"Miracle Drug" song lyrics by U2

U2’s “Miracle Drug” is a soaring anthem that taps into the band's signature ability to fuse the personal with the universal, this time drawing inspiration from the remarkable life of Irish writer Christopher Nolan. 

Born with cerebral palsy, Nolan’s physical limitations never confined his brilliance, and with the help of groundbreaking medical advancements, he found a way to communicate his vibrant imagination to the world.

 

Bono, ever the master of grandiosity with a purpose, channels this story into a narrative that’s as much about the triumph of human will as it is about scientific progress. “Freedom has a scent like the top of a newborn baby’s head,” he sings, distilling the complex mix of innocence and power that medical breakthroughs—and the love of those around us—can bring.

Bono said of Nolan:

"We all went to the same school and just as we were leaving, a fellow called Christopher Nolan arrived. He had been deprived of oxygen for two hours when he was born, so he was paraplegic. 

But his mother believed he could understand what was going on and used to teach him at home. Eventually, they discovered a drug that allowed him to move one muscle in his neck. So they attached this unicorn device to his forehead and he learned to type.

And out of him came all these poems that he'd been storing up in his head.

Then he put out a collection called Dam-Burst of Dreams, which won a load of awards and he went off to university and became a genius. All because of a mother's love and a medical breakthrough."

"Miracle Drug" song lyrics by U2

I want to trip inside your head
Spend the day there
To hear the things you haven't said
And see what you might see

I want to hear you when you call
Do you feel anything at all
I want to see your thoughts take shape
And walk right out

Freedom has a scent
Like the top of a new born baby's head

The songs are in your eyes
I see them when you smile
I've seen enough, I'm not giving up
On a miracle drug

Of science and the human heart
There is no limit
There is no failure here sweetheart
Just when you quit

I am you and you are mine
Love makes nonsense of space
And time will disappear
Love and logic keep us clear
Reason is on our side, love

The songs are in your eyes
I see them when you smile
I've had enough of romantic love
I'd give it up, yeah, I'd give it up
For a miracle drug, a miracle drug
A miracle drug

Oh God, I need your help tonight

Beneath the noise
Below the din
I hear a voice
It's whispering
In science and in medicine
I was a stranger
You took me in

The songs are in your eyes
I see them when you smile
I've had enough of romantic love
I'd give it up, yeah, I'd give it up
For a miracle drug, for a miracle drug
Miracle, miracle drug

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Miracle Drug” isn’t just a tribute to science; it’s a hymn to the human heart's boundless capacity to heal and to love. Bono reaches for the transcendental, as always, with lines like “Of science and the human heart, there is no limit.” The Edge’s chiming guitar, paired with Adam Clayton’s steady bass and Larry Mullen Jr.’s understated percussion, keeps the song tethered to earth while still allowing it to shoot for the stars. 

Side Note: On R.E.M.'s 1988 Green album, the song "The Wrong Child" was inspired by Nolan's memoir Under the Eye of the Clock.

Check out some more U2 lyrics from How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb - Love And Peace Or Else or City Of Blinding Lights