Today is the day the final book in THE RUNES TRILOGY is released. The Wolf at War is action packed with plenty of werewolves. In fact, the world may actually be run by them. But you have to read to find out.

I hope you enjoy this post as part of the celebration of the book release. Wolves are used as imagery and metaphor across many cultures. In the past, I’ve explored how wolves have become engrained in our language in sayings such as “to wolf down your food.”

Below are my top five English-language songs that use wolves as metaphor:

No. 5 Train in Vain, the Clash

The Clash come in at No. 5 with “Train in Vain,” a 1979 song that makes use of the phrase “keep the wolves at bay.”

Lyrics: “So all alone I keep the wolves at bay
There is only one thing that I can say”

No. 4 I know I’m a Wolf, The Young Heretics

The short-lived Australian group the Young Heretics comes in at No. 4 with the abstracted “I know I’m a Wolf.”

Lyrics: “Yes I know I’m a wolf, and I’ve been known to bite,
But the rest of my pack… I’ve left them behind.
And my teeth may be sharp, and I’ve been raised to kill…
But the taste of fresh meat… It’s making me ill!”

No. 3 The Wolf Song, Emiliana Torrini

Icelandic singer Emiliana Torrini offers “The Wolf Song.” Her fragile voice and haunting melody give this song a lullaby quality that sends you off to nightmares.

Lyrics: “Some say the wolves will change this time of year
Their skin shed on the snow but they’re not there”

No 2. The Wolf that Lives in Lindsey, Joni Mitchell

From the 1979 album, Mingus, Joni Mitchell’s creepy “The Wolf that Lives in Lindsey” wields the wolf metaphor to perfection as the killer instincts lurking inside a man.

Lyrics: There lives a wolf in Lindsey
That raids and runs
Through the hills of Hollywood
And the downtown slums
He gets away with murder
The blizzards come and go
The stab and glare and buckshot
Of the heavy heavy snow
It comes and goes
It comes and goes

No. 1. Hungry Like the Wolf, Duran Duran

In 1982,  British new wave band Duran Duran released the iconic wolf song, “Hungry Like the Wolf.” Like Joni’s wolf, this human-wolf is hunting, but this predator is in search of sexual adventure.

Lyrics:” In touch with the ground
I’m on the hunt I’m after you
Smell like I sound, I’m lost in a crowd
And I’m hungry like the wolf
Straddle the line in discord and rhyme
I’m on the hunt I’m after you
Mouth is alive with juices like wine
And I’m hungry like the wolf”

This post is, in part, to celebrate the release of the third novel in my werewolf trilogy: The Wolf at War. If you enjoyed this post, follow this blog via email below.