John was not an evil man
Though far from perfect true
And he spent his days a rovin' though
He'd a wife and daughter too
He staggered home one drunken night
And paused beneath an oak
To warm himself and rest a while
He'd move on when he woke
And though he'd built a fire to ward
Off the evenin' chill
The embers slowly died from sight
The woods grew cold and still
John awoke to a huntsman's horn
Joooohn!
And the bayin' of some hound
Arooooooooooo!
I've stumbled in just before the morn'
To some noble's hunting ground
He saw the hound all pallid white
With ears a bloody red
And then he saw the Huntsman
And John was filled with dread
Run for your life John
The Wild Hunts comin'
Comin' after thee
Run for your life John
The hounds are callin'
Callin' out to thee
Take to the hills
Take to the woods
Hie through the brambles and see
If you can't outrun them
Until the morning
See if you can't get free
Well over hill through forest too
Through stream and thorny briar
The Huntsman and his hounds kept chasing
Never would they tire
And John he knew if he could last
Until the mornin' light
Why he would have outrun them
And made it through the night
But it was yet some hours until
He'd see the mornin' sun
And then he heard the hounds again
This chase had just begun
Run for your life John
The Wild Hunts comin'
Comin' after thee
Run for your life John
The hounds are callin'
Callin' out to thee
Take to the hills
Take to the woods
Hie through the brambles and see
If you can't outrun them
Until the morning
See if you can't get free
John made it back unto his home
And saw an awful sight
For it was all abandoned
O'ergrown in just one night
Full twenty years have come and gone
since all me drunken days.
If I knew then what I know now
I'd 've changed my rovin' ways
The Huntsman gave a soulless laugh
Mwa-ha-ha-haaa
John cried, By all good men
I'll never let ya have me!
Run John!
And the chase began again
Run for your life John
The Wild Hunts comin'
Comin' after thee
Run for your life John
The hounds are callin'
Callin' out to thee
Take to the hills
Take to the woods
Hie through the brambles and see
If you can't outrun them
Until the morning
See if you can't get free
And if you're there some moonlit night
When the woods grow cold and still
Why you'll see John the rover
They say
He runs there
Still
(slowly, hauntingly)
Run for your life John
The Wild Hunts comin'
Comin' after thee
Run for your life John
The hounds are callin'
Callin' out to thee
Take to the hills
Take to the woods
Hie through the brambles and see
If you can't outrun them
Until the morning
See if you can't get free
(at speed)
Run for your life John
The Wild Hunts comin'
Comin' after thee
Run for your life John
The hounds are callin'
Callin' out to thee
Take to the hills
Take to the woods
Hie through the brambles and see
If you can't outrun them
Until the morning
See if you can't get free
Run for your life John
The Wild Hunt's comin'!
Joooohn!