Album: The Soft Parade (1969)

Charted: 64

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• Poor Otis dead and gone
  Left me here to sing his song
  Pretty little girl with the red dress on
  Poor Otis dead and gone
  
  Back down, turnin' around slowly
  Try it again
  Remembering when
  It was easy - try it again
  Much too easy remembering when
  
  All right, look at my shoes
  Not quite the walking blues
  Don`t fight - too much to lose
  Can`t fight the running blue
  
  Well, I`ve got the running blues
  Running away
  Back to L.A.
  Got to find the dock on the bay
  Maybe find it back in L.A.
  
  Running scared, running blue
  Going so fast, what`ll I do?
  
  Well, I`ve got the running blues
  Running away
  Back to L.A.
  Got to find the dock on the bay
  Maybe find it back in L.A.
  
  All right, look at my shoes
  Not quite the walking blues
  Don`t fight - too much to lose
  Can`t fight the running blue
  
  All right, look at my shoes
  Not quite the walking blues
  Don`t fight - too much to lose
  Can`t fight the running blue Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 14

• David R from ArizonaI disagree, the lead vocal is definitely Jim, but there's the spoken part that appears twice in the song that's certainly Robbie. But their song "You need meat, don't go no further" written by Willie Dixon was definitely not sung by Jim. Sounds like it's probably Ray.
• Kris from MiamiCheck out Leadbelly’s Poor Howard. That’s where it comes from.
• King Snake from CanadaRobbie Krieger no more sang lead in Runnin' Blue than I did. While Jim was indeed getting plastered during the making of Soft Parade, his drinking had noting to do with having little to do with it. He wanted to take a break from music and work on his poetry. The rest of the group, his manager and record company were itching to get a new album out and Jim simply told them to go ahead and call when they needed him to sing.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn August 31st 1969, "Runnin' Blue" by the Doors entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #89; eventually it at #64 {for 1 week} and spent 6 weeks on the Top 100...
  Was track two of side two on the band's fourth studio album, 'The Soft Parade', and the album reached #6 on Billboard's Top Pop Albums chart...
  Three others tracks from the album made the Top 100 chart; "Touch Me" {#3}, "Wishful Sinful" {#44}, and "Tell All the People" {#57}...
  R.I.P. Ray Manzarek {1939 - 2013} and to 'The Lizard King' {1943 - 1971}.
• James from Cleveland, OhAlthough this song was written by Robbie Krieger, the first verse (sung a cappella by Jim) was contributed by Jim Morrison.
  This part of the lyric and melody was taken (almost) directly from an episode of Bonanza featuring country star Hoyt Axton singing in his jail cell. No lie, check it out for yourself. Bonanza, season 6, episode 195 titled "Dead And Gone" Original air date, April 4, 1965. You can see the clip on YouTube (search "Pernell Roberts & Hoyt Axton singing in Bonanza EP Dead and Gone"). What a trip...Mr. Mojo was a Bonanza fan with a good memory, as this was before re-runs! Jim changed the name from Howard to Otis, and did some editing, but the verse was definitely ripped from this episode! (Last words, last words. Out.)
• Chloe from St. Louis, MoWoah! Robbie Krieger sounds exactly like Bob Dylan!
• Jake from Baltimore, MdMorrison sings a majority of the song, but Krieger sings the chorus. He did a good job with it. it fits the style very well. People don't think Morrison sang the whole song because it isn't like his normal smoothness and his rough interpretation doesn't go with the instrumental part which is unusual for Morrison, but his raspness set a good contrast and was vital to the song sounding the way it does.
• Lars from Copenhagen, Denmark"Soft Parade" along with Steppenwolf´s "Monster" was almost all I heard for three month from january to march 1970 on the danish cargoship "Sargodha" with the help of a portable turntable which I borrowed from my shipsmate Kasper (Nicodemus). Once we got to the port of L.A (Bellingham) the lyrics from "Running Blue" fitted:"Got to find the dock on the bay, maybe finds it back in L.A". Unlike most other Doors fans "Soft Parade" is my favorite Doors album. However, unlike most other band of that era, Doors never made a bad album.
• Ziggy from Oslo, NorwayYeah, it sounds a lot like Dylan... But I actually believed it was Morrison before reading this. :-P
• Andreea from Bucharest, United Statesi thought it was dylan too. :)))
• Tristan from Philadelphia, PaSurely Robbie only sings the chorus, "look at my shoes" and so forth. I love this song, I've heard it been called a filler, but the southern soul sound is strange of the doors, but an easy listen, and a lot of fun at that.
• Jim from Nokomis, IlDuring the making of the album, Jim was writing two poetry books "The American Prayer" and " The American Night"
• Joshua from Twin Cities, MnThe first time I heard this, I thought it was Bob Dylan singing the chorus. Dylan and the Doors... that would have been an interesting combo.
• Jim from Troy, NyJim sings most of the song. Robbie only sings the chorus.

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