The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
When I was a child
Running in the night
I was afraid of what might be
Hiding in the dark
And hiding on the street for
And of what was following me
The hounds of love are calling (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
I've always been a coward (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
And I don't know what's good for me
Well, here I go
It's coming at me through the trees
Help me, someone, help me, please!
Take your shoes off
And I will throw them in the lake
And I will be, two steps on the water
I found a fox, who was caught by dogs
He let me take him in my hands
His little heart, it beat so fast
That I am ashamed to be running away
From nothing real, I just can't deal with this
I feel ashamed to be there
Among your hounds of loving (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
And feel your arms surround me (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
I've always been a coward (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
And I don't know what's good for me (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
Well, here I go, don't let me go, hold me down
It's coming at me through the trees
Help me, someone, help me, please!
Take my shoes off
And I will throw them in the lake, and I will be
Two steps on the water
Do you know what I need, do you know what I need?
I need yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh!
Take my shoes off, and throw them in the lake
And I will be, two steps on the water (water, water, water)
I don't know what's good for me
I don't know what's good for me
Do you know what I need?
Do you know what I need?
I need yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Running in the night
I was afraid of what might be
Hiding in the dark
And hiding on the street for
And of what was following me
The hounds of love are calling (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
I've always been a coward (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
And I don't know what's good for me
Well, here I go
It's coming at me through the trees
Help me, someone, help me, please!
Take your shoes off
And I will throw them in the lake
And I will be, two steps on the water
I found a fox, who was caught by dogs
He let me take him in my hands
His little heart, it beat so fast
That I am ashamed to be running away
From nothing real, I just can't deal with this
I feel ashamed to be there
Among your hounds of loving (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
And feel your arms surround me (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
I've always been a coward (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
And I don't know what's good for me (oh, oh, oh, oh, oh)
Well, here I go, don't let me go, hold me down
It's coming at me through the trees
Help me, someone, help me, please!
Take my shoes off
And I will throw them in the lake, and I will be
Two steps on the water
Do you know what I need, do you know what I need?
I need yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh!
Take my shoes off, and throw them in the lake
And I will be, two steps on the water (water, water, water)
I don't know what's good for me
I don't know what's good for me
Do you know what I need?
Do you know what I need?
I need yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Lyrics submitted by beastlordy
Hounds of Love Lyrics as written by Kate Bush
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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Great version of a great song,
I love this song... but I always assumed it had something to do with foxhunting :/ How's the whole fox-hound thing related to the meaning?
The fox hunting is an analogy. She runs afraid from a love so overwhelming that she feels like the small fox pursued by hounds. When the hounds catch the fox they will tear it apart. She feels it coming and knows its big and powerful but does not know what it is & so she's afraid. "Take my shoes of and throw them in the lake" distract them/distract me, "Hold me down" don't let me run away. I don't know what's good for me. She felt the fox's heart beating so hard & she was ashamed of her own fear. Because though this fox was so afraid it let her hold him, knowing she was loving and gentle. She, on the other hand cannot calm her fears, though she knows what she is running from is true love. Its just so REAL and so powerful that it frightens her.
I know not many people get this, and it's an old song, but I thought I'd clear this up:
"Take your shoes off and throw them in the lake And I will be two steps on the water"
This is referencing the practice of throwing your scent off the trail, a useful tactic to fugitives being pursued by bloodhounds (the "Hounds of Love") who are tracking them. Throw your shoes in the lake, and they don't have their primary means to follow you; entering the water will cause them to close track of you at the water, at which point you can exit the water from anywhere and have a much greater chance of escaping them.
Essentially, it's about trying to keep love from finding you, even though it's pretty inevitable.
UH! Oh-oh, UH! Oh-oh...
seen the futureheads live a couple of weeks ago and they played this second last (manray afterwards, like the album) and everyone sang the UH! oh-oh part and it was something special... very special...
Lol I like this song.
ive been hearing dis ruddy song for weeks and didnt have a clue who it was by-the Uh oh-oh Uh oh-oh part drove me mad it was sooooooo tasty.
this song's hilarious! oh uh-oh uh-oh...the hounds of love are calling :-)
i love dis song! da video is cool at da start wen der all up in trees nd stuff!
amazing
"UH! Oh-oh, UH! Oh-oh..."
Amazing!