"Red Hill Mining Town" song lyrics by U2


"Red Hill Mining Town" song lyrics by U2 from The Joshua Tree album

"Red Hill Mining Town" song lyrics by U2 from The Joshua Tree album


The song was initially intended to be the second single from The Joshua Tree album.

However, the U2 later surmised they would be unable to play it live every night since the notes were too high for Bono to do every time. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" was released instead. 

Indeed, the song was never played live, although it was soundchecked in November 1987. A music video for the song was filmed and directed by Neil Jordan, but was not released until it was included on the bonus DVD of the 20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Box reissue of The Joshua Tree.

You can watch the video below:


The 30th Anniversary of the release of The Joshua Tree was an opportunity for Steve Lilywhite to remix the song. It was called the '2017 mix'.

"Red Hill Mining Town" Lyrics U2


From father to son the blood runs thin
See faces frozen still against the wind
The seam is split, the coal face cracked
The lines are long, there's no going back
Through hands of steel and a heart of stone
Our labor day has come and gone

And you leave us holding on
In Red Hill Town, see the lights go down on
I'm hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to
I'm still waiting
I'm hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to

The glass is cut, the bottle run dry
Our love runs cold in the caverns of the night
We're wounded by fear, injured in doubt
I can lose myself, you I can't live without

Yeah, you keep me holding on
In Red Hill Town, see the lights go down on
I'm hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to
I'm still waiting
I'm hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to
On to

We scorch the earth, set fire to the sky
We stoop so low to reach so high
A link is lost, the chain undone
We wait all day for the night to come
And it comes like a hunter, child

I'm hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to
I'm still waiting
I'm hanging on
You're all that's left to hold on to
Love slowly stripped away
Love has seen its better day
Hanging on
Lights go out on Red Hill
Lights go down on Red Hill
The lights go down on Red Hill Town
Lights go down on Red Hill

Want to read some more of Bono's lyrics from The Joshua Tree? Try "In God's Country", "Trip Through Your Wires" and the favourite of every New Zealander "One Tree Hill".

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