The album's shortest song is hinting at the style the band would eventually embrace.

Album:
Ride The Lightning

The song live:
The song has never been played live in its original version. It was only played live as a jam version which was played for the first time in 1989.

The background:
Near the end of the song you can hear prison sirens in the background to emphasize the escape.

The subject matter:
The song "Escape" is about an escaped prisoner on the run which can also be interpretated as an escape from everything which is preventing you from doing what you want to or even from beeing as you want to be.

Interpretation possibility:
Live your life the way you want to live it, not the way anybody wants you to.