U2's Song Lyrics

The Real Meaning of 5 U2 Song Lyrics

2011-12-15T01:29:00.000-08:00

The Real Meaning of 5 U2 Song Lyrics

To my mind, a really good song is one which has hidden depths - and those depths can usually be found in the lyrics. A classic rock song, can say anything and mean everything. Look at Oasis's Wonderwall lyrics for example. It's basically a love song but without really actually meaning anything - Here's 5 U2 song lyrics that have some real meaning, and some real bite to them.

God Part II

People often wonder why this song is called Pt II as they've never heard of a U2 song called God before. It's actually intended as a sequel to John Lennon's song called God. Lennon's song refers to things he didn't believe in such as Hitler - Bono's version also refers to things that he also doesn't believe in but also goes on to refer to how pissed he was at the author Albert Goldman who wrote an unflattering biography of Lennon (and also a bio of Elvis, and given U2's love of Elvis, I'm not surprised Bono made the reference).

Sunday Bloody Sunday

This one is a pretty obvious song, but newer U2 fans may not realise the real meaning of this song. It's an exploration of the conflict that can exist between the State, it's people and when religion gets thrown into the mix. Inspired by two terrible occasions where soldiers shot civilians in Northen Ireland - the lyrics capture these moments crisply by invoking the cross fire that occurred between Ireland's conflicting religions and the military acttion that was taken - an by extension the State's role in the massacres.

Walk On

This is one of those songs that stray into the say anything, mean anything territory but U2 have but some real context around it to to ensure that it's lyrics are not misunderstood. Dedicated toAung San Suu Kyi, this song is a freedom song, dedicated to the exponent of democracy and freedom in Mynamar. Poignantly during the 360 degree tour, U2 played this song at every concert and had supporters of Amnesty International come out on to the stage to show their support for Aung San Suu Kyi and U2's support for the people of Mynammar and their efforts to become a truly democratic society.

Spanish Eyes

Despite stealing lyrics from "She's a rainbow" by the Rolling Stones, Spanish Eyes is a love song to Bono's wife Ali - and she is actually Irish thus confusing the heck out of many U2 fans. This b-side from The Joshua Tree era kind of complements The Sweetest Thing in the sense that it was also a b-side and also a love letter to Ali.

Zooropa

Zooropa is a really crazy song that opens the album of the same name. Some fans have been confused by the lyrics of the song - they seem so mumble jumbled and make no sense. The real meaning of the song can be determined when you realise the lyrics are a hodge podge of slogans from famous brands. Zooropa's lyrics have a running theme of irony, tying in the "media overload" themes of the Zoo TV Tour into the context of a post-Berlin Wall Europe. The song's lyrics touch on how modern technology can unite people as well as separates them from each other.

Want more? check out U2 lyrics that explore Jesus, Yahweh and The Good Book.

U2 songs that name check real people

2011-11-17T12:22:00.001-08:00

U2 as lego blocks!

U2 songs that refer to real people

Here's a few songs where Bono was named checked real people in his song lyrics. There's also a few songs where the lyrics a talking about a real person but they are not directly named.

Angel of Harlem

A song about singer Billie Holiday, Bono was trying to throw the kitchen sink at this song, referencing all kinds of musical figures including John Coltrane and Miles Davis.

One Tree Hill

Bono name dropped Victor Jara in this song that is really popular in NZ for some reason.....

"And in our world a heart of darknessA firezone where poets speak their hearts
Then bleed for it Jara sang his song a weapon
In the hands of love
You know his blood still cries from the ground"

This verse is referring to how Victor Jara was executed for his political disssent and thus became a symbol of the struggle for human rights.

Elvis Ate America

This is possibly the U2 lyric that refers to the most people Lisa Marie Presley Chuck D, Johnny Cash all feature with shout outs to Hitler, Nixon, Christ, Mishima, Markus and Micheal Jackson. Bono would later refer to Jackson in Pop's The Playboy Mansion as well.

God Part II

This song was intended as a sequel to John Lennon's song called God. Lennon's song refers to things he didn't believe in such as war and The Beatles - Bono's version also refers to things that he also doesn't believe in but also goes on to refer to how angry he was at the author Albert Goldman who wrote an unflattering biography of Lennon (and also a controversial biography of Elvis, and given U2's love of Elvis, I'm not surprised Bono made the reference).

Pride

"For the Reverend Martin Luther King, sing". Pride was inspired the the civil rights activist - that particular line comes from the live version of Pride on Rattle and Hum.

Stand Up Comedy

References the famous French soldier Napoleon and his wife Josephine...

Peace on Earth

Inspired by the Real IRA Omagh bombing in Northern Ireland on 15 August 1998. The song lists the names of people killed in the bombing. Similarly, inspiration for the lyric, "She never got to say goodbye / To see the colour in his eye / Now he's in the dirt" comes from the funeral of Barker, another victim of the bombing. Other bomb victims named were Sean, Julia, Gareth, Anne, and Brenda.

Dirty Day

Whilst not directly referenced but the liner notes of Zooropa showed the song was dedicated to Charles Bukowski.

Who have I missed?

Dear Bono, why is everything I know wrong?

2011-11-17T00:44:00.001-08:00

Dear Bono, why is everything I know wrong? or 10 Questions to ask Bono!

If I had some kind of miracle opportunity to sit down with U2's Bono I'm not sure where I'd start. Perhaps we'd start with some red wine, I'd compliment him on his efforts to reduce third world debt and make a joke about George Bush. I'd then hit him with these 10 questions about U2, their lyrics and get him to explain why he thinks everything I know is wrong.

10 Questions to ask Bono

What does Salmon Rushie think of the almost surprise success of The Ground Beneath her Feet?
Family is important. What's the most important song in the U2 catalog who's lyrics considers the family?
What is the worst lyric you have ever written that was recorded. Is it Salome?
Discuss the lyric 'Dream Out Loud'. Why have you written it into three U2 songs?
Do you ever hear 'lepers in your head'?
If U2 had it's own version Fight Club, what would its rules be? And if anyone in the band had to be Robert Paulson, who would it be?
When I was young and impressionable I had a poster on my wall that featured a Zoo TV concert and its said 'Every Thing You Know is Wrong'. To me as a 17 year old teenager that made perfect sense. As a thirty something with a mortgage, I wondering if should have paid more attention in English class. Bono, how do you know everything I know is wrong?
Have you ever punched The Edge?
Have you ever thrown up on stage?
Does it amuse you that the remix of Even Better Then The Real Thing charted higher than the original version?

U2 songs about Mothers and Fathers

2011-11-17T00:43:00.001-08:00

U2 songs about Mothers and Fathers

All good song writers tap their family tree for lyrical inspiration now and then. There's been plenty of popular songs that feature lyrics about parents and their children. A classic example is Cat Steven's Father and Son.

It's with no great surprise then that Bono has chosen to reveal insights to his feeling about his family in a few of U2's songs. Here's some thoughts about a selected few...

Mofo

Mofo was sixth single flogged from the supposedly terrible Pop, album the lyrics in part refer to Bono's beloved mother, whom he lost at the age of fourteen.

Mothers of the Disappeared

The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, is a unique organization of Argentine women who have become human rights activists in order to achieve a common goal. For over three long decades, the Mothers have fought for the right to re-unite with their abducted children. It was this work that inspired Bono's lyrics.

Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own

The lyric was written by Bono as a tribute to his father, Bob Hewson, who died in 2001. Bono sang this at his funeral. In the video for the song it was prefaced with the following from Bono "My father worked in the post office by day and sang opera by night. We lived on the north side of Dublin in a place called Cedarwood Road. He had a lot of attitude. He gave some to me - and a voice. I wish I'd known him better." On Your Own song shares similar parental sentiments as found in Kite from the All That You Can't Leave Behind album.

Tommorrow

The October album was definitely Bono on channeling and challenging his spiritual side - Tomorrow sees him exploring his thoughts around his mother's death and the spectre of her possibly meeting Jesus.

The First Time

A song from the Grammy Award winning album, Zooropa, The first verse of this the First Time hints sentiments of falling in love for the first time or perhaps truly, madly, deeply falling for someone - the lyric "I have a lover, a lover like no other" suggests the later perhaps is true.

The second verse refers to the love of a brother who would do anything for his sibling - the word brother could easily stand in for friend here as well.

The final verse talks of the love between a father and son that perhaps has gone sour. Collectively these three different settings make for a great story and makes you wonder what kind of person is telling this story and how do those elements relate to one another? Indeed, there's almost a hint of the Prodigal Son story surrounding the entire fabric of the song.

I believe in Father Christmas

Written by Greg Lake, I Believe in Father Christmas with a view to making a critque about how Christmas had changed from being a celebration of peace on earth and goodwill to all men, into one huge and disgusting orgy or shopping.

Done with this page? Want to know more about some other U2 lyrics? Check out 10 U2 Love Songs.

"Salomé" lyrics by U2

2011-11-16T00:04:00.001-08:00

"Salomé" lyrics by U2

Salome was a b-side on the Even Better Than The Real Thing single from Achtung Baby.

Salome was inspired by the character from the Bible who asked for John the Baptist's head.

Lyrics

Baby please
Baby please don't go
I got eyes to feed, they want skin and seed
Now don't make me crawl
Baby please
Baby don't bite your lip
Give you half what I've got if you untie the knot
It's a promise

Salomé x 4

Yeah, yeah, yeah

Baby please
Baby, what's that tune
Well, I heard it before when I crawled from the door
And my blood turned blue
Baby please
Baby please slow down
Baby, I feel sick
Don't make me stick to a promise

Salomé
Salomé
Salomé
Salomé
Salomé
Salomé

I got to get you
Got to, got to get you
I got to get you
Got to, got to get you
I got to get you
Got to, got to get you
I got to get you
Got to, got to get you
I got to get you
Got to, got to get you
I got to get you
Got to, got to get you
I got to get you
Got to, got to get you
I got to get you
Got to, got to get you
I got to get you
Got to, got to get you
I got to get you
Got to, got to get you
I got to get you
Got to, got to get you
I got to get you
Got to, got to get you

Baby please
I got to get you
Got to, got to get you
Baby don't sing yet
I got to get you
Got to, got to get you
Won't you dance for me
I got to get you
Got to, got to get you
Beneath the cherry tree
I got to get you
Got to, got to get you
Won't you swing down low
I got to get you
Got to, got to get you
I got to get you
Got to, got to get you
Please
I got to get you
Got to, got to get you
Baby please say yes
I got to get you
Got to, got to get you
Baby don't go away
I got to get you
Got to, got to get you
Don't spill any of your precious love
I got to get you
Got to, got to get you

Shake it, shake it, shake it Salome x 8

Salome

I got to get you
Got to, got to get you

All You Need Is Love - 10 U2 Love Songs

2011-11-15T02:55:00.000-08:00

All You Need Is Love - 10 U2 Love Songs

The Beatles sang that All You Need Is Love and just about every band since has as well so it's no surprise that U2 have song a few songs that ponder the wondrousness of it all.

Here's a few songs that either feature the subject love in their lyrics or are clearly love songs.

Love is Blindness

A haunting tracking that closed the mighty body of work that was Achtung Baby - the lyrics suggest an quite desperate love where nothing else matters but that love - a deep play on the phrase love is blind but the neighbours aint joke perhaps?

When Love Comes to Town

Some men are afraid of love. They'd prefer to hit it and quit before they have to contend with their feelings. At least that's what this duet between Bono and B.B. King might leave you thinking....

Love Rescue Me

A desperate man calls out for love. It's a aching love lorn fellow that sings this ballad from Rattle and Hum.

Love And Peace Or Else

A rocker from U2 from the How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb album, this is U2's Give Peace A Chance effort - it's basically Bono asking why can't we all just get along in peace and harmony with some peace loving mung beans thrown in for good measure. Or something.

The deluxe edition of the album has a liner note which says 'don't become a monster in order to defeat a monster' which I think sums up the lyrical intent behind the song and it ties in with Bono's Coexist mantra.

So really it's not a love song per say but one that promotes love?

So Cruel

Not all songs don't need to be of a happy kind of love. So Cruel's lyrics tell of a person in love with a person that is breaking their heart with their thoughtless ways. As I listen to the singer's lament, I can't help but feel some sorrow for them.

Hawkmoon 269

Allegedly 269 takes were required to record this song - the character seems to be a love drug addict and needs some love badly and Bono lists the ways he needs it.

Sweetest Thing

This U2 love song is definitely one inspired by real life events for Bono - it was written for his wife Alison as an apology for missing (or forgetting) her birthday during the recording of The Joshua Tree record. I wonder if Bono owed Alison another song after the featured picture of Bono above with the two bikini girls came out?

Originally featured as a U2 b-side on the Where the Streets Have No Name single, The Sweetest Thing was revamped and released as a single to support U2's first Greatest Hits album.

One Love

Magnificent

A strident, upbeat love song that celebrates the characters's love for his woman - or indeed possibly love for his god. That's a classic song writer's trick - making the lyrics open to interpretation helps increase the song's broad appeal amongst listeners.

The lyric "I was born I was born to be with you " is a nice romantic line to tell a woman - however the verse below is suggestive of praise to the character's creator.....

"I was born

I was born to sing for you  
I didn't have a choice
But to lift you up
And sing whatever song you wanted me to"

The First Time

The first verse of this song suggests sentiments of falling in love for the first time or perhaps truly, madly, deeply falling for someone - the lyric "I have a lover, a lover like no other" suggests the later perhaps is true - indeed that line would be a great compliment to any woman (or man!).

The second verse refers to the love of a brother who would do anything for his sibling - the word brother could easily stand in for friend here as well.

Unchained Melody

A love song made famous by the Righteous Brothers, this was covered by U2 as a b-side on the With or Without You single. My wife and I played it at our wedding so enough said!

There plenty of other U2 songs out there that refer to love or sing about it without saying the words - what are your favorites?

Sick of love and lust? Want to bite your teeth into something more serious? How about some U2 songs's with lyrics about nuclear politics?

What is Bono's 'Dream Out Loud' Lyric all about?

2011-11-15T01:43:00.001-08:00

What is Bono's 'Dream Out Loud' Lyric all about?

Keen listeners to U2 might have heard Bono sing the lyric 'dream out loud' on a few U2 songs. Here's a brief run down on what those songs are.

Lucky fans who attended the Love Town Tour in the late 80's might have head Bono first ad lib the line into the live set. A couple of years later after U2 dreamt it all up again, Achtung Baby's Acrobat featured the lyrics:

"And you can dream
So dream out loud
And don't let the bastards grind you down"

In this case dreaming out loud would appear to be the exercise of getting on with getting your dreams and schemes accomplished.

The coda in the title track of "Zooropa" repeated "dream out loud" as a kind of mantra, which Bono supposedly included as a direct reference to "Acrobat". Given the Zooropa album is often considered a cousin or companion album to Achtung Baby, it's a nice little link that Bono made.

In the Pop era 'dream out loud' was spoken by Bono in the PopMart: Live from Mexico City video.

Finally, dream out load was was also used in the b-side to Beautiful Day in the song "Always'

"Get down off your holy cloud,
always God will not deal with the proud, always
Well if you dream then dream out loud, always
Eternally yours, always"

I think that's it - any other references Bono has made?

10 U2 songs that reflect on American culture and politics

2011-11-15T01:30:00.001-08:00

Outside is America

10 U2 songs that reflect on American culture and politics

U2 are no strangers to having a say on America, it's people and it's politics. In fact, making political commentary is almost second nature to Bono, if he's not singing about troubles in Ireland, he's trying to convince someone like George Bush Jnr to reduce the debt owed to America by third world countries.

U2 toured America many times early in their career and appear to have fallen under it's spell - so it's surprise really that Bono has chosen to write about what he's seen and heard. Here's a selection of 10 U2 songs that feature some form of comment or celebration of the one of the world's most dynamic countries.

Angel of Harlem

A song about singer Billie Holiday, Bono was trying to throw the kitchen sink at this song, referencing all kinds of musical figures related to the city of New York - even a poular radio station was mentioned!

U2 appeared to be trying to 'get into' the blues on Rattle on Hum - this song was a clear step in that musical genre and the dropping in of names from artists that helped shape it were an attempt to give an air of authenticity. A less cynical reader might simply see the lyrics of Angel of Harlem as a celebration of the city.

The Saints Are Coming

While not written by U2 or Green Day (it was a cover of The Skids), The Saints Are Coming is a song both bands recorded together to deliver a blunt political message about the U.S. Government's response to Hurricane Katrina which many felt was negligent and that the Bush administration was "Stuck on Stupid".

The promotional video deliberately played on popular feelings of utter disbelief and dismay at the way the U.S. government had responded to the event.

Bullet the Blue Sky

Perhaps the archetype political song by U2 (arguably Sunday Bloody Sunday could take that role too) the lyrics describes the unintended consequences of US President Ronald Reagan's foreign policy decisions in South America. The song lyrics are a overt criticisms of the American policy of "stop communism at all costs". Such policy lead the Reagan Administration to provide financial and political support to the Salvadoran regime which required them to ignoring that regime's abuse of human rights.

New York

Is it really any surprise that U2 ended up writing a song about New York? Bono has stated that the song is a tribute of sorts to both Frank Sinatra and Lou Reed.

The Play Boy Mansion

The Play Boy Mansion is possibly a symbol of all that is wrong with America - however Hugh Hefner is as popular as ever. The songs lyrics are perhaps a tounge-in-cheek run down of some American icons. Certainly Bono would not be deliberately suggesting the route to happiness is a visit to Hefner's pad. Or is he?

Elvis Ate America and Elvis Presley And America

Two for the money here - U2 have often sang about Elvis - and these songs were a celebration of the man and his legacy on music. The lyrics that 'Elvis would have been a sissy without Johnny Cash' was a great piece of commentary - the use of the line 'white nigger' was a brave move.... did Chuck D approve?

Zooropa

Many of the verse lyrics are borrowed from the slogans of American companies and corporations. These slogans include "Be all that you can be" from the United States Army), "Fly the friendly skies" from airline United Airlines), Colgate's "Ring of confidence (the lyric being "We've got that ring of confidence"), and Fairy's "Mild green Fairy liquid" (the line being "We're mild and green and squeaky clean").

This could be simply viewed some kind of meta commentary on American consumerism (admittedly the song has slogans from other European countries) and perhaps hints at some kind of moral confusion where the morals of a society may be dictated by the corporate dollar spend on advertising.

Pride (In the Name of Love)

Pride has become an international anthem for peace, freedom and human rights. It's inspiration was civil rights movement in the United States in the 1950s and '60s. The song is a celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. who has become the symbol for equal rights in America for all persons.

Seconds

While the lyrics are a loose story of a terrorist trying to arm a bomb and perhaps set it off, the context for the song is that it was written by Bono in the 80s, a time where the Cold War between the USSR and America had reached an all time freezing point in relations (save for the Cuban missile crisis!). The song evokes the fears that people had that this Cold War could potentially lead to nuclear war and the own kind of cold winter that would bring.

That's just a taste of songs that U2 have used to make a comment on America. There's almost a duplicity to U2 in this regard - they tour America and revel in it's people and then at the same time they make sharp criticsm of its leaders, their institutions and Coke but take the ticket sales and sponsorship opportunites.

I trust U2 fans are in on it but it might be hard to tell in a country where many people think Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA is a patriotic song.....

U2 lyrics that explore Jesus, Yahweh and The Good Book

2011-11-14T02:55:00.001-08:00

U2 lyrics that explore Jesus, Yahweh and The Good Book

It seems almost obligatory to do a post on U2's spiritual side. They are perhaps the world's most popular Christian band after all! I say Christian very loosely though as for some people that kind of connotation can turn them right off but U2's is most definitely a band that is not shy of exploring their lyrical side.

Bono, U2's main lyricwriter, is a noted magpie that steals lines from the Bible to help with his song crafting. Indeed, here's a whole page of bible references Bono has made across the U2 song catalogue.

You could almost put U2's song lyrics into two distinct camps - songs about spirituality and songs about politics (such as nuclear war). You could throw in a third camp about of U2's love songs if you wanted but since when has love not ever been spiritual or a matter of politics?

Jesus is a popular man in U2 songs, along with mentions of Yahweh, the references to the Koran and a few other Saints - so I thought I'd feature a few U2 song lyrics that show case Bono's spiritual side and give a little insight into what I think the lyrics mean and perhaps give a little context on the genesis of some of them...

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Many people suddenly found themselves to be U2 fans in the late 80s when The Joshua Tree album started topping charts around the world. Helping lead the charge was I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For which is the gold standard if you are looking for a U2 song that focuses on a spiritual yearning.

Stealing the line from the Bible's 1 Corinthians 13:1: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal." Bono sung "I have spoken with the tongue of angels" thus heralding to the world where he was coming from yet he then signalled his mischievous side with the following lyric that he had also 'held the hand of the Devil'.

Wake Up Dead Man

In tough times people often turn to their spiritual advisor for support - Wake Up Dead Man is Bono trying to get a direct line with Jesus to come and fix "the fucked up world'. Originally written during the Zooropa recording sessions, the final version ended up on Pop as an effective album closer.

Yahweh

A beautiful track from U2's How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, Yahweh's lyrics are a reflection of Bono's faith (as the son of a Catholic father and an Anglican mother) and points to the differences in the power that he believes between God and mankind.

The word 'yahweh' has traditionally been by transliterated from the word Jehovah. Jehovah is often described as "the proper name of God in the Old Testament".

Larry, Bono, Edge and Adam, hold the bike while I get on?

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Ostensibly a song about the political troubles that have face the people of Ireland, its inspriation was a couple of events where soldiers shot civilians in Northen Ireland - the lyrics capture the moment crisply by invoking a cross fire between religion and the military (and by extension the State) and the sad consequences when both collide.

Until the End of the World

This has proved to be an incredibly popular song from U2's Achtung Baby and has been played on just about every tour U2 have done since that album was released in 1991. It is semi legendary in U2 fan circles for being a fictional conversation between Jesus and Judas following the betrayal in the garden of Gethsemane. The lyrics hint that Judas regretted his actions and committed suicide.

Tommorrow

A classic earnest lyric from Bono. The October album was definitely Bono on 'God Watch' - exploring his thoughts around his mother's death and the spectre of meeting Jesus.

Stranger In a Strange Land

The entire lyrics of the song appear to be making an allusion to the Emmaus story from the Bible's Luke 24, where the newly risen from the dead Jesus appears to two disciples as a complete stranger, but miraculously cannot be recognized until he offers bread to the two disciples who have invited him in to their abode.

If God Will Send His Angels

It's hard to discern the actual message of this song. The lyrics possibly suggest the character is living in a world where they need some help and they need some angels to come and sort things out. The line "where is the hope, and where is the faith, and the love?" hints at a lost soul that needs some guidance in light of a world they are concerned about such one where the cartoon network leads into the news and the blind lead the blondes.

Salome

Salome is inspired the story of the death of John the Baptist which was from the gospel of Mark. Supposedly a seductive dancer (in the modern day she'd be known as a stripper) Salome's super gyrations convinced the King to grant her a wish to which she asked for the head of John. Pretty random story and sounds like something that got lost in translation when the Bible got rewritten. It's either that or Oscar Wilde had an over active imagination.

These eight songs where only a taste of the many songs that Bono has imbued with lyrics that refer to the Bible or have looked into an 'ecumenical' matter of sorts - Gloria for example could probably have a whole essay written about it.

What other songs do you think show U2's spiritual side? What do they mean for you?

U2 songs that reference nuclear bombs and other horrors

2011-11-13T23:12:00.001-08:00

U2 songs that reference nuclear bombs and other horrors

U2 are known for their political views and agitation to get policy change but whereas a band like Rage Against the Machine would be all in your face – U2 are just as obvious butless angry – their last tour featured members of Amnesty International comingout on state during Walk On– a song dedicated to Aung San Suu Kyi, a Burman political prisoner and Nobel Peace Prize winner. Both band’slyrics also push the barrel of whatever agenda they have – a long standing onfor U2 has been referencing atomic war and nuclear issues.

U2 also once famously protested againstthe Sellafeild nuclear plant by colluding with Greenpeace to stage an event ona beach near the site that was contaminated with radiation as the result of thepower plant’s activities.

As far as I can figure the earliest U2 song lyrics that refersto atomic bombs is from the non album single, Celebration where Bonosarcastically shares that he believes in the following three things:

“I believe in the third world war

I believe in the atomic bomb

I believe in the powers that be but they won't overpower me”

That was as far back as 1982.

Secondsfrom the popular War album is another early U2 songs to make direct references to atomic bombs

“And they're doing the atomic bomb

Do they know where the dance comes from

Yes, they're doing the atomic bomb

They want you to sing along

Bono said to the NME music magazine in 1983 of the song "There is a line in 'Seconds' about a fanatic assembling a nuclear device in an apartment in Times Square, New York, but it could be anywhere. We are now entering the age of nuclear terrorism where a group of fanatics could have the capabilities of bringing a bomb into a city and holding millions of people to ransom."

The Unforgettable Fire was released in 1984 in a time whenthe world was worrying itself sick about the arms race between the US and theRussians. Bono was inspired by a collection of paintings collectively known as The Unforgettable Fire whichwas a reference to atomic bombs being dropped in the Japanese cities ofHiroshima and Ngagasaki.

Says the Edge of the art display (in the book U2: Into the Heart: The Stories Behind Every Song) "the image of that purging quality, coupled with the insight it gave into the horror of nuclear holocaust, stuck in Bono's mind".

It is perhaps ironic then the lyrics to song The Unforgettable Fire do not reference anything nuclear or atomic!

The Wanderer, featuring country and western legend Johnny Cash from the Zooropa album was definitely suggestive of being set in a post apocalyptic world set under an 'atomic sky'. Lyrically it featured a character that appeared to be struggling to find some kind of spiritual identity.

Another U2 album title also referred toatomic bombs in a most direct fashion – How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb was a popular album that had abonus track Fast Cars which gave the answer to the album’s question – one dismantlesan atomic bomb with love.

Are there any other U2 lyrics that refer to nuclear issues?

Check out this other article that discusses Bono's lyric writing abilities

10 songs that show Bono's lyrical qualities

2011-11-13T20:43:00.001-08:00

What rhymes with achtung?

The one thing that truly stands out for me when thinking about the brilliance of U2 is not their songs, the drums, or riffs. Nor is it the hype and hyperbole of one of the world's most popular bands but their lyrics.

Bono has written the vast majority of U2's lyrics and in many of them you can find some true gems of penmanship, little sparkles of lyrical bliss that took a good song and put it into the territory of musical greatness.

I suggest that while some non U2 fans take any chance to diss Bono, they would be really grumpy buggers if they denied that Bono was a great lyricist.

Like a good poet, Bono's lyrics feature a whole range of subjects - love and loss, drugs, faith, faith in drugs, gods, Elvis and other monsters and of course, politics and it's prisoners. This work leaves ample room for an inquiry into U2's lyrics, especially when The Edge chips in the odd song.

So what are Bono's best lyrical moments and qualities? What's his inspiration for putting pen to paper. What makes Bono's lyrics so well received by millions of listeners and readers around the world? I can't speak for any one else but I thought I could share 10 U2 songs which I think highlight Bono's mastery of his craft. Some of thing are simply clever word plays, others are stories of delight and irony - a thing which Bono and the boys were very heavy on in the 1990's. Trabants on stage anyone?

10 songs that show Bono's lyrical qualities

One

Perhaps second only to With Or Without you in terms of popularity, it is arguably U2's finest song and I believe the lyrics are what make this so - I think this is because it's one of those songs where the lyrics can mean anything and everything to anyone.

At work last week a manager did a pop quiz and asked what this song was about. The answers varied from 'it's about a gay couple' or 'two torn lovers'. I think Bono's actually on record in the U2 by U2 book as One being a song about a couple that's breaking up. But that doesn't matter as its words are universal and have been taken to heart by so many U2 fans - indeed some have even had it as their wedding song which I'm sure would be a delicious irony for Bono.

The Wanderer

"They say they want the kingdom but they don't want God in it". I think that's Bono perfectly capturing the wishes of so many of us. We want the nice things, but aren't prepared to put in the effort. Or something. For me, The Wanderer always seemed like some post apocalyptic dream - and it's perhaps a sign of a great song where it allows you to shape your own thoughts and fantasies around it (well when Bono mentions the 'atomic sky', that's nice nudge). Indeed, the whole of Zooropa's lyrics seem to take me to a strange other world, where in some places it's OK to feel numb or taste the lemon but spit out antifreeze.

Original of the Species

The title is suggestive of what's to come in this song, a play on Darwin's epic work about evolution - the song's lyrics are possibly a father looking at his daughter's own evolution from - child to woman. The second half is more likely Bono singing to his wife (and the message in the first half could also before her) - either way both, themes are heartwarming.

If God Will Send His Angels

'Blind leading the blond' is perhaps my favourite U2 lyric ever. It's just a cleverly simply play on words. Bono does that trick a fair bit in the Pop album - an almost too cute example is from The Playboy Mansion which opens with the lyric "If Coke is a mystery, and Micheal Jackson, history..." which was a nice play on the failing career of Jackson and a play on the name of his Greatest Hits album.

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Bono defiantly wears this song's lyrics on his sleeve. A song about soldiers shooting civilians in Northen Ireland - the lyrics capture the moment crisply by invoking a cross fire between religion and the military (and by extension the State) and the sad consequences when both collide. Featuring a fine use of a marching drum beat by Larry Mullen, the song's chorus is a defining moment for Bono - it was one of U2's first truly popular 'classic' songs and it many ways this song defined U2 as a band that could carry some political weight.

Until the End of the World

"In my dream I was drowning my sorrows
But my sorrows, they learned to swim
Surrounding me, going down on me
Spilling over the brim

Waves of regret and waves of joy
I reached out for the one I tried to destroy
You, you said you'd wait
'Til the end of the world"

Simply one of Bono's finest song writing moments. Water is commonly used as a metaphor life yet here's Bono drowning in his sorrows. The song can be seen as a obvious story about how Judas betrayed Jesus and thus seen as one of those "U2 going on about God and spiritually" type songs but as with all good lyrics they can mean anything. I tend to see this one more of a dramatic break up between two lovers where the relationship perhaps has been bit one sided.

The Wanderer

"They say they want the kingdom but they don't want God in it". I think that's Bono perfectly capturing the wishes of so many of us. We want the nice things, but aren't prepared to put in the effort. For me, The Wanderer always seemed like some post apocalyptic dream - and it's perhaps a sign of a great song where it allows you to shape your own thoughts and fantasies around it (well when Bono mentions the 'atomic sky', that's nice nudge). Indeed, the whole of Zooropa's lyrics seem to take me to a strange other world, where in some places it's OK to feel numb or taste the lemon but spit out antifreeze.

Please

Not a hugely popular song on release as a single but I think time has shown that Please was a fine song from U2's Pop album. Lyrically it was a political plea, invoking the captains of Irish politics to sort their messes out. The listener would perhaps know the song had political connotations if they had seen the cover which featured Gerry Adams and other elected leaders - however this stanza effectively leaves no stone unturned as Bono thows a rock in the air to hit home the issues:

Your Catholic blues, your convent shoes
Your stick-on tattoos, now they're making the news
Your holy war, your northern star
Your sermon on the mount from the boot of your car

Strong stuff from an album many people were quick to write off.

Get on Your Boots

One could be forgiven for thinking that Get on Your Boots was simply a throw away song by U2 ( indeed one wonders why they released it as the first single from No Line on the Horizon when Magnificant probably would have given them a hit single) however the lyrics of this song run deep. Almost a stream of consciousness, tripping through it's seemingly nonsensical words but when Bono writes "I don’t want to talk about the wars between the nations" he's saying everything.

All I Want is You

This is Bono's finest love letter he has ever written. The closing from Rattle and Hum is simply a man tell a woman how he loves her - it's perhaps not the happiest song with undertones suggesting things may have gone awry - indeed the tremendous coda at the end suggests a passionate love affair being ripped apart by uncaring forces. A good lyric deserves a fine musical backing and All I Want is You has it in spades.

Summary

So that was my attempt to highlight some of the fine lyrical qualities and charms that Bono and U2 have to offer. Of course with any interpretation of songs, the whole exercise is a subjective journey, indeed a musical journey that could have stopped at a completely different set of songs.

Bono is a bit of a lyrical magpie. He steals lines from the bible and riffs on the work of others (such as when he tried to write a sequel of sorts to John Lennon's 'God') to make his point. But he does that and gets his unique messages across to the listener very well.

If someone hasn't already printed a book featuring all of U2's lyrics, they surely will as they serve as some fine literature in their own right. Throw in some politcal rallying and a little love making and there's a best seller book of poetry on your hands....

What are your favourite lyrical moments from U2?

Dreaming With Tears In My Eyes Lyrics U2

2011-11-06T14:19:00.000-08:00

Dreaming With Tears In My Eyes Lyrics U2

"Dreaming With Tears In My Eyes"

My heart is longing for you, love
I cared for you more then you knew
Though you have broken each promise
And yesterday's dreams are untrue

Alone, I'll be yearning tomorrow
When sunshine brings memories of you
My sunshine will turn into sorrow
As I dream of the love we once knew

Why should I always be lonesome
When sunny and blue are the skies
While shadows and loneliness linger
I'm dreaming with tears in my eyes

Why did you promise me sweetheart
Never to leave me alone
Yesterday's sunshine is faded
Your love wasn't true like my own

Alone, I'll be yearning tomorrow
When sunshine brings memories of you
My sunshine will turn into sorrow
As I dream of the love we once knew

Why should I always be lonesome
When sunny and blue are the skies
While shadows of loneliness linger
I'm dreaming with tears in my eyes

(This song, performed by Bono & Larry, can be found on the Songs of Jimmie Rodgers album)

U2 song lyrics that reference Elvis

2011-10-08T18:29:00.000-07:00

U2 songs lyrics that reference Elvis

Elvis was the King (kind of the same as Eric Clapton is God but better) - and kings leave a long line of history and influence so it's no surprise that U2 have either referenced Elvis in a couple of their songs or done a cover of a song he made famous!

Elvis Ate America

A song from Passengers that is was almost an Elvis rant - but it did deliver the classic Bono lyric, 'Elvis would have been a sissy without Johnny Cash' which, to my mind, seems true!

A Room at the HeartBreak Hotel

Whilst not specifically about Elvis, the song is a direct reference to Heartbreak Hotel - a song which Elvis famously sang about. Fans of the Rattle and Hum album might be interested to know that U2 recorded song tracks for for the album at Sun Studios in Memphis, where Elvis famously recorded. Room at the Heartbreak Hotel was a b-side to Angel of Harlem single from Rattle and Hum.

Elvis Presley and America

Apparently this was a letter of sorts from Bono to Lisa Marie, Elvis's daughter.

Unchained Melody

Dare I put this here as it's simply a famous Elvis cover song? Yip - but it's a famous one!

Can't help falling in Love

Another sweet cover of the King.

Oh, Berlin lyrics U2

2011-10-07T14:42:00.001-07:00

Oh, Berlin lyrics U2

Oh, Berlin is a song from the Achtung Baby sessions that has never been heard until the release of the 20th Anniversary release of Achtung Baby. Other releases from that time include Down all The Days and Blow Your House Down.

It's no surprise that U2 wrote a song about Berlin as that's where a lot of recording for the album took place - indeed Zoo Station is so named after a train stop in the city!

Lyrics

Hasse, hasse, hasse, hasse

White snow turning to slush
A festival of brown in the city of my crush
If you walk around, you can step inside
Köthner Straße achtunddreißig

Oh Berlin
Who could think they would find you by just looking
Oh Berlin
How many of us hide in you
Oh Berlin
To think I could know you by your name

To stare and not be stared
To look and not be seen
To feel new feelings
Rather than understand where you've just been
Fame, huh

Oh Berlin
Who could they would find you by just looking
Oh Berlin
When you flap your angel wings
Oh Berlin
To think that I could know you by your name

Chasing the ghosts of our heroes
Lou Reed, David Bowie, Iggy, Wim Wenders, Rilke
To change location rather than change yourself
To ask for directions rather than ask for help
To remain always a true friend

Oh Berlin
Who could think they would find you by just looking
Oh Berlin
When you flap your angel wings
Oh Berlin
To think that I could know you by your name

Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the angelic orders
And even if one to suddenly take me to its heart
I would vanish into its stronger existence
For beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror
That we are still able to bear and we revere it so
Because it calmly disdains to destroy us
Every angel is terror

Every angel is terror
Oh Berlin
Every angel is terror
Every angel is terror
Who would think they could find you by just looking
Every angel is terror
Every angel is terror
Oh Berlin
How many of us hide in you
Oh Berlin
To think that I could know you by a single name

A Room At The Heartbreak Hotel lyrics by U2

2011-09-26T02:01:00.001-07:00

A Room At The Heartbreak Hotel lyrics by U2

B-side from U2's classic Angel of Harlem, a popular song from Rattle and Hum. The song might be about a hooker or a woman who confuses sex for love. Either way it's one of those classic songs written by Bono which could mean anything. Given the bluesy roots that U2 were trying to lay down on Rattle and Hum, Heartbreak Hotel is probably a reference to the popular Elvis song as well.

Lyrics:

From where I stand
I can see through you
From where you're sitting, pretty one
I know it got to you

See the stars in your eyes
You want the truth but you need the lies
Like Judy Garland, like Valentino
You give your life for rock and roll, uh huh

Stand
We're on the landslide of love
You got everything you want,
And what you need you give away

For a primitive love and a ride on the mystery train
A primitive love
A room at the heart, heartbreak hotel
A room at the heartbreak, heartbreak hotel
A room at the heartbreak, heartbreak hotel

You say it's love, it's not the money
You let them suck your life out like honey
Turning tricks, you're on the street
Selling your kisses so bittersweet

I love it, yeah
Buy me again
I want to know pretty baby
I want to know
The price is too hard to pay

A primitive love and a ride on the mystery train
A primitive love
A room at the heart, heartbreak hotel

A room at the heartbreak, the heartbreak
The heartbreak hotel, hotel
A room at the heartbreak, the heartbreak
The heartbreak hotel, hotel
A room at the heartbreak, the heartbreak
The heartbreak hotel, hotel
A room at the heartbreak, the heartbreak
The heartbreak hotel, hotel

Hallelujah, said halle-hello to ya
Said hallelujah

A room at the heartbreak, the heartbreak
The heartbreak hotel, hotel
Halle, halle, halle, hallelujah
Halle, halle, halle, hallelujah
A room at the heartbreak, the heartbreak
The heartbreak hotel, hotel
Halle, halle, halle, hallelujah
Halle, halle, halle, hallelujah
Halle, halle, halle, hallelujah
Halle, halle, halle, hallelujah
A room at the heartbreak, the heartbreak
The heartbreak hotel, hotel

Deep in the Heart Lyrics by U2

2011-09-26T01:50:00.001-07:00

Deep in the Heart Lyrics by U2

This song was a U2 b-side from The Joshua Tree's very popular hit I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. Deep in the Heart features some slide guitar from The Edge.

Lyrics:

Angel, everything is gonna be alright
Angel, everything is gonna work out tonight
Thirty years old, sweet as a rose
Every petal of her wafer thin
Love will make you blind, creep up from behind
Get you jumping out of your skin
Angel, it's sink or swim

Deep in the heart
Deep in the heart of this place
Deep in the heart
Deep in the heart of this place

Door is closed behind me now
The window is sealed to shut out the light
Green as the leaves and the cure of the nettle sting
Do your homework, it'll work out right

Deep in the heart
Deep in the heart of this place
Deep in the heart
Deep in the heart of this place

The scent of cedar, I can still see her
You can't return to the place you never left
Angel, we'll make it work out tonight
Angel, I wanna be home tonight
Door is closed behind me now
The window is sealed, to shut out the light
Green as the leaves the cure of the nettle sting
Do your work and you'll work out right

Deep in the heart
Deep in the heart of this place
Deep in the heart
Deep in the heart of this place

Lyrics of songs sung by The Edge

2011-09-25T02:31:00.000-07:00

Lyrics of songs sung by The Edge

The Edge sings on plenty of U2 songs as back up vocalist, often sharing those duties with Larry. Here's a couple of songs where The Edge has taken the lead vocal duty. Clicking on the song name with take you to the lyrics.

Numb

"Numb" was released as the Zooropa's first single. Numb is a repeating, monotonous mantra spoken by The Edge with a drumbeat sampled from the Leni Riefenstahl film Olympia. "Numb" also features backing vocals by Bono and Larry Mullen, Jr i.e. while the The Edge sings in a slow monotone while Bono sings around it in his 'opera' voice.

Van Diemen's Land

Van Dieman's Land was the original name used by Europeans for the island of Tasmania, Australia. The lyrics were written and sung by U2's one and only The Edge. The song is dedicated to a Fenian poet named John Boyle O'Reilly, who was deported to Australia because of his poetry. The track itself is from Rattle and Hum.

Sunday Bloody Sunday
During the Pop Mart tour, The Edge took lead vocal duties live on stage for this song. Edge sang alone and with out accompanyment from the rest of U2, save for his own guitar.

The Edge is noted as singing the the first half of the song "Seconds", dual vocals with Bono in "Discotheque" from the Pop album, and the bridge in the song "Miracle Drug".

Are You Gonna Wait Forever lyrics by U2

2011-09-25T01:27:00.001-07:00

Are You Gonna Wait Forever lyrics by U2

Are You Gonna Wait Forever was the b-side from U2's Vertigo single off the How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb album. This song was dropped from the album as All Because of You ended up sharing the same musical sensibilities - in a similar way to how Lady With The Spinning Head is very similar to The Fly.

Lyrics:

All the obstacles in my way, now
Are disappearing every day, now
I'm getting closer
We're getting closer to home
It won't be long until the summer comes

Are you gonna wait forever?
Are you gonna wait forever?

Getting out from under my bed, now
I'm going to say the things I should have said, now
Getting closer
Getting closer to what's true
Gonna find myself in you

Are you gonna wait forever?
Are you gonna wait forever?
Are you gonna wait forever?
Are you gonna wait forever?

There's no one there behind their eyes
They're in the business, beautiful lies
We'll keep the promise
'Cause we don't know how to break it
The furniture you can rearrange
Don't trade your dreams for some small change
Guard the flame, or better leave it naked

Are you gonna wait forever?
Are you gonna wait forever?
Are you gonna wait forever?
How?
Are you gonna wait forever?
How, how long, how long?
Or is it now, now, now?
Or is it now?

Down All The Days lyrics by U2

2011-09-20T15:01:00.002-07:00

Down All The Days lyrics by U2

Released as part of the celebrations of the twenty year anniversary of one of U2's best albums, Achtung Baby. If you liked this song, you should check out U2's Blow Your House Down which was released at the same time.

Down all the Days Lyrics by U2.

My eyes are black
They've seen the glory
My ears are shut
They've heard the storm
My legs are weak
From so much stumbling

Down all the days
Down all the days

My lips are dry
They've tasted water
My spirit high
I hardly touch the ground
My heart is heavy
It hears the distant firing

Down all the days
Down all the days
Down all the days
Down all the days
Down all the days
Days, days
Down all the days
Days, days

I love to talk
Days, days
Can you leave me some it to hug
Days, days
Can you hold me now
Days, days
I love her hug
Days, days
Days, days
Days

The skyline's in the cloud
Throw down some winds now
Right now I'm only here to see me
Come down whenever you want to see me
Right on a phone, the holy rose
Someone in the street's on fire
And I am weary, worthy
Wounded, all wrong
I love thee, to hold thee
I love thee

Everybody Loves A Winner lyrics U2

2011-09-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

Everybody Loves A Winner lyrics U2

A left over from the Achtung Baby recording sessions, the song was released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of what were arguably U2's richest recording sessions (any session that One or Love is Blindness falls out of must be rich!)

Lyrics:

Once I had fame
I was full of pride
Well, there were a lot of friends
Always by my side

But my luck ran dry
Now my friends begin to hide

Everybody loves a winner
Everybody loves a winner
When you lose, you lose alone

Everywhere I turned
There was a hello and a smile
I never thought they'd be gone
After a while

Oh, that big road ran down
And the smiles turned to frowns

Everybody loves a winner
Everybody loves a winner
But when you lose, you lose alone

Hands to heaven that I would be true
To get back that love
There's nothing I wouldn't do
But I learned and I lost
And now I paid the cost

Everybody loves a winner
Everybody loves a winner
Everybody loves a winner
But when you lose, you lose alone

U2 also released Blow Your House Down and Down all the Days

Where did it all go wrong lyrics by U2

2011-09-20T14:57:00.001-07:00

Where did it all go wrong lyrics by U2

Near the Island lyrics U2 Deluxe achtung baby

2011-09-20T14:56:00.000-07:00

Near the Island is an instrumental track from the Achtung Baby sessions. It has no lyrics !

Oh Berlin lyrics by U2

2011-09-20T14:54:00.002-07:00

Oh Berlin lyrics U2

Heaven And Hell lyrics U2 achtung baby

2011-09-20T14:54:00.000-07:00

Heaven And Hell lyrics U2

From the Achtung baby recording sessions, Heaven and Hell was a non album track released along with Blow Your House Down to and Oh, Berlin to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the album.

Heaven and Hell Lyrics by Bono

You used to think I was something special
You haven't thought that in a while
You liked the company of my inner devil
'Cause my inner devil could make you smile

Like an angel on some stained-glass
Not some relic from the recent past
With your pale breasts and your fresh wound
And your eyes to heaven with your hands bound

I thought you'd find me when you went looking
In truth, you'd have to be there to look around
How come the honeysuckle isn't sucking
And I got a bee sting walking on the ground

Did our brass bead become a mud bath
A dirty boy, dirty girl having a dirty laugh
I saw you coming, I had you covered
Till you discovered

That we're heaven, heaven, heaven and hell
Heaven, heaven, heaven, heaven and hell

Picnick table and a china cup
We had an airbed that was all stuffed
Now it's room 64 at the chateau
Ask the front desk where does your love go

Is it to heaven, heaven, heaven or to hell
Is it to heaven, heaven, heaven or hell
Baby, we're heaven, heaven, heaven, heaven and hell

Check out Down all the Day's lyrics as well!

Blow Your House lyrics U2

2011-09-20T14:51:00.001-07:00

Blow Your House lyrics by U2

Blow Down Your House was released by Irish Rockers U2 to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of their classic album, Achtung Baby. The song was from the recording sessions of that album. It was released as part of a super dooper reissue of Actung Baby.

Burn Your House down features all the familiar sonic elements of Achtung Baby - Edge riffs, appeggios, slide guitar, backing vocals and lyrics that feature a woman as a central character that's being out of control - kind of like The Lady with the Spinning Head

Blow Your House Down Lyrics:

You've been along this road so many times
Nothing should be a surprise to you
Seen every premeditated crime
From every possible point of view

Why, if it's so wrong, does it feel so right?
Why, oh I've got your gun?
Do I want you tonight?

She, she's gonna blow your house down
She's gonna turn your head around
She's gonna blow your house down

What of chaos is the thing you crave
Is it the taste of self-inflicted pain
And what of losing is your drug of choice
Is it what keeps you coming back again

Why, if it's so wrong, does it feel so right

She, she's gonna blow your house down
She's gonna turn your head around
She's gonna blow your house down

She blow your house down
She's gonna turn your head around
She's gonna blow your house down

Run fast, fast as you can
Run fast, fast as you can
Fast, fast as you can
Run as fast, fast as you can
Fast as you can
Run as fast, fast as you can

The wave, it have its
She was saving it
What makes you think you can
Oh, they're craving
Deals for breaking
Your old devil's hands

She, she's gonna blow your house down
She's gonna turn your head around
She's gonna blow your house down

She gonna blow your house down
She's gonna turn your head around
She's gonna blow your house down

Q Magazine Achtung Baby U2 Lyrics Covers Song Lyrics

2011-09-14T01:59:00.000-07:00

Q Magazine U2 Covers Song Lyrics from Achtung Baby

Q Magazine has arranged for a selection of fabulous artists to record an album of covers from U2's Achtung Baby. This is to celebrate the re-issue of U2's Achtung baby for the 20th Anniversary.

Here's the track list. Clicking on the song title will take you to the lyrics of the song.

"Zoo Station" visited by Nine Inch Nails
"Even Better Than the Real Thing" covered by U2 (Jacques Lu Cont Mix)
"One" performed by Damian Rice
"Until the End of the World" sung by Patti Smith
"Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" broken in by Garbage
"So Cruel" recorded by Depeche Mode
"The Fly" swatted by Gavin Friday
"Mysterious Ways" moved by Snow Patrol
"Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World" tackled to the ground by The Fray
"Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" lit up by The Killers
"Acrobat" riffed out by Glasvegas
"Love Is Blindness" monstered by Jack White

Glasvegas is apparently doing a song ....

List of U2 B-sides and Lyrics

2011-09-10T00:13:00.001-07:00

List of U2 B-sides and Lyrics

When a band records an album, they often have a selection of songs that don't make the final cut but they are good enough to be released in some form and historically they've been added as a B-side as support to the A-side of a single release. While Oasis is famous for their b-sides, U2 are not so much well known for their b-sides but none the less, they've built up a pretty sweet collection of songs.

U2 B-sides

A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel
B-side on the 'Angel of Harlem' single released in December 1988.

Alex Descends Into Hell For A Bottle Of Milk / Korova 1
B-side on 'The Fly' single, October 1991.

Always
B-side on 'Beautiful Day' single, October 2000.

Are You Gonna Wait Forever
B-side on 'Vertigo' single, November 2004.

Ave Maria (Jacknife Lee Mix)
B-side on 'Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own' single, February 2005.

Beat On The Brat
From 'We're a Happy Familiy', a tribute album to The Ramones. February 2003.

Big Girls Are Best
B-side on 'Stuck in A Moment' single, January 2001.

"Boomerang II" from The Unforgettable Fire's Pride, September 1984.

Boy/Girl
A track on U2's very first single 'Three', October 1979.

Can't Help Falling In Love (Triple Peaks Remix)
B-side on 'Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses' single, August 1992.

Dancing Barefoot
B-side on 'When Love Comes to Town' single, April 1989.

Deep In The Heart
B-side on 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For' single, May 1987.

Everlasting Love
B-side on 'All I Want is You' single, June 1989.

Fortunate Son
B-side on 'Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses' single, August 1992.

Hallelujah Here She Comes
B-side on 'Desire' single, September 1988.

Happiness is a Warm Gun (The Gun Mix)
B-side on 'Last Night on Earth' single, July 1997.

Holy Joe
B-side on 'Discothèque' single, February 1997.

Johnny Swallow
B-side on 'Fire' single, July 1981.

Lady with the Spinning Head
B-side on 'One' single, March 1992.

Love Comes Tumbling
B-side on 'The Unforgettable Fire' single, October 1984.

Luminous Times (Hold on to Love)
B-side on 'With or Without You' single, March 1987.

Neon Lights
B-side on 'Vertigo' single, November 2004.

North and South of the River
B-side on 'Staring at the Sun' single, April 1997.

Paint It Black (cover of the Rolling Stones)
B-side on 'Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses' single, August 1992.

Race Against Time
B-side on 'Where the Streets Have No Name' single, August 1987.

Salomé
B-side on 'Even Better Than the Real Thing' single, June 1992.

Satellite of Love
B-side on 'One' single, March 1992.

Silver and Gold
B-side on 'Where the Streets Have No Name' single, August 1987.

Slow Dancing
B-side on 'Stay (Faraway, So Close!)' single, November 1993.

Spanish Eyes
B-side on 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For' single, May 1987.

Summer Rain
B-side on 'Beautiful Day' single, October 2000.

Sweetest Thing (The Single Mix)
Released as a single in 1997. Originally a b-side on 'Where The Streets Have No Name' single, 1987.

The Three Sunrises
B-side on 'The Unforgettable Fire' single, October 1984.

Touch
B-side on '11 O'Clock Tick Tock' single, May 1980.

Tower of Song
B-side on 'Window in the Skies' single, January 2007. From the movie 'Leonard Cohen: I'm your Man'.

Trash, Trampoline and the Party Girl
B-side on 'A Celebration' single, March 1982.

Treasure (Whatever happened to Pete the Chop)
B-side on 'New Year's Day' single, January 1983.

Two Shots of Happy, One Shot of Sad
B-side on 'If God Will Send His Angels' single, December 1997.

Unchained Melody
B-side on 'All I Want is You' single, June 1989.

Walk to the Water
B-side on 'With or Without You' single, March 1987.

Where Did It All Go Wrong
B-side on 'Even Better Than the Real Thing' single, June 1992.

Mother of Pearl Lyrics by U2

2011-09-10T00:08:00.001-07:00

Mother of Pearl Lyrics by U2

This is a place holder post in case U2 do actually release this song on Songs of Ascent.

The Sacred Heart of Malibu lyrics by U2

2011-09-09T21:20:00.001-07:00

The Sacred Heart of Malibu lyrics by U2

This is a place holder post based on the chance that The Sacred Heart of Malibu will be released by U2

I'll Believe Her When She Sings lyrics by U2

2011-09-09T21:19:00.001-07:00

I'll Believe Her When She Sings by U2

This is a place holder post based on speculation this is a song name by U2

Mount Zion lyrics by U2

2011-09-09T21:18:00.001-07:00

Mount Zion lyrics by U2

This is a place holder post based on speculation this may be a future U2 song

U2 Songs of Ascent Lyrics

2011-09-09T21:17:00.000-07:00

Songs of Ascent Lyrics by U2

While not yet officially announced, Bono suggested that U2 were working on an album called Songs of Ascent.

U2 has played a couple of unreleased songs on the 360 Tour and it's assumed these songs are from sessions that were intended for the new album (or were possibly left overs from No Line on the Horizon).

Every Breaking Wave
Glastonbury
North Star

No Line on the Horizon lyrics by U2

2011-09-09T20:44:00.000-07:00

No Line on the Horizon lyrics by U2

No Line on The Horizon was the follow up to How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Featuring the odd first single choice of Get On Your Boots, the roaring Magnificent and the wonderful Unknown Caller, NLOTH was a strong effort from U2 though was not as welcomed by U2 fans as the prior album or All That You Can't Leave Behind were.

Lyrics:

No Line on the Horizon

Magnificent
Moment of Surrender
White As Snow
Unknown Caller
I'll go Crazy if I don't go Crazy Tonight
Get On Your Boots
Stand Up Comedy
Fez - Being Born
Breathe
The Cedars of Lebanon

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb lyrics by U2

2011-09-07T23:51:00.001-07:00

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb lyrics by U2

HTDAAB was a great follow up to U2's 'comeback' album, All That You Can't Leave Behind. Featuring the big hits of Vertigo and City of Blinding Lights the album was another turn at the 'classic U2 sound' albeit with a slightly more rocky slant than it's predecessor. Winning 9 Grammy Awards and selling 9 million copies, U2's work won favour with fans and critics.

Lyrically the album has been said to be a consideration of world at the crossroads of its existence. Love and war, peace and harmony, and approaching death are strong lyrical themes.

Lyrics:

1. Vertigo

2. Miracle Drug

3. Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own

4. Love And Peace Or Else

5. City Of Blinding Lights

6. All Because Of You

7. A Man And A Woman

8. Crumbs From Your Table

9. One Step Closer

10. Original Of The Species

11. Yahweh

Bonus Track: Fast Cars

In case you where wondering how one does dismantle and atomic bomb, the answer is 'with love' as refered to in the song Fast Cars.

"Spanish Eyes" lyrics U2

2011-09-03T22:07:00.000-07:00

"Spanish Eyes" lyrics U2

Spanish Eyes was the b-side to the very popular single from The Joshua Tree, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. Similar to how U2 usually only play One Tree Hill when they perform in NZ, Spanish Eyes is generally only played in Spain.

Spanish Eyes Lyrics

Hey, hey, baby hang on
Baby hang on

Hang to your heart
Beat tight like a drum set
Hang on to your love
See it shine like a song
Hey, hey, baby hang on

Our love it shines like rain
In those spanish eyes, spanish eyes

Hey, hey, here she comes
Comes in colours
You know she gonna turn the daylight on
Cause I love the way you talk to me
And I love the way you walk on me
And I need you
More than you need me
Our love, shines like rain
In those spanish eyes, spanish eyes

Across the world
For green and gold
It's those spanish eyes
That get me home
Home again

Hey, hey, baby hang on
Hey, hey, you know that
The night is young
Dazzled by lights that
Shine in your eyes
I'm standing in the shadows
And wait for the night
Forever in fever
Forever in heat
You pick me up to put me out on the street

Hey, hey, baby hang on, hang on
Hey, hey, baby hang on, hang on
Cause I love the way you talk to me
And I love the way you need me
And I need you

All That You Cant Leave Behind Lyrics by U2

2011-09-03T03:59:00.001-07:00

All That You Cant Leave Behind Lyrics by U2

Following the muddled experiment that was Pop (that's not to say it lacked good songs), U2 returned to their 'classic' sound of bass, drums and guitar for All That You Can't Leave Behind. This approach to songwriting won many U2 fans back and the album becoming their most successfull in over a decade, selling over 12 million copies and winning a truck load of Grammy awards.

All That You Cant Leave Behind Lyrics by U2

1. "Beautiful Day"
2. "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of"
3. "Elevation"
4. "Walk On"
5. "Kite"
6. "In a Little While"
7. "Wild Honey"
8. "Peace on Earth"
9. "When I Look at the World"
10. "New York"
11. "Grace"

UK, Australia and Japan bonus track

12. "The Ground Beneath Her Feet"

The Million Dollar Hotel Soundtrack Lyrics by U2

2011-09-02T22:54:00.001-07:00

The Million Dollar Hotel lyrics by U2 and other artists

The Million Dollar Hotel was a movie to which U2 and in particular Bono helped with the soundtrack. Featuring The Ground Beneath Her Feet and Lou Reed's Satellite of Love sung by Milla Jocovich, the soundtrack was a mix of U2 songs from the All You That You Can't Leave Behind recording sessions and muscial numbers peformed by The Million Dollar Hotel Band, including some guitar work by Daniel Lanois, a long time producer for U2.

The Million Dollar Hotel Soundtrack Lyrics:

1. "The Ground Beneath Her Feet"
2. "Never Let Me Go"
3. "Stateless"
4. "Satellite of Love"
5. "Falling at Your Feet"
6. "Tom Tom's Dream"
7. "The First Time"
8. "Bathtub"
9. "The First Time" (Reprise)
10. "Tom Tom's Room"
11. "Funny Face"
12. "Dancin' Shoes"
13. "Amsterdam Blue (Cortége)"
14. "Satellite of Love" (Reprise)

15. "Satellite of Love"
16. "Anarchy in the USA"

Pop lyrics by U2

2011-09-02T19:13:00.001-07:00

Pop lyrics by U2

Pop was the U2 juggernaught kicking back into a high gear following the weirdness that was Original Soundtracks Vol 1. Pop was U2 unashamedly trying to do something new again and saw them testing the waters of electronica.

While some people thought U2 took it too far, Pop produced the delightfully goofy Discotheque, the classic pop song of Staring at the Sun and the oft overlooked but perfectly judged Please.

Pop Lyrics:

1. "Discothèque"
2. "Do You Feel Loved"
3. "Mofo"
4. "If God Will Send His Angels"
5. "Staring at the Sun"
6. "Last Night on Earth"
7. "Gone"
8. "Miami"
9. "The Playboy Mansion"
10. "If You Wear That Velvet Dress"
11. "Please"
12. "Wake Up Dead Man"

Passengers Lyrics Original Soundtrack Vol 1 by U2

2011-09-02T18:37:00.000-07:00

Original Soundtracks Vol 1 Lyrics by U2 / Passengers

If you fans had thought U2's grammy award wining Zooropa was experimental and weird, no one was prepared for the insanity that was Original Soundtracks Vol 1. U2 teamed up with Brian Eno and other artists to be known collectively as passengers to produce an album of weird and wonderful delights such as Your Blue Room and the very popular Miss Sarajevo.

Original Soundtracks Vol 1 lyrics

1. "United Colours"
2. "Slug"
3. "Your Blue Room"
4. "Always Forever Now"
5. "A Different Kind of Blue"
6. "Beach Sequence"
7. "Miss Sarajevo"
8. "Ito Okashi"
9. "One Minute Warning"
10. "Corpse (These Chains are Way too Long)"
11. "Elvis Ate America"
12. "Plot 180" Hypnotize
13. "Theme from The Swan"
14. "Theme from Let's Go Native"

Note songs 1 and 12,13,14 have no lyrics.

Drunk Chicken America Lyrics U2 Ginsberg

2011-08-31T15:29:00.001-07:00

Zooropa Lyrics by U2

2011-08-31T03:37:00.003-07:00

Zooropa Lyrics by U2

I think Zooropa was the first U2 album I ever bought. I vaguely recall having heard Numb on what was then called 93 FM and thinking it sounded pretty cool. Then on a triplater to Taupo with my Dad and brothers I saw a poster with all the song titles on it and it looked awesome and dangerous unlike say the Roxette album we listened to on the way to Taupo. Soon after I bought the album and my musical journey with U2 began.

Anyways you didn't come here for the memories of a teenager, you came for the lyrics of Zooropa, a grammy award winning album that featured a monotoned The Edge, an amazing Johnny Cash and some fantastic Brian Eno keyboard magic on Lemon.

Zooropa was a quick companion piece of sorts to Achtung Baby. Lyrically, Zooropa expanded on many of the Achtung baby tours' themes of media oversaturation, technology of course love.

Zooropa Lyrics:

1. "Zooropa"

2. "Babyface"

3. "Numb" (The Edge on lead vocal)

4. "Lemon"

5. "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)"

6. "Daddy's Gonna Pay for Your Crashed Car"

7. "Some Days Are Better Than Others"

8. "The First Time"

9. "Dirty Day"

10. "The Wanderer"

Achtung Baby Lyrics by U2

2011-08-31T03:37:00.001-07:00

Achtung Baby Lyrics by U2

Achtung Baby is U2's crowning glory, their master piece that no band since 1991 has bettered, it is a modern day classic. Following the perhaps inevitable backlash against U2's Rattle and Hum, U2's sound on the album was unlike anything the band had ever produced before.

U2's previous records such as War and The Joshua Tree made lyrical statements about political and social issues. Bono's lyrics for Achtung Baby a realised a more personal and introspective which examined love, sexuality, spirituality, faith, and even betrayal with Until The End of the World being an obvious example.

U2's lyrics for Achtung Baby

"Zoo Station"

"Even Better Than the Real Thing"

"One"

"Until the End of the World"

"Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses"

"So Cruel"

"The Fly"

"Mysterious Ways"

"Tryin' to Throw Your Arms Around the World"

"Ultraviolet (Light My Way)"

"Acrobat"

"Love Is Blindness"

Rattle and Hum lyrics U2

2011-08-31T00:59:00.000-07:00

Rattle and Hum Lyrics by U2

Following on from the mega selling The Joshua Tree was seen as a tough act to follow - U2 were nearly up to the challenge with Rattle and Hum, an album with some killer songs like All I Want Is You and God Part II but as a whole it didn't quite have the same magic as The Joshua Tree. That said the album produced plenty of hits of U2 and songs from Rattle and Hum still feature in most U2 concert set lists.

The album was intended to be a tribute to some musical legends and took a bluesy turn with Desire featuring a Bo Diddley inspired riff being played on Desire, blues maestro BB King featuring his own guitar work on Love Comes To Town and lyrics evoking memories of jazz legends Billie Holiday and Miles Davis and even John Lennon.

The album title, Rattle and Hum, is taken from a lyric from U2's own "Bullet the Blue Sky"

Rattle and Hum Lyrics

1. Helter Skelter

2. Van Diemen's Land

3. Desire

4. Hawkmoon 269

5. All Along The Watchtower

6. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

7. Freedom For My People

8. Silver And Gold

9. Pride (In The Name Of Love)

10. Angel Of Harlem

11. Love Rescue Me

12. When Love Comes To Town

13. Heartland

14. God Part II

15. The Star Spangled Banner

16. Bullet The Blue Sky

17. All I Want Is You

The Joshua Tree Lyrics by U2

2011-08-29T02:25:00.000-07:00

The Joshua Tree. The follow up to the well received The Unforgettable Fire made U2 globally famous and delivered some of the best songs that the 80's could muster. The Joshua Tree's lyrics delved into the politics of the US Government, heroin addition, love, spirituality and other social issues.

The Joshua Tree lyrics:

1. "Where the Streets Have No Name"
2. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
3. "With or Without You"
4. "Bullet the Blue Sky"
5. "Running to Stand Still"
6. "Red Hill Mining Town"
7. "In God's Country"
8. "Trip Through Your Wires"
9. "One Tree Hill"
10. "Exit"
11. "Mothers of the Disappeared"

The Joshua Tree sold over 30 million albums and the songs With Or Without and Where the Streets Have No Name are played at every single concert as the fans have been known to riot if they are not played!

Fun fact: One Tree Hill is only ever really played in NZ as a tribute to Greg Caroll, a friend of U2 who as killed while employed by U2. When U2 played it in Auckland in 2010 it was dedicated to the miners of the Pike River Mine Disaster.

The Unforgettable Fire lyrics by U2

2011-08-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

The Unforgettable Fire lyrics by U2

The Unforgettable Fire was U2's forth album. With a more ambient or abstract sound than War, U2's new producers Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno helped deliver an album with lyrics that referenced heroin addiction, Martin Luther King, atomic bombs and Elvis.

The Unforgettable Fire Lyrics

1. "A Sort of Homecoming"
2. "Pride (In the Name of Love)"
3. "Wire"
4. "The Unforgettable Fire"
5. "Promenade"
6. "4th of July"
7. "Bad"
8. "Indian Summer Sky"
9. "Elvis Presley and America"
10. "MLK"

Disappearing Act was a song that was released for the re-issue of The Unforgettable Fire in 2009.

War Lyrics by U2

2011-08-27T23:31:00.000-07:00

War album Cover

War Lyrics by U2

War was U2's third album and could be considered their 'breakthrough' recording. Featuring the big hit of Sunday Bloody Sunday, the album signalled a new change in U2 - pushing aside some of the more earnest spiritual side of Boy and October, War's lyrics were more politically charged. The song 'Seconds' was focussed on Bono's concerns about nuclear arms.

War Lyrics:

1. Sunday Bloody Sunday

2. Seconds

3. New Year's Day

4. Like A Song

5. Drowning Man

6. The Refugee

7. Two Hearts Beat As One

8. Red Light

9. Surrender

10. "40"

A left over from the War recording sessions was the song, Angels Too Tied To The Ground

War was produced by Steve Lillywhite and was U2's first number one album in the UK, knocking off Michael Jackson's Thriller of the chart's top spot.

October Lyrics by U2

2011-08-27T15:45:00.000-07:00

October album cover U2

October was U2's follow up to their debut album Boy. Produced again by Steve Lillywhite, it was a more polished effort but did not win over as many critics as the first album. The track Gloria has proved to be a song that has stood the test of time and as the title of that song suggests, October's lyrics were of a heavily spiritual nature and they were all written by Bono.

October Lyrics:

1. Gloria
2. I Fall Down
3. I Threw A Brick Through A Window
4. Rejoice
5. Fire
6. Tomorrow
7. October
8. With A Shout
9. Stranger In A Strange Land
10. Scarlet
11. Is That All?

Fun Fact: October is the least selling of all the U2 albums. Even Pop sold more.....

Boy lyrics by U2

2011-08-27T15:07:00.000-07:00

Boy

Here's the lyrics to U2's Boy album. Released on October 20, 1980 it was produced by Steve Lillywhite who would go on to produce several U2 works.

Common lyrical themes among the album's songs are the thoughts and frustrations of adolescence which is not surprising as U2 were just a bunch of 20 something Irish lads when Boy came out!

Boy is probably best known for is classic tracks "I Will Follow" and The Electric Co.

Boy Lyrics:

1. "I Will Follow"
2. "Twilight"
3. "An Cat Dubh"
4. "Into the Heart"
5. "Out of Control"

Side two

1. "Stories for Boys"
2. "The Ocean"
3. "A Day Without Me"
4. "Another Time, Another Place"
5. "The Electric Co."
6. "Shadows and Tall Trees"

A question often asked about the album is, who is the boy on the cover? The answer is Peter Rowen. He went on to become a photographer.

Aung San Suu Kyi Walks free, we need to walk on further

2010-11-16T00:39:00.000-08:00

Having been following the recent news that political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi had been released, I had thought to myself that U2 would be pleased as they dedicated Walk On to her. Aung is this era's quivalent of Nelson Mandela, a prisoner for standing up for democracy and promoting it in her own country.

Given U2's activism and involvement with Amnesty International, it's no surprise U2 have sought to bring publicity to Aung San Suu Kyi's plight. So it was still no surprise I received the following email from the official U2 website:

Dear U2 Fan,

I'm sure, like us, you're delighted with the news of the release of Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma at the weekend. We should all be relieved, if cautious, that she has been able to take a step towards freedom.

However, we must remember that her release is not part of any political process but is designed to get positive publicity for the dictatorship after the blatant rigging of elections on 7th November. We must not forget the thousands of other political prisoners still suffering in Burma’s jails and must do whatever we can to encourage the international community to engage the junta in dialogue.

We will continue our support of this remarkable woman and her campaign, and as always we count on your continued input and continued vigilance.

Thanks

Edge

I have nothing else to add.

Boy Falls from the Sky Lyrics U2

2010-10-03T20:38:00.001-07:00

Boy Falls from the Sky Lyrics U2

This song was debuted by U2 during a show in Columbia. Boy falls from the Sky is from the Turn off the Dark musical that's all about Spiderman. The lyrics seemingly reflect the city in which spidey jumps around, slinging his webs... it's doubtful the song will appear on a proper U2 album.

Boy Falls from the Sky Lyrics

You can change your mind
But you cannot change your heart
It’s a compass and a map
The key to the chart

I’d be myself
If I knew I’d become
You can fly too high
And get too close to the sun

See how the boy falls from the sky

Not every wanderer
Is lost or far from home
I didn’t have to move so far
To find myself alone

Save, you save yourself
If you even get that right
I used to use a single thread
To cross the sky

And now the eye of the needle
Is your heart denied
The boy falls from the sky

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh

The city conducts a symphony
And such soul trash your melody
A single scrap of dignity
In the junkyard of humanity

To hear the voice inside your head
Listen now to no one else
You know exactly what to do
Believe in me
Believe in you

You take a look at my self esteem
And when you do
When you do
Ohhhhhhhhhhh
Believe

Mercy Lyrics U2

2010-09-17T20:43:00.000-07:00

"Mercy" Lyrics U2

On the current 360 Degree tour U2, have been playing and road testing new songs such as North Star and Every Breaking Wave, at the Munich show, U2 debuted Mercy.

Originally a song left over from the recording sessions from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, Mercy appears to be destined for U2's expected album, Songs of Ascent.

This live version of Mercy featured a set of revised lyrics from Bono:

Mercy Lyrics

I was drinking some wine
And it turned to blood
What’s the use of religion
If you’re only good

I know I’m weed killer, honey
And you’re sugar
If you’re the prosecution
I get away with murder

You’re gravity searching for the ground
I’m silence searching for a sound

Your heart is aching
Your heart is my home
It’s fascinating
I know I’ll never be alone

You’re gonna kill me and I wanna die
We were meant for each other, you and I
Souls allowed to love
And there’s nowhere else to turn

You’re not sorry, you’re not gonna cry
You put the blue back in my eye
It’s just us
Because, because, because we can
We must

If you’re hunger, baby let me feed it
If your heart is full, baby let me bleed it
And happiness is for those who don’t really need it
You love me too much

You wanna kill me and I wanna die
We’re a perfect match, you and I
Slaves without the drug
And there’s no one else to trust

I’m not sorry, you’re not gonna cry
You put the blue back in my eye
It’s just us
Because, because, because we can
We must

I’m gonna kill me and I wanna die
We were meant for each other, you and I
Souls allowed to trust
And there’s no one left to trust

I’m not sorry, you’re not gonna cry
You put the blue back in my eye
It’s just us
Because, because, because we can
We must
Because, because, because we can
We must
Because, because, because we can
We must

Check out the lyrics to another song U2 have tested out, Flower of Glastonbury.

Glastonbury Lyrics U2

2010-08-06T15:02:00.003-07:00

U2 Lyrics Glastonbury

Glastonbury debuted at U2's show in Turin along with the first performance of North Star.

Glastonbury Lyrics

Take me to the house of rain
You know I’ve never, ever been
I was passion as the devil made
As I was splashing along the way

Hey that`s known as the flowering rose, a flowering rose that said my name
Kings and wine the flowering rose, the flowering rose of Glastonbury

You. Are. A pocketful of sunshine
You. Are. The miracle of kingdom finds

Some things you just can`t control
Sometimes you’re just letting go

Going to the house of rest
Music it will set me right
You took me to the house of green
You knew that I had never been

Hey that`s known as the flowering rose, a flowering rose that said my name
Kings and wine the flowering rose, the flowering rose of Glastonbury

You. Are. A pocketful of sunshine
You. Are. The miracle of kingdom finds

Living like a pilgrim sleeping
Under the flower of the American dream
Set the scene like a thought worth keepin
Livin in a dream jeez you can’t be sleepin

You. Are. A pocketful of sunshine
You. Are. The miracle of kingdom finds
You. Are. Living on a dime
You. Are. A pocketful of sunshine
You. Are. The miracle of kingdom finds
The miracle of kingdom finds
The miracle of kingdom finds
The miracle of kingdom finds

North Star Lyrics U2

2010-08-06T15:02:00.001-07:00

North Star Lyrics U2

These are the lyrics to the new song U2 debuted at the Turin, Italy gig on March 6, 2010. No telling where the song will end up, maybe on Songs of Ascent. In which case the lyrics could be totally different by then.

North Star was apparently written during the How to Dismantle and Atomic Bomb sessions and according to @U2, the song is a tribute to Johnny Cash.

U2 North Star Lyrics

Forty-five light years
From home
From where you are
Where I wanna be
Beside you

Looking for direction
Star to your affection
The space between you and me

I can’t wait any longer
For your love
I can’t wait
I can’t wait
I can’t wait any longer
For it
I can’t wait any longer
For your love

The birds still singing for them
As they fly above the firmament
It’s not a song of discontent
It’s not like that
Up in the sky

Here I am, a space guy
Caught between the love and logic
Out here in the universe
Hey hey

I can’t wait any longer
For your love
I can’t wait
I can’t wait
I can’t wait any longer
For it
I can’t wait any longer
For your love

And a day as it ends
And you watch as the sun goes down
Pray that the night
Will go quickly now
Your hope
Your prayer
And the clouds leave the sky alone
There’s only one light that can guide you
Guide you

I can’t wait any longer
I can’t wait any longer
For your love
I can’t wait any longer
For your love
I can’t wait
I can’t wait
I can’t wait any longer
For your love
For your love

It’s like the silence and shock
Of the lights up there shining
You want it
You got it
You want it

Also debuted during the night was the song, Glastonbury

Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour) Lyrics U2 lyrics

2010-01-22T21:15:00.000-08:00

Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour) Lyrics U2 / Jay -Z / Rhianna lyrics

Produced by Swizz Beatz and tweaked by The Edge, this high-powered collaboration was created over the phone when the hip-hop beatsmith and Bono came up with the chorus together. Hours later, Jay-Z who helped conceive the effort with Swizz — jumped on the phone and got wind of the melody.

"I knew that Jay would be able to tell a story," Swizz said of the track. "And that Bono would be able to sing and bring it home."

Rihanna completes the lyrical trifecta. "The last component that I added was Rihanna, and she's kinda like the singing angel that's on the track, softening it up and giving it that caring feeling, because this hook is so powerful."

Bono, Edge, Rihanna and Jay- Z performed Stranded for the first time at the The Hospital Club in London during the Hope For Haiti Now benefit.

The song is already available for download on iTunes (US music store link) and 100% of proceeds benefit the cause.

Stranded (Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour) Lyrics:

When the sky falls and the Earth quakes
We gon put this back together
We won’t break

Sa Pa Sé, my Port-Au-Princes

my Haitian Gods and all of my Princesses
Our condolences as you fightin’ against this
we’re right by your side as we tryin’ to make sense of this
heavenly father help us see through these problems
and for those thats left accept them into your garden
so here’s my theory, the country’s already starvin’
so we sacrificed many to shed light on all of them
God please pardon, I speak from the heart
its the only way I see this tragedy befall on them
so lets get involved with them, hand to hand with them
arm to arm with them til they get strong again,
When the sky falls…

(Rihanna and Bono)

Can’t wait until tomorrow
Haiti, Mon Amour
Haiti, Mon Amour
Not gonna leave you stranded, alone, alone
oh no

Learn from the past, New Orleans was flooded
So we know we just can’t rely on the government
We under the rubble again, here we go rumbling when
When we gonna catch a break, my friend lost his mother and then
And then, Carline lost her uncles and them
Buried with no caskets, they just put covers on them
And the tears fall, and we fight back
Story ain’t done, it can’t end like that
Nah not like this, tomorrow’s survivors gonna carry on your name
You live on inside us, your memory’s alive with us
You inspired us, to rebuild this country, you just guide us

It’s not the angels that are on their way
its not the bells of Santa Trinite
the people waiting, position vacant
for hands to help, not just to pray

Haïti va s’élever
Tu vas te relever
Nous nous éléverons
Ensemble ensemble ensemble

(not gonna leave you stranded…)

we gon put this back together we wont break
we gon put this back together we wont break
we gon put this back together we wont break
we gon put this back together we wont break

Here the full Set list from the Hope For Haiti Concert

Check out some more pages on the meaning of U2 lyrics U2 lyrics that explore Jesus, Yahweh and The Good Book, U2 B-sides, or U2 songs that name check real people.

"Winter" Lyrics by U2 from the Brothers movie

2009-12-27T23:33:00.000-08:00

"Winter" Lyrics by U2

Winter is a song from the No Line on the Horizon recording sesssions. Winter appears in the war film Brothers at the request of director Jim Sheridan, and it plays over the closing credits.

Several different versions of the Winter have been recorded, including an uptempo rock arrangement on Linear and a slower acoustic version in Brothers.

Bono wrote Winter's lyrics in one night and they were revised just once after that. Tobey Maguire's character Captain Sam Cahill was the inspiration for the lyric, with the band noting that the focus on "intense hidden emotion" and the secrets he held inside "was a jumping off point, thematically."

Bono noted that film director Sheridan wanted a "complex song for a complex character" and so the band wrote two songs: "Winter" and "White as Snow". While "White as Snow" focuses more on the relationship between the Cahill brothers, "Winter's" lyrics contribute to a "more universal song about the experience of the armed forces in Afghanistan.

Winter Lyrics U2

The yellow sun

Well, it took the hand

Of a country boy

To a city in a far-off land

We made no mark

No shadow at all

On the ancient, holy streets

Where I learned to crawl

The broken and the bruised

The young and the used

The sure and confused

All here

Words will then land on me

Then abandon me

Mangle, untangle me

Leave me on the floor

Rhymes, they sprang in me

Summer sang in me

But summer sings in me no more

Now I'm twenty-five

And trying to stay alive

In a corner of the world

With no clear enemies to fight

It's hot as hell

We're like butter on toast

But there's no army in this world

That can fight a ghost

The broken and the bruised

The young and the used

The sure and confused

All here

Words will then land on me

Then abandon me

Leave me stranded

In guard of the door

Rhymes began in me

Summer sang in me

But summer sings in me no more

Listening to the cries

The strangers

The silence of the foreign grave

Listening to the thunder

The sky is strange

Stretched over everyone

Listening to the tales

The child sings

That goes for days and days

Listening to the calls

Shouts, frustration

At twenty-one

I was born a son

And on that day I knew

I could kill

To protect the ones

We put bullets in guns

Or anything it takes

To take a life until it's still

Check out more U2 song lyrics

"Be There" Lyrics U2

2009-11-17T22:30:00.000-08:00

"Be There" Lyrics by U2

This song is from The Unforgettable Fire era and was never formally released, even following the 25th anniversary release of the album - the songs that were released were Yoshino Blossom and Disappearing Act. Apparently you can find the song on bootleg recordings.

Of interest is the lyric "All I want is you", which Bono may have poached for the song of the same name off the Rattle and Hum album.

Be There Lyrics:

You don't have to break your heart in two, my love
You don't have to play a part, it's you I love
You don't have to hide from yourself
You don't have to be someone else again
You don't have to rescue me
You don't have to watch me drown
You don't have to give to me
All I want is you

Be there, my love
Be there tonight
Be there, my love
Be there tonight

You don't have to dress yourself up or stay the same
You don't have to smile if I say smile
You don't have to be the best
You don't have to give me rest
All I want is all you have
Nothing else, nothing
Be there, my love

Just be there, my love
If you want the whole of me that's all you'll get
I'll sing this song
I'd give my health, give it all
You don't have to

Ah, she comes on by
She says, I need you, my love
She says, all I want is you

You don't have to play your little game if I fall apart
You don't have to work those strings or do those things
You're enough in my heart
You don't have to hide from yourself
You don't have to be someone else
All I want is all you have
All I want is you

Be there, my love
Be there tonight
Be there, my love
Be there tonight

"Boomerang II" Lyrics U2

2009-10-25T18:15:00.000-07:00

"Boomerang II" Lyrics U2

Boomerang is from the recording sessions of The Unforgettable Fire and was used as the B-side to the big single, Pride. There was also an instrumental called Boomerang I.

Boomerang II lyrics:

Soul wind blow
Soul wind blow
Under her skin I hear her love him
Under her love at peace within
Under her hands that which I'm needing
Under her eyes I glimpse her love

Soul wind blow
Soul wind blow
Soul wind blow
Soul wind blow
Under her time I think I'm within
Under her lie I hear her love
Under her love I hear nothing
Under her eyes I disappear

Soul wind blow
Soul wind blow
Soul wind blow
Soul wind blow
Under the sky I'm pointing there
Under the power, baby

You say run away
Throw me away
Throw me away

In the drift we've come
In the drift we go
In the drift we've come
In the drift we go

Soul wind blow
Soul wind blow
Soul wind blow
Soul wind blow
Under her skin I feel loving
Under her sign there is no fear
Under her hands, that which I'm holding
Under her eyes I disappear

Soul wind blow
Soul wind blow
Soul wind blow
Soul wind blow

In the drift we've come
Soul wind blow
In the drift we go
Soul wind blow
In the drift we've come
Soul wind blow
In the drift we go
Soul wind blow
In the drift we've come
Under her
In the drift we go
Under her
In the drift we've come
Under her
In the drift we go
Under her
Soul wind blow
Soul wind blow
Under her hands
Soul wind
Some day throw me away
Fade it away
Throw it away

In the drift we've come
In the drift we go
In the drift we've come
In the drift we go
In the drift we've come
Soul wind blow
In the drift we go
Soul wind blow
In the drift we've come
Soul wind blow
In the drift we go
Soul wind blow
In the drift we've come
In the drift we go

Check out the song:

Beat on the Brat U2 / Ramones Lyrics

2009-10-25T15:38:00.001-07:00

"Beat On The Brat" Lyrics U2

Originally performed by the Ramones, U2 recorded the song in loving tribute to the Ramones. It can be found on the We're a Happy Family album which was a collection of Ramones covers.

The lyrics are hardly an inspiring story yet "Beat on the Brat" was described by Dee Dee Ramone as a true story. "Joey saw some mother going after a kid with a bat in his lobby and wrote a song about it." So it could be viewed as a comment on difficult mother son relationships or it might just be a cool song.

Beat on the Brat Lyrics

1-2-3-4

Beat on the brat
Beat on the brat
Beat on the brat
With a baseball bat
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh oh

Beat on the brat
Beat on the brat
Beat on the brat
With a baseball bat
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh oh
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh oh

What can you do
What can you do
With a brat like that always on your back
What can you lose

What can you lose
What can you lose
With a brat like that always on your back
What can you do

Beat on the brat
Beat on the brat
Beat on the brat
With a baseball bat
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh oh

Beat on the brat
Beat on the brat
Beat on the brat
With a baseball bat
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh oh
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh oh

What can you do
What can you do
With a brat like that always on your back
What can you do

What can you lose
What can you lose
With a brat like that always on your back
What can you do
Do

U2 songs worth a Second Listen

2009-10-16T21:56:00.000-07:00

U2 is a band well known for its big singles. Songs like Where the Streets Have No Name, Beautiful Day and Desire all popular the world over. Some U2 songs sometimes get over looked by the casual fan.

Here's a list of U2 songs that I think are worthy of a second listen.

Please, from the album Pop.

Pop is probably Bono’s best effort lyrically across an album. With wordplays on Michael Jackson being history over Jackson’s own HIStory pun, the blind leading the blonde and the line from Please, “Your Catholic blues, Your convent shoes” pretty much summing up Bono’s eternal search for his place and pace in the world - this song was depressing yet uplifting at the same time. Overall, it was a question being asked of Ireland's political leaders.

Dirty Day, Zooropa

“These days, days, days run away like horses over the hill” being sung over and over at the end always remind me that I never have enough time to do what ever it is I wanted do. This song did make me go see a documentary on the guy it was dedicated to, the author Charles Bukowski and read some of his books.

Van Dieman’s Land, from Rattle and Hum.

This song has the Edge singing about the life of the John Boyle O'Reilly, who was deported to Australia for writing bad poetry. The song's sentiments reflect the hard life that immigrants faced when they arrived in Van Dieman's Land. It's probably the best vocal the Edge ever did.

Unchained Melody

Clearly not an original U2 song but when you hear Bono sing it, it has the emotion that all their big hits have. Released as a B-side to With Or Without You, it has been a favourite amongst the U2 hardcore for years.

MLK, The Unforgettable Fire album.

While the fire is a reference to atomic bombs being dropped in Japan (an early portent of How to dismantle an Atomic Bomb maybe?) the album seemed dedicated to two Kings – Elvis and Martin Luther King. MLK is sung like a lullaby. While Bono’s politic rants and beseeches and besmirches of The Man might put the more jaded and cynical amongst us to sleep, you can’t complain that this song does the same in a nice under the covers on a rainy day kind of way.

Beat on the Brat, cover of The Ramones, from the We’re a Happy Family Ramones Tribute Album.

Beat on the brat with a baseball bat. Yeah punk. U2 started out playing Ramone’s covers trying to pass them off as their own. Which is pretty much the music industry down pat these days. What can you do?

Original of the Species.

Coming from their popular How to Dismantle and Atomic Bomb album, Original of the Species is almost like a classic father to daughter message, 'Don't Grow Up Too Fast, Baby'.

What are your favourite U2 songs you think are worthy of a second listen?

Unchained Melody Lyrics U2

2009-10-15T23:30:00.000-07:00

U2 have written a million songs about love, this cover of the Righteous Brothers mega hit is no less one of those songs. Its so blatantly about how a man loves a women that U2 could almost have been destined to sing it.

Unchained Melody has been a popular song with the U2 in crowd for years. U2 have played it live many times, and it was released as a b-side to All I Want Is You.

Unchained Melody was written by two people, the music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. Originally released in 1955 for a movie called Unchained. It was sung by one Mr Todd Duncan. It became a massive hit in 1965 for the Righteous Brothers, and they are probably the artist most associated with the song. Hell. I think Elvis did a cover along the way too...

If that's not enough, my wife and I danced to the U2 version at our wedding, in the rain ;)

Unchained Lyrics U2

Oh, oh my love
Oh my darling
I've hunger for your touch
A long and lonely time

And time goes by
So slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine ?

I need your love
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me

Lonely rivers flow
To the sea, to the sea
To the open arms of the sea

Lonely rivers sigh
Wait for me, wait for me
I'll be coming home
Wait for me

Oh, oh my love
Oh my darling
I've hungered for your touch
A long and lonely time

And time goes by
So slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine ?

I need your love
I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me
It to me
God speed your love to me

I need your love
I need your love
I need your love
I need your love
I need your love
I need your love
I need your love
I need your love
I need your love
I need your love
I need your love
I need your love
I need your love
I need your love
I need your love

"Angels Too Tied To The Ground" Lyrics U2

2009-10-10T16:46:00.000-07:00

"Angels Too Tied To The Ground" Lyrics U2

From the sessions of the War album.

Lyrics:

What is it that keeps me back from you
What is it when I just can't get through
What is it when we've nothing left to do
But savor the mess that we tried

What is it when the clock just won't rewind
What is it when our love seems to stop time
I'm telling you
Waving a white flag
Baby got a white flag flying for you baby
Got a white flag, a white flag

Angels too tied to the ground
Angels too tied to the ground
Angels too tied to the ground

And now it's only alive in my head
In my mind
All in my head, in my mind

Angels too tied to the ground
Angels too tied to the ground
Angels too tied to the ground

Angels too tied to the ground
Angels too tied to the ground
Angels too tied to the ground

"Alone In The Light" Lyrics U2

2009-10-10T16:39:00.000-07:00

"Alone In The Light" Lyrics U2

This is an early composition from U2 that was never formally released on an album or single but was played live on a few occasions.

Kind of like Party Girl, the lyrics highlight Bono's early efforts at creating imagery when he states what the person rather is than his later lyrics where he seems to focus on how people behave or are..... It is of course, arguable either way!

Alone In The Light Lyrics:

City street lights and I walked away
Don't leave me standing in the cold
Cigarette lights, feel my finger alight
I need to be alone

She can take you tonight
She can make you, that's alright
She can break you tonight
Don't missunderstand

Cigarette girls throw his head in a whirl
To be a superman
All of her girls, there must be a glimpse
I'm drinking all I can

We can take it tonight
We can make it, that's right
We can break it tonight
Don't missunderstand

The light
Alone in the light
Alone in the light
Alone in the light
In the city at night

She can take it tonight
She can make you, that's right
She can break you tonight
Don't missunderstand
Please take my hand

Alone in the light
Alone in the light
Alone in the light
In the city at night

We roam the streets in the morning light
We held our head in our hands

Alone in the light
Alone in the light
Alone in the light
In the city at night

"Alex Descends Into Hell For A Bottle Of Milk/Korova 1" Lyrics U2

2009-10-10T16:23:00.000-07:00

"Alex Descends Into Hell For A Bottle Of Milk/Korova 1" Lyrics U2

Alex Descends was the b-side to the 1991 single, The Fly, from the Achtung Baby album.

It was mostly an instrumental but with the following latin lyrics. They are complement 'The Fly' a song which Bono said was a 'phone call from hell".

Lyrics:

Dies irae, dies illa
Dies irae, dies illa
Tuba mirum spargens sonum
Decet in inferno
Dies illa, dies illa

The English translation of the Latin lyrics:

A day of wrath, that day
A day of wrath, that day
The trumpet's wondrous call sounding abroad
He descended into hell
A day of wrath, that day

"The Fool" Lyrics U2

2009-10-10T16:14:00.000-07:00

"The Fool" Lyrics U2

From U2's 1978 recording sessions with producer Barry Devlin - Street Missions also comes from this time.

The Fool lyrics:

Alive on an ocean
A world that I didn't see
I walk the world backways
It's aways just a shameful game

That's out of mind
Out of the living world
Out of time
I break all the rules
They call me a fool
Right

A cartoon in motion
A hero pretends no pain
A clown skipping backwards
You laugh at another's shame

But I don't mind
Out of a living low down
I don't mind
Winners or losers
It's all just a game
And I'm going down
And I'm slowing down

Life in an instant
The key to an open door
I'm living, I'm laughing
In living I'm living more

It's out of mind
Out of the living world
Out of time
Winners or losers
It's always a game
And I'm going down
But I'm slowing down
Turn around, turn around
And around and around
Turn around, turn around
There's a cloud, there's a cloud
Slow, slow
The fool has found the golden key
It's so slow
It's waiting there for you and me
Just a fool, a street jester
The hero of society
Just a fool, a street jester
Look at me, now can't you see

A life in a motion
A world I'm glad I didn't save
A cartoon in motion
A key to the same day

I don't mind, I'm here to know
I wanna go go go go go

Slow, slow
The fool has found the golden key
It's so slow
It's waiting there for you and me
Just a fool, a street jester
The hero of society
Just a fool, a street jester
Look at me, now can't you see

"Street Missions" Lyrics U2

2009-10-10T16:11:00.000-07:00

"Street Missions" Lyrics U2

This is a very early song from U2 that was never released on an album or single but was played in concert. Lyrically, the songs meaning could be about anything...

Street Missions:

Oh no, man I just got here
You got me thinking I'm about to leave
Sunset and maybe tomorrow
A new direction, I know
What I know know know
What I know know know

I walk tall, I walk in the wild wind
I love to stare
I love to watch myself grow
Sunset and maybe tomorrow
A new direction, I know
What I know know know
What I know know know

Street missions
Street missions
Street missions
Street missions

I'm not promising nothing
I'm just giving a smile
I can't rearrange it
Oh no, oh no no no

Street missions
Street missions
Street missions
Street missions

I walk tall, I walk in the wild wind
I love the image of plastic people
Sunset and maybe tomorrow
A resurrection alone
Well I know know know
I know know know
Oh no no no
Oh no

Oh, oh
Oh, I need something
I need something
I need someone
I need someone
I need you
Oh, I've got something
I've got something
I've got someone
I've got someone
I've got you

Street missions
Street missions
Street missions
And goodnight

Every Breaking Wave Lyrics by U2

2009-10-07T01:39:00.000-07:00

Every Breaking Wave Lyrics by U2

Every Breaking Wave is left over from the recording sessions of the U2 album, No Line on the Horizon. While not yet officially released, U2 have debuted it live during the 360 Tour. The lyrics below are from those live performances of the song.

While talk is cheap, U2 have gone on and on about Every Breaking Wave since NLOTH was released, perhaps more than other songs from the same album! Fans are predicting that the song will eventually be released officially when U2 get on their boots and finish the often talked about album, Songs of Ascent.

Bono and co have talked about how they will record the the follow up album in the near future. I'm not holding my breath. U2 are booked to tour till at least the end of 2010. Maybe they will do a Zooropa on us and record in between concert dates. Again, no breath holding as Bono and the Edge are trying to lock down the Spider Man musical, Turn Off the Dark which featured Boy Falls From The Sky

Every Breaking Wave lyrics

Every breaking wave
On the shore
Til the next one there’ll be one more

Every gambler knows
That to lose
Is what you’re really there for

Somewhere else, fearlessness
Now I’m speaking to an answer phone
Every falling leaf
On the breeze
Winter wouldn’t leave her alone

Ay hey now
Ay hey now

I don’t know if I’m that strong
I don’t know if I’m that strong
Don’t know if I’m that strong
To be somebody
To need someone

Every sailor knows that the sea
Is a friend made enemy
Every shipwrecked soul
Knows what it is
To live without intimacy
I thought I heard the master’s voice
It’s hard to listen while you preach

Like every broken wave
On the shore
This is as far as I can reach

Ay hey now
Ay hey now

I don’t know if I’m that strong
I don’t know if I’m that strong
Don’t know if I’m that strong
Got to be somebody
To need someone

The waves know
We’re on the rocks
Drowning is no sin

You know
That my heart
Is the same place yours has been

We know
Here with
The end before it begins

The waves know
We’re on the rocks
Drowning is no sin

You know
That my heart
Is the same place yours has been

We know
Here with
The end before it begins

Check out the lyrics to some other recently performed U2 songs, Glastonbury and North Star.

Sixty Seconds in Kingdom Come

2009-09-28T19:50:00.001-07:00

"Sixty Seconds in Kingdom Come" is an instrumental by U2. It is from The Unforgettable Fire recording sessions. It has been re-released as part of the new re issuing of the album.

Obviously then, the song being an instrumental means there are no lyrics.

"Disappearing Act" Lyrics U2

2009-09-28T19:48:00.000-07:00

The Unforgettable Fire cover artwork - featuring Slane Castle

"Disappearing Act" Lyrics U2

Disappearing Act is a new song that was released by U2 as part of the reissue of The Unforgettable Fire album. The music is from the original recording sessions with Bono adding new vocal tracks to the song for the reissue - so it's a true mix of old and new. The song used to be known as "White City".

The introduction is classic The Edge style soaring guitars, reminiscent of the I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For chord progression but a little faster.

Bono makes a reference to lepers in the head - a line he recycled for U2's 'One'. Note too, the line similarity in the Disappearing Act lyric 'lovers in your beds' and 'lepers in your head' that made it on to the One track and the similar themes Bono is exploring in both songs.

Disappearing Act Lyrics:

You do your disappearing act x 2

Silence
I know I could get used to this
Cunning
Your scent is something I'm not going to miss
Excite
It's a small price to pay for bliss
Alone
Like a painter's dog without a bone
When there's only one thing you need to own
And that is hunger
Hunger itself

I know we'll pick and wrench
Your night just ripped and it is torn to shreds
From all the lovers taken to your beds
They're empty now
And you think that you can love
And you think that you can love
And you think that you can love
Someone into home

You do your disappearing act
You do your disappearing act

Jealousy
It's not what it's cracked up to be
Envy
Gets you where you need to be
Alone
Rather the river than your stepping stones
Leave the graveyard before you turn to bones
I'm tragic, your comedy
Oh, baby doll
The dogs are barking, they need to be fed
All of the lepers your let in your head
Is it empty now
'Cause you think you can love
And you think that you can love
And you think that you can love
Someone into home

You do your disappearing act x 2

Check out Yoshino Blossom which was also released as part of the 25th Anniversary rerelease of The Unforgettable Fire.

Other pages you may be interested in:

"Yoshino Blossom" Lyrics U2

2009-09-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

"Yoshino Blossom" Lyrics U2

Yoshino Blossom is a new song that was released by U2 as part of the reissue of The Unforgettable Fire album. The song itself is an instrumental so there are no lyrics!

Yoshino Blossom presumably refers to the Japanese Cherry Blossoms and this is perhaps the clue that the instrumental is to evoke ideas of the atomic bombs being dropped on Japan and hence U2 using the title for the album and the song, The Unforgettable Fire.

The actual Unforgettable Fire was an art exhibition which reflected on the effects of the bombs.

Also released at the same time as this song was Disappearing Act.

U2 would later revisit the topic of the Atomic Bomb with the album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.

Check out some more pages on the meaning of U2 lyrics: U2 lyrics that explore Jesus, Yahweh and The Good Book, how Elvis was the King, or U2 songs that name check real people.

"Lady With The Spinning Head" Lyrics U2

2009-09-21T03:37:00.000-07:00

"Lady With The Spinning Head" Lyrics U2

Lady with the Spinning Head was a song left over from the Achtung Baby recording sessions. Keen listeners will note its similarity to The Fly. The song was released as a B-side to the single, One.

The lyrics possibly refer to taking a chance, or gambling....the spinning lady could be the roulette wheel found in a casino or is possibly 'lady luck' as suggested in the first line.

Lady with the Spinning Head Lyrics:

Here she comes, lady luck again
Figure of eight, six and nine again
My lady with the spinning head
Whatever the deal she won't let me down
Wherever I go she's always hanging round
My lady with the spinning head

Lady with the spinning head
Lady with the spinning head
Oh yeah

She's been gone but I knew she'd be back
She's got the rent, she put me in the black
The lady with the spinning head
If I ever let go, she'd cure my blues
She's the one in the Chinese shoes
Lady with the spinning head
I'm on top when she's around
Shes my ticket out of town
Lady with the spinning head

Lady with the spinning head
Lady with the spinning head
Lady with the spinning head
Lady with the spinning head

Here she comes, lady luck again
Figures
Here she comes
Figure of eight, six and nine again

"Two Shots Of Happy, One Shot Of Sad" Lyrics U2

2009-09-20T01:03:00.000-07:00

"Two Shots Of Happy, One Shot Of Sad" Lyrics U2

Written as a gift for Frank Sinatra, Two Shots of Happy, One Shot of Sad was released as a B-Side to If God Will Send His Angels, a single from U2's Pop album.

It is a jazzy lounge song written in the style of the music Sinatra is known for. Recorded for Sinatra's 80th birthday. It was played for him in a televised birthday tribute in 1995. It has a string arrangement by Craig Armstrong.

Sinatra's daughter Nancy recorded a version of Two Shots which had Adam and Larry on the rhythm section.

Two Shots Lyrics:

Two shots of happy, one shot of sad
You think I'm no good, well I know I've been bad
Took you to a place, now you can't get back
Two shots of happy, one shot of sad

Walk together down a dead end street
We were mixing the bitter with the sweet
Don't try to figure out what we might have had
Just two shots of happy, one shot of sad

I'm just a singer, some say a sinner
Rollin' the dice, not always a winner
You say I've been lucky, well hell, I made my own
Not part of the crowd but not feeling alone

Under pressure but not bent out of shape
Surrounded, we always found an escape
Drove me to drink but hey, thats not all bad
Two shots of happy, one shot of sad

Guess I've been greedy all of my life
Greedy with my children, my lovers, my wife
Greedy for the good things as well as the bad
Two shots of happy, one shot of sad

Maybe it's just talk, saloon singing
The chairs are all stacked, the swingers stopped swinging
You say I hurt you, you put the finger on yourself
Then after you did it you came crying for my help

Two shots of happy, one shot of sad
I'm not complaining, baby, I'm glad
You call it compromise, well, what's that
Two shots of happy, one shot of sad
Two shots of happy, one shot of sad

U2's New York song was also written with The Chairman of the Board in mind.

"Smile" Lyrics U2

2009-09-16T00:51:00.000-07:00

"Smile" Lyrics U2

Smile is from the Medium, Rare & Remastered compilation album of rarities and remastered tracks by the biggest band in the land, U2. The album was available to members of U2.com.

Smile Lyrics:

Gravity, it's not pulling me
I won't be a picture with no sound
Decaying, I'm praying
You are my air
But I need the ground to kneel upon
And love can't be us all
I don't want to see you smile

I'm breaking it, taking it
I'm breaking slowly in my mind
I'm seeing it, free in it
I know love is in this soul of mine
It's not in your eyes
I don't want
I don't want to see you smile

It started light-hearted
I won't be easier like you said
I'm going, flowing
I'm leaving on the day
Of the day I will live again
You will live again
I don't want to see you smile

God knows, He knows me
Knows me, lonely
You see, hear me, love
Say it again
You're not blind
The smoke machine
Is yours, not mine
I don't want to see you smile

I will live again
You will live again
I just don't want to see you smile

"Slide Away" Lyrics U2

2009-09-16T00:37:00.000-07:00

"Slide Away" Lyrics U2

Slide Away was performed by Bono on the Micheal Hutchence album which was released poshumously. Bono wrote the lyrics. Bono had empathy with/for Hutchence and wrote Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of with him in mind.

Slide Away Lyrics:

Are you gonna wake again
Are you gonna take it down
Oh babe, I don't wanna deal it
Oh, make it alright
Gimme some, my love
Away, away, away

I just want to slide away and come alive again
I just want to slide away and come alive again
I will see that love again and find a life again
I just want to slide away and come alive again

I wanted to let it go
I just couldn't let it go
I wanted to let it go
I just couldn't let you go
I would catch you
I'd catch you as you fall
I would catch you
I'd catch you if I heard your call
But you tore a hole in space like a dark star falls from grace
You burn across the sky and I'd find you wings to fly
And I would catch you
And I would catch your fall

I just want to slide away and come alive again
I just want to slide away and come alive again
I will see that love again and find a life again
I just want to slide away and come alive again

I just want to slide away and come alive again
Call me, slide away, calling me
I just want to slide away and come alive again
Calling, say gain, calling, call me
I will see that love again and find a life again
Calling again, falling, falling to night
I just want to slide away and come alive again
Calling, falling, I'd find a way

"Slow Dancing" Lyrics U2

2009-09-16T00:25:00.000-07:00

"Slow Dancing" Lyrics U2

The song "Slow Dancing" was originally a B-Side to the 1993 single "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)". It is an acoustic song, and only Bono and The Edge perform on this track.

"Slow dancing" was also released as a B-side to U2's 1997 single If God Will Send His Angels. This version featured country singer Willie Nelson.

Slow Dancing Lyrics:

My love is cruel as the night
She steals the sun and shuts out the light
All of my colors, they turn to blue
Win or lose

She does it slow dancing
Slow dancing
She does it slow dancing
All night long

Scarlet eyes and a see-through heart
She saw me coming right from the start
She picked me up but had me down on my knees
Just a-begging her
Begging her please

Take me slow dancing
Slow dancing
She took me slow dancing
All night long

And I don't know why a man
Search for himself in his lover's eyes
No, I don't know why a man
Sees the truth but needs the lies

My love is restless as the wind
She moves like a shadow across my skin
She left with my conscience
I don't want it back
It just gets in the way

If you wanna go slow dancing
Slow dancing
She took me slow dancing
All night long
Slow dancing
Slow dancing
Slow

"Love Comes Tumbling" Lyrics U2

2009-09-14T03:57:00.000-07:00

"Love Comes Tumbling" Lyrics U2 (version I)

Apparently there were three versions of Love Comes Tumbling? Either way, this version appeared on the U2 EP Wide Awake in America which featured Bad, A Sort of Home Coming and The Three Sunrises.

Love Comes Tumbling Lyrics

Love don't need to find a way
You find your own way
I forget that I can't stay
And so I say that

All roads lead to where you are
All roads lead to where you are

The seed is spilled, the bed defiled
For you, a virgin bride
Hide yourself in someone else
Don't find yourself in me

I can't lift you up again
Love comes tumbling down again

Love don't need to find a way
You find your own way
I forget that you can stay
And so I say that

All roads lead to where you are
All roads lead to where you are

"The Three Sunrises" Lyrics U2

2009-09-14T02:45:00.000-07:00

"The Three Sunrises" Lyrics U2

Three Sunrises was released on the U2 EP Wide Awake in America which featured Bad and A Sort of Home Coming from The Unforgettable Fire and Love Comes Tumbling.

The Three Sun Rises Lyrics:

Spirit of the rising sun, lift me up
Hold me there and never let me fall
Love me 'til I die, my heart won't wait
Soon I will be done

In this love song
Love song
Love song
Love song

Hey, hey, love won't find
Find it's own way home

In this love song
Love song
Love song
Love song

Sunshine, sunshine on me
Sunshine, sunshine on me

In this love song
Love song
Love song
Love song

Hey, hey, love won't find
Find it's way home

In this love song
Love song
Love song
Love song

Sunshine on me
Bring it through to my home
I would give you everything
I will give you my desire

Sunshine, sunshine on me
Sunshine, sunshine on me

"Satellite Of Love" Lyrics Lou Reed sung by Milla Jocovich

2009-09-11T01:25:00.000-07:00

"Satellite Of Love" Lyrics by Lou Reed

This song is a classic track by Lou Reed from his famous Transformer album. Featuring on The Million Dollar Hotel Soundtrack. It features Bono on backing vocals with Mrs Resident Evil Milla Jovovich on lead.

Lyrics:

Satellite's gone up to the sky
Things like that drive me out of my mind
I watched it for a little while
I love to watch things on TV

Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love

Satellite's gone, way up to Mars
It's alright, it's alright
Soon it will be filled with parking cars
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
I watched it for a little while
It's alright
I like to watch things on TV

Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love

It's alright, satellite, satellite of love
I've been told, baby, that you've been bold, baby
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday
You've been bold, you've been bold
With Harry, Mark and John

Satellite's gone up to the sky
Things like that
Things like that drive me out of my mind
I watched it for a little while

Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love

Monday, Wednesday, Tuesday, Friday
Satellite of love
Wednesday, Monday, Friday, Tuesday
Satellite of love
Monday, Wednesday, Tuesday, Friday
Satellite of love
Wednesday, Monday, Friday, Tuesday
Satellite of love
Monday, Friday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Satellite of love
Wednesday, Friday, Monday, Tuesday
Satellite of love
Tuesday

Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love
Satellite of love

Check out the lyrics to Stateless

"Dancing Shoes" Lyrics U2

2009-09-11T01:15:00.000-07:00

"Dancing Shoes" Lyrics U2

This song is performed by Bono and the Million Dollar Hotel Band for the movie, The Million Dollar Hotel.

Dancing Shoes Lyrics:

I know you're so sad
So sad you can't cry
But I know you let go
Although you can't remember why

Your lipstick don't fit
Your strap's coming loose
You're out in the hall
Waltzing the blues
Now you hurt somewhere
They won't find a bruise
You've been learning to walk
In those dancin' shoes

I had a mama
She told me 'bout you
She said true love don't lie
You touch that woman
And the smoke won't leave your eyes

You're talking your walk
'Cause you can't refuse
Learning to walk
In those dancin' shoes
Now you hurt somewhere
They won't find a bruise
Learning to walk
In those dancin' shoes

"Falling At Your Feet" Lyrics U2

2009-09-11T01:10:00.000-07:00

"Falling At Your Feet" Lyrics U2

This song was written and performed by Bono and long-time U2 producer Daniel Lanois for The Million Dollar Hotel movie soundtrack.

Falling at Your Feet Lyrics:

Every chip from every cup

Every promise given up

Every reason that's not enough

Is falling, falling at your feet

Every band elastic limit

Every race when there's nothing in it

Every winner that's lost a ticket

Is falling, falling at your feet

I've come crawling, falling at your feet

Every one who needs a friend

Every life that has no end

Every knee not ready to bend

Is falling, falling at your feet

I've come crawling, now I'm falling at your feet

All fall down

All the manic days, faces that pull

All fall down

All the x-rays not under your control

All fall down

The graphitti running down for futile

All fall down

And the compromise you make for someone

Every teenager with acne

Every face that's spoiled by beauty

Ever adult tamed by duty

Are all falling at your feet

Every foot in every face

Every cop stop who finds the grace

Every prisoner in the maze

Every hand that needs an ace

Is falling, falling at your feet

I've come crawling, I'm falling at your feet

All fall down

All the books you never read

All fall down

Just started

All fall down

All the meals you rushed

All fall down

And never tasted

Every eye closed by a bruise

Every plan that just can't lose

Every pop star hurling abuse

Every drunk back on the booze

All falling at your feet

I'm falling at your feet

All fall down

All the information

All fall down

All the big ideas

All fall down

All the radio waves

All fall down

Electronic seas

All fall down

How to navigate

All fall down

How to simply be

All fall down

The truth knows when to wait

All fall down

Explained simplicity

All fall down

In whom shall I trust

All fall down

How might I be still

All fall down

Teach me to surrender

Not my will

Thy will

"Stateless" Lyrics U2

2009-09-11T01:05:00.000-07:00

"Stateless" Lyrics U2

Stateless is from The Million Dollar Hotel soundtrack for which Bono played a major contribution.

Stateless Lyrics:

I've got no home in this world
Just gravity, luck, and time
I've got no home in this world
Just you and you are not mine

Stateless
Weightless
Stateless

Such a girl

There are no colors in your eye
There's no sunshine in your sky
There's no race, only the prize
There is no tomorrow, only tonight

Stateless
It's the difference

You can cover a world with your thumb
Still so big, so bright, so beautiful

Weightless
Stateless

Push down on me
Push down on me
A weight now
A weight down on me
Your weight down
Be the weight, hard
Down on me
Be the heavy hand
The wall of sand
Be the weight, hard
Down on me

Stateless
Weightless
Hateless

"Never Let Me Go" Lyrics U2

2009-09-11T01:00:00.000-07:00

"Never Let Me Go" Lyrics U2

Never Let Me Go was written and performed by Bono and the Million Dollar Hotel Band for The Million Dollar Hotel Soundtrack

Spoken Text:

Wow, after I jumped, it occured to me: life is perfect. Life is the best, full of magic and beauty, opportunity and television, and surprises, lots of surprises, yeah. And then there's the best stuff, of course, better than anything anyone ever made up 'cause it's real.

Lyrics proper:

You take a stranger by the hand

A man who doesn't understand his wildest dreams

You walk across the dirty sand

And offer him an ocean of what he's never seen

Maybe I was blind

Or I might have closed my eyes

Maybe I was dumb

But what forgot to say

If you didn't know

Is never let me go

Never let me go

Never let me go

Never let me go

You run from love and don't believe

Unless it catches you by the heel

And even then, you struggle

From red island across the strand

Your footprints still there in the sand

Everything else washed away

I may not be alone

Or I may have found my home

I may have lost my way

But what I forgot to say

If you didn't know

Is never let me go

Never let me go

Never let me go

Check out the lyrics to Dancing Shoes