U2's "New Year's Day" song lyrics

U2’s "New Year’s Day," from their War album, captures a moment when the personal and political collide in the band's most sophisticated songwriting to date. 

From the opening bassline, it sets a tone that’s at once icy and urgent, driven by The Edge's ringing, chiming guitar riff that cuts through like a clarion call. 

While initially inspired by Bono's personal feelings about love and separation, the song quickly expanded into a sweeping commentary on the political unrest of the time, specifically referencing the Polish Solidarity movement led by Lech Wałęsa. 

Bono’s lyrics—“Under a blood-red sky / A crowd has gathered in black and white”—evoke images of revolution and resistance, a reflection of the mass protests that were shaking the Eastern Bloc. 

The song’s real power comes from its ability to harness a sense of yearning—for freedom, for unity, for something beyond the darkness of oppression.

"New Year's Day" song lyrics by U2 from the War album

All is quiet on New Year's Day
A world in white gets underway
I want to be with you
Be with you night and day
Nothing changes on New Year's Day
On New Year's Day

I will be with you again
I will be with you again

Under a blood-red sky
A crowd has gathered in black and white
Arms entwined, the chosen few
The newspaper says, says
Say it's true, it's true
And we can break through
Though torn in two, we can be one

I, I will begin again
I, I will begin again

Yeah

Oh and maybe the time is right
Oh maybe tonight

I will be with you again
I will be with you again

And so we are told this is the golden age
And gold is the reason for the wars we wage
Though I want to be with you
Be with you night and day
Nothing changes on New Year's Day
On New Year's Day
On New Year's Day

Musically, "New Year’s Day" marks a high point in U2’s early career, with Adam Clayton’s thundering bass and Larry Mullen Jr.’s crisp, militaristic drumming creating a rhythmic backbone that propels the song forward. There's a tension between the hope embedded in the lyrics—“I will be with you again”—and the uncertainty of the world Bono describes. 

The song’s sweeping, almost cinematic arrangement mirrors the grand scale of its themes, transforming it into an anthem not just for personal reconciliation, but for political and social renewal. It’s a track that brilliantly bridges the personal and the political, giving listeners something both intimate and vast to hold onto, a rare feat that U2 would continue to perfect.

"New Year’s Day" became one of U2’s breakout hits and their first major success on the charts outside of Ireland and the UK, signaling the band's shift from post-punk outsiders to a global force. More importantly, it solidified U2’s reputation as a band unafraid to confront the political realities of the world head-on, without losing the emotional core of their music. With this song, they moved beyond simple protest to create something more enduring—a call for change that also embraced the complexities and contradictions of the human condition. 

Check out more lyrics from the album the Sunday Bloody Sunday came from, War which features songs Seconds, New Year's Day and Like A Song.