"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" song lyrics by U2

Sunday, August 9, 2009
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is arguably the emotional centerpiece of U2's 1987 masterpiece, The Joshua Tree.

More than just a yearning love song, it's a spiritual quest, a pilgrim's progress set to a deceptively simple but powerfully uplifting melody. Bono's lyrics are a study in contrasts, mirroring the album's exploration of America's promise and its contradictions.

He sings of "broken bonds" and "shattered dreams," yet there's an irrepressible sense of hope, fueled by gospel fervor and a refusal to surrender to despair. "I believe in the Kingdom Come," he declares, his voice soaring with an almost evangelical conviction, "Then all the colors will bleed into one." This yearning for unity, for a resolution of the conflicts that plague both the heart and the world, resonates deeply within the song's core.
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" song lyrics by U2

The beauty of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" lies in its honesty. This isn't a triumphant anthem of arrival but a raw and vulnerable confession of an ongoing search.

Bono's vocals, imbued with both passion and uncertainty, capture the essence of a soul caught between doubt and faith, longing and fulfillment.

The Edge's shimmering guitar lines, echoing the vastness of the American landscape that inspired The Joshua Tree, provide a sonic backdrop for this internal struggle. The song's power is amplified by its gospel influences, particularly in the soaring backing vocals and the call-and-response structure that evokes a fervent church service.

This blend of rock and gospel, secular and spiritual, perfectly encapsulates the album's exploration of faith and doubt in the modern world.\


"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" Lyrics by U2:

I have climbed the highest mountain
I have run through the fields
Only to be with you
Only to be with you

I have run, I have crawled
I have scaled these city walls
These city walls
Only to be with you

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for

I have kissed honey lips
Felt the healing in her fingertips
It burned like fire
This burning desire
I have spoke with the tongue of angels
I have held the hand of a devil
It was warm in the night
I was cold as a stone

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for

I believe in the kingdom come
Then all the colors will bleed into one
Bleed into one
Well, yes, I'm still running

You broke the bonds and you
Loosed the chains
Carried the cross
And my shame
All my shame
You know I believe it

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for

Don't go away
I'll sing my love for you
Don't go away
Oh you know I love this place
Don't go away
I won't go without you baby
Don't go away
Don't go away

-

Ultimately, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is a song about the journey itself, rather than the destination. It's a testament to the enduring human desire for something more, something beyond the material and the mundane. 

 It's a reminder that the search for meaning and connection is often fraught with challenges and setbacks, but that the pursuit itself is a vital part of the human experience. Even in its uncertainty, the song offers a strange kind of solace, acknowledging the universal longing for something that may always remain just out of reach.

And in that very act of acknowledgment, it creates a sense of shared humanity, a connection that transcends the individual search for meaning.

Check other lyrics from The Joshua Tree including "Running to Stand Still" and "Red Hill Mining Town".




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