Recorded, mixed and mastered by Paul Fifield in Windsor, CA, in 2024. Backing tracks created in Band-in-a-Box. Mixed and mastered in Logic Pro.
Written by Paul Fifield
Vocals - Paul Fifield
Electric Guitar Fills - Paul Fifield
Electric Bass - Paul Fifield
Fingerpicking Acoustic Guitars - Jason Roller
Drums - Pat Steward
Soloist Guitar - Brent Mason
The inspiration for this song requires some explanation. Somewhere around 2008 or 2009 I heard an NPR report about a man who was being called “The Polite Bandit”. During the recession that was going on this man had lost his job and been unable to find work for many months. In order to keep from losing his house he eventually resorted to holding up convenience stores, and would apologize during the holdup, explaining his situation. This got me to thinking about what lengths desperation can cause a person to go to. Also around the same time, and independently of the NPR report, I'd been thinking about how much more volatile and dangerous any stressful or anger-fueled situation can become if even just one person has a gun. Without a gun present an argument can escalate into a shouting match or a physical fight, nasty but usually not life-threatening. Add a gun and the escalation can prove fatal. So those two thought processes merged in this fictional first person account of a simple holdup gone terribly wrong, and the impact it could have on the lives of everyone involved. There wasn't enough space to address the plight of the shooting victims and their families so I just concentrated on a possible scenario the perpetrator could find themself in. - Paul Fifield
On The Run
© Paul Fifield 2011 All Rights Reserved
It was all so fast, done in a flash, all I wanted was a little bit of cash to go
What a crazy mixed up scene, for such-a-simple-scheme
Just flash a little steel and grab-a-lit-tle-green
Wasn't my fault that man got shot, he'd a stayed put he'd a never have bought the farm
But suddenly he lunged, and BANG-the-deed-was-done,
I left the money in the till, I had-to-turn-and-run
Oh, I am on the run, from the killin' I have done, they're gonna catch me
I should never have used that gun, man, that was really dumb, now I'll never see
My home and family
Working man, lost my job, I had no choice, I had to rob that store
Now the bank will get our home, and all-our-work-is-gone
Family on the street, and I-am-on-the-run
Outta water, nothin' to eat, low on gas, ‘fraid heat's gonna kill me
I'm runnin’ low on funds, I'll have-to-use-the-gun
Another man goes down, this kill-ing's-ne-ver-done
Oh, I am on the run, from the killin' I have done, they're gonna catch me
I should never have used that gun, man, that was really dumb, now I'll never see
My home and family
Racing on, can't slow down, radio man says the law is bound to nab me
I can't let that play, I have to get away
I should make the borderline about-the-break-of-day
Up ahead red lights are flashing, from behind they're flashing more
Across the desert now I'm racing, to sanctuary... down in Mexico
It was all so fast, done in a flash, all I wanted was a little bit of cash to go
Now the bank will get our home, and all-our-work-is-gone
On the run in Mexico, and I-am-so-a-lone
On the run in Mexico, I'm ne-ver-go-ing-home