Shadows and Tall Trees" is the closing track on U2’s debut album Boy. The song's title is derived from a chapter in William Golding's Lord of the Flies, emphasizing themes of innocence, maturity, and existential questions. As a reflective and introspective piece, it juxtaposes childhood wonder with the complexities of adulthood, a recurring motif throughout Boy.
The song opens with a sense of urban isolation and routine. Lines like “Back to the cold restless streets at night” and “Mrs. Brown’s washing is always the same” suggest a world of repetition and predictability, where life follows an unchanging pattern. The mention of Mrs. Brown’s washing symbolizes the mundane, cyclical nature of adulthood, viewed from a young person’s perspective. While a simple domestic act, laundry serves as a metaphor for the protagonist’s fear of an unchanging, predetermined life. This contrast between the restless streets and domestic routine adds to the song’s underlying tension.
Central to the song’s meaning is the contrast between shadows and tall trees, representing fear and growth. Shadows symbolize uncertainty and the looming presence of adulthood, while tall trees suggest structure, maturity, and expectations imposed by society.
The repeated refrain “Shadows and tall trees” reinforces the protagonist’s inner conflict—navigating between youthful freedom and the inevitable responsibilities of growing up. These themes align with the overarching concept of Boy, an album that explores adolescence, identity, and transformation.
The song opens with a sense of urban isolation and routine. Lines like “Back to the cold restless streets at night” and “Mrs. Brown’s washing is always the same” suggest a world of repetition and predictability, where life follows an unchanging pattern. The mention of Mrs. Brown’s washing symbolizes the mundane, cyclical nature of adulthood, viewed from a young person’s perspective. While a simple domestic act, laundry serves as a metaphor for the protagonist’s fear of an unchanging, predetermined life. This contrast between the restless streets and domestic routine adds to the song’s underlying tension.
Central to the song’s meaning is the contrast between shadows and tall trees, representing fear and growth. Shadows symbolize uncertainty and the looming presence of adulthood, while tall trees suggest structure, maturity, and expectations imposed by society.
The repeated refrain “Shadows and tall trees” reinforces the protagonist’s inner conflict—navigating between youthful freedom and the inevitable responsibilities of growing up. These themes align with the overarching concept of Boy, an album that explores adolescence, identity, and transformation.
From Bono's perspective, "Shadows and Tall Trees" encapsulates a sense of vulnerability and yearning for connection.
"Shadows And Tall Trees" Song Lyrics - U2 from Boy
Back to the cold, restless streets at nightI talk to myself about tomorrow night
Walls of white protest, a gravestone in name
Who is it now
It's always the same
Who is it now who calls me inside
Are the leaves on the trees just living disguise
I walk the sweet rain tragicomedy
I'll walk home again to the street melody
But I know oh no
But I know oh no
But I know
Shadows and tall trees
Shadows and tall trees
Shadows and tall trees
Shadows and tall trees
Life through a window, a discolored pain
Mrs. Brown's washing is always the same
I walk the sweet rain tragicomedy
I'll walk home again to the street melody
But I know oh no
But I know oh no
But I know
Out there
Do you feel in me anything redeeming
Any worthwhile feeling
Is life like a tightrope hanging on my ceiling
But I know oh no
But I know oh no
But I know
Shadows and tall trees
Shadows and tall trees
Shadows and tall trees
Shadows and tall trees
Shadow, shadow, shadow
My shadow, shadow, shadow
Shadows and tall trees
Shadows and tall trees
Follow me
My shadow, shadow, shadow
Seeing my shadow, shadow, shadow
Shadows and tall trees
Shadows and tall
-
The song’s existential questioning reaches its peak with the line “Do you feel in me anything redeeming, any worthwhile feeling?”
Here, the protagonist directly confronts the fear of insignificance and the struggle to find meaning in a seemingly predetermined existence.
This uncertainty mirrors later U2 works, such as “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, which also expresses a relentless search for purpose. The tightrope metaphor in “Is life like a tightrope? Hanging on my ceiling” further emphasizes the fragile balance between youthful possibility and the constraints of adult life.
Beyond personal introspection, Shadows and Tall Trees subtly critiques middle-class life and societal expectations. The reference to Mrs. Brown’s washing suggests a life of habitual routine, something the young narrator may fear becoming trapped in. This notion of escape from a mundane existence is a recurring theme in U2’s early music, notably in songs like “Out of Control” and “Twilight”.
Additionally, the Lord of the Flies connection provides an interesting contrast: while the boys in the novel descend into chaos and savagery, Mrs. Brown’s rigid routine remains unchanged, underscoring the protagonist’s conflicting views on structure and freedom.
As Boy’s closing track, Shadows and Tall Trees leaves listeners with a sense of unresolved tension. It does not offer answers but instead highlights the struggles of growing up, confronting the unknown, and questioning the repetitive nature of life. Through its poetic lyrics and introspective themes, the song captures the core anxieties of youth—uncertainty, identity, and the fear of becoming trapped in an ordinary existence.
The song was written about the same time as the band's Street Mission song.
0 Achtung Babies:
Post a Comment