Celebrated on October 13th is Columbus Day. A Day in which we remember the Spanish explorer who, supposedly, was the first European to find what is now the Americas. Of course in recent times it has been confirmed the Danish Viking explorer Leif Erikson touched land in eastern Canada about 500 years before Columbus found the Caribbean. Also celebrated on October 13th is Indigenous Peoples Day. It’s a day to honor indigenous American people and their cultures, along with their histories. The day Columbus showed up their lifes changed more than even the new settler’s life’s would. But that’s enough of THAT kind of history.
In 1982 the English metal band, Iron Maiden, released their 3rd album and first with new singer Bruce Dickenson. The first single was a song called “Run to the Hills.” In the forty-some years since the release of that song it is still considered one of the greatest and most influential metal songs in history.
So what does a forty-year-old metal song by arguably the greatest metal band ever have to do with Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day? The song depicts the conflict between Native Americans and European settlers. It begins with the perspective of the Native Americans:
“White man came across the sea / He brought us pain and misery.”
This verse reflects the suffering and upheaval caused by the Europeans’ arrival. The subsequent verses shift to the European viewpoint, with lines such as
“Riding through dust clouds and barren wastes / Galloping hard on the plains’ and ‘Hunting and killing’s a game.”
These parts depict the Europeans’ actions and attitudes towards the conflict. The recurring chorus,
“Run to the hills / Run for your lives,”
Serves as a haunting reminder of the dire consequences of these conflicts.
It’s never a bad day to crank up Iron Maiden, but that is why October 13th is the perfect day to listen to the classic “Run to the Hills” by Iron Maiden on high volume.
