, so she goes out he pickups a guy who will satisfy those emotions. People, observe women, that is how they are. My wife kind of did the same thing when we had a falling out when we were initlally dating. I don't hold it against her because it was my fault as well. But in Gary's case, he was faithful and committed. HIs girl at the time obviously didn't love him and was probably just using him.
• Naz from Seattle"You're under the gun" = Under pressure (to talk, come clean, commit, etc.)
  "so you take it on the run" = You're avoiding me/running away
  "I don't believe it, not for a minute" = I don't believe your excuses for not being around
• Ella from Eagle Harbor High Schooli really love this song
• Leah On The Run from New Braunfels Revisiting this song I had a completely different take than when I originally heard it. I felt this song could have been written about me. In my twenties and feeling pressure to settle down. I was under the gun by various suitors. I’d commit verbally but not wholeheartedly and make a run for it. A refreshing perspective of the singer/songwriter would have been to acknowledge the anguish his girlfriend living with, essentially letting her know it was okay to find herself. A kind gesture that he wasn’t going to feed into the rumors about her.
• Ian Livingston from Immingham United Kingdom.Just Discovered REO Speedwagon's
  Take it on the Run.
  It's Now my favourite Song.
  Downloaded the Concert Video.
  Also I Like Bruce Hall and wife Kimee
  Wishing Fans A Happy Christmas.
  Loved Music all my Life and now at the age of 73 would love to attend a REO live Concert , when the Guy's get back on the road again after the Virus.
  USA here i come.
  Stay safe Girls and Guys.
• Glen from UkForget the lyrics for one minute. Those girls on the video really bring out the best in this song.
• Chris from ArizonaI think you can understand the song more if you understand the guy who wrote the song better. Gary Richrath (RIP) the lead guitar player for REO back in those days, wrote the song. I heard him say in an interview once that he was not a very good “alone” person, as he put it. Knowing that bit of information then makes a difference. The song is pretty easy to understand in the beginning as the words are easy to take at face value. It’s when he says “You’re under the gun so you take it on the run” This can now be interpreted as this – right after he says “They’re talking about you and it’s bringing me down”. He says “I’m telling you babe, that I don’t think it’s true babe and even if it is keep this in mind.” First, by him adding the word “even” in the statement “Even if it is” almost sounds like he was going to say “Even if it is I don’t care” Having that word “even” in there makes you feel he was going to say something like it didn’t matter or something like that but he changed to “you take it on the run …….”. If he was sure of himself the words would have gone “And if it is keep this in mind”. At first I thought maybe the word was there to help the flow of the song but either phrase can be sung to make it flow just fine. I mean they got “and you need never look back again” to flow pretty good so I have to think that word was left in the song on purpose. The “You’re under the gun part”, I take as him satisfying his “I’m not a good alone person” thing by saying, he doesn’t think it’s true and feels it’s possible that she is being pressured by someone to be with them (Being under the metaphorical gun} and taking it on the run is her going there to just do it to satisfy this guy and then get out of there. The back and forth feeling you get is him not wanting to believe it but eventually knowing that it very well could be true. Then the chorus kicks in again and we are back to not being sure. It’s really a great song. At any rate this is my take on what the words mean. I got to this site because I wanted to see if Kevin or Gary wrote it. Mainly because if Kevin wrote it, it was a very good follow up to Keep on Loving you (KOLY). In that song it starts with implications of infidelity then this one takes it a step further. The Fact that Gary wrote TIOTR only goes to show how tight their song writing skills were when they were at the height of their fame.
• Clemence from New YorkIt's just such a strange turn of phrase to me "You're under the gun so you take it on the run." I've never heard anyone say, "Take it on the run" to mean cheat on your boyfriend/husband. "Take it on the run" makes her sound like a fugitive from justice. And "You're under the gun" -- what does that mean? She's stressed out? The law is coming for her and she doesn't have many places left to hide?
  
  These are the things that go through my mind when I hear this song, rather than just wondering whether this woman is cheating and whether he should bail.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyPer: http://www.oldiesmusic.com/news.htm
  Gary Richrath, guitarist with REO Speedwagon from 1970 to 1989, died Sunday, September 13th, 2015 at the age of 65...
  Gary wrote many of the groups tunes, including "Ridin' the Storm Out" (#94-1977) and "Take It on the Run" (#5-1981) and co-produced most of their later recordings...
  His solo album, "Only the Strong Survive," was released in 1992...
  May he R.I.P
• Dustin from NashvilleBrandon and Bill and others who are utterly confused by the lyrics of this song,
  
  I am not sure what is so hard to understand about how the lyrics and music is structured in the song. Of course the lyrics flip-flop back and forth; he does not want to believe what is happening is true but he is slowly coming to terms with reality. Surely that is not so complicated?
  
  I find it odd that people cannot understand a song written about a moment(s) in time. Instead of a definitive statement of feeling or understanding, the song represents feelings of uncertainty and the perpetual gray-zone that a person can feel when going through a break-up or divorce (which the song-writer was doing at the time he wrote this). That’s what makes situations and relationships painful and it’s also what makes inspiration for songwriters and songs…
  
  Trying to understand how you are supposed to feel, just because someone betrays another, there is no switch to turn off feelings or redirect them and often you are left with a little bit of Love and Hate.
  
  He's trying to give her the benefit of the doubt but as more time progresses, the more he is realizing that he needs to send her packing.
  
• Doug from Bristol, MeActually, Camille, you were closer the way you first thought it was. I believe it's "keep kissin' my eyes." Basically, he's saying even if she's a tramp, he likes what she does to try and convince nothing's going on outside of their relationship.
  Lotta ambiguity going on there. "Alright, I'm tired of you. Or, maybe I'm not." He doesn't like the cheating, but he's not sure he wants to dump her, either.
  "You're under the gun, so you take it on the run" sounds like "I know you're looking for love (or just plain male attention) wherever you can find it." In other words, I know why you run around; I don't understand why you can't just settle down with me.
  More proof that it's not good to be in a relationship with anyone crazier than yourself. 8-D
• Camille from Toronto, OhI always misinterpreted a line in this song. When he sings "But I'm telling you, babe, that I don't think it's true babe, and even if it is *keep this in mind*..." I used to think the words to that last line were "keep kissing my 'hind." In other words, I thought he was telling her to keep kissing his ass.
• Camille from Toronto, OhHe wants to NOT believe his woman is cheating on him. Yet he can't get past the gossip going around about her. He still loves her but isn't going to put up with the cheating. I think he's trying to give her a chance to clean up her act if she wants him. He will forgive her if she does. But she can't keep cheating on him. She's gotta decide if she wants him because he's giving her an ultimatum: "if you leave tonight KEEP RUNNIN'". The song makes sense to me except I don't know what it means to "take it on the run."
• Bill from San Bernardino, CaI have to agree with Brandon, I actually came on here because to me the song just makes no sense. I like the sound of the song but the lyrics are a mess. He doesn't believe it but even if it's true that's fine then a line or 2 later it's if it's true he doesn't want her around??? I was hoping to get an explaination here & sorry, Brandon's is the best one
• Andy from Republic, Pa, PaI saw reo in concert in west va last summer. One of the best shows i've ever witnessed. I'm 61 and it really rocked me. The main reason is that some artists concert version of their hits aren't as good as studioo. Reeo was superb.
• Robin from Rockville, MdMy favorite line of the song is, "If you leave tonight, KEEP RUNNIN'" -- I figure you may as well get it over with, and make a CLEAN BREAK of it! :-)
• Paul from Kennewick, WaI've always loved it,and it far,uh, outguns Keep On Lovin' You. However,Take It On The Run reminds me of a specific girl, while the former was more of a high school anthem in my crowd.
• Danny from Your Town, IaEveything on Hi-Infidelity was great, including this!
• Anonymouseverytime i hear this song , it reminds me of my time in Greece from Nov. 1979 - Mar. 1 , 1982 . I believe this song may have been one of the songs Kasey Kasem played for the "America's Top 40s - End Of The Year Countdown " for 1981. At the time me and my brother was listening to it on AFRS (American Forces Radio Service)from Athens , we both were high school students going to school at ACS ( American Community School of Athens). So I think my brother recorded the song off the radio onto a round - wheel tape . It also reminds me of those times when we rode on our Grrek school bus , listening to 80s songs from the tapes the other kids would play on the bus. Back then .. we were more into 80s rock , pop music , and early rap ; plus a little heavy metal , and the dance called "Break Dancing". ..There was no "hip - hop" stuff or 90s music ; and movies we became fans to : Molly Rinwauld , Michael Jackson , Pat Benetar , etc. No junk music .
• Jim from Liverpool, United Kingdomreminds me of nelson and air supply. which i personally don't fancy. but Speedwagon really kicks something.. its catchy.
  Heard it from a friend who...
• Syed from Lakewood, CaThis song gives me nostalgic goose pimples every time I hear it. The lyrics bring back memories of my school days in the early eighties and it brings tears to my eyes when I hear the touching vocal delivering the message of a man who has lost his love to another. A true American classic rock ballad.
• Jennifer Harris from Grand Blanc, MiI like this song,too.I don't remember the video. I like REO Speedwagon!
• Rick from Tuscola, United Statesmy favorite reo song. i live 25 miles from where reo formed. it is hard to believe they had the top album in the country for almost 2 months. hi infidelity was superb.
• Eduardo from San Jose, OtherThis song reminds me of my last year of high school. I like the melody and performance. I like it better than Keep On Loving You, but the whole album was of great quality. Cronin has a great voice.
• David from Youngstown, OhI try to look on the bright side of things. If you read the lyrics, you could interpret them to say I know you're a cheating whore and I'm going to kill you if you do it again. "You're under the gun so you take it on the run."
• Coronaboy from Monticello, IlEddie, that was Tough Guys that had the clip from Little Rascals. That song is the next track on the album, High Infidelity. Amazing song, and the entire album is great to be honest.
• Eddie from Natchez, MsAs we get older we forget things. I thought that at the start of this song there was some lines from Spanky, Darla, and Alfalfa. Am I right or wrong.
• David from Indianapolis, Ini think Brandon is a little narrow. your missing it, off course he knows whether or not she cheated, he's not contridicting by saying either tell me you did it or don't and i'm gone!!! this song ROCKS!!!!!
• Brandon from Peoria, IlPersonally, I think this song is stupid. It is so full of contradictions. Concerning her sleeping around, he says that he "don't believe it...not for a minute" but in the same breath he gives her an ultimatum and tells her that he don't want her around. This song reminds me of a prenuptual agreement. I love you forever...but...
• Ashleigh from Palm Coast, FlI love this song. I bought REO Speedwagon's greatest hits for "Keep On Loving You" then I heard this song and I couldn't stop listening to it. This is an awesome song!!

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