"So Cruel" song lyrics by U2 from Achtung Baby

 

So Cruel is from U2's very popular album, Achtung Baby. 

The song  isexploration of the emotional turmoil that comes with unrequited love, infidelity, and the painful dynamics of a broken relationship.

 Lyrically, the song delves into feelings of jealousy, betrayal, and longing, capturing the perspective of someone caught in a destructive cycle of love that is both deeply consuming and hopelessly unattainable. 

Bono’s lyrics, like "We’re cut adrift, but still floating," and "You don't care if it hurts," paint a portrait of a relationship where one partner is emotionally distant or unfaithful, leaving the other trapped in a mix of devotion and anguish. 

The refrain, "So cruel," underscores the painful imbalance of power within the relationship, where love has become a source of suffering rather than fulfillment. 

The song conveys the helplessness of being tethered to someone who cannot or will not reciprocate the intensity of one’s emotions, creating a heart-wrenching juxtaposition between desire and despair.

"So Cruel" song lyrics by U2 from Achtung Baby

We crossed the line
Who pushed who over
It doesn't matter to you
It matters to me

We're cut adrift
We're still floating
I'm only hanging on
To watch you go down
My love

I disappeared in you
You disappeared from me
I gave you everything you ever wanted
It wasn't what you wanted

The men who love you, you hate the most
They pass through you like a ghost
They look for you but your spirit is in the air
Baby, you're nowhere

Oh love you say in love there are no rules
Oh love sweetheart
You're so cruel

Desparation is a tender trap
It gets you every time
You put your lips to her lips
To stop the lie

Her skin is pale like God's only dove
Screams like an angel for your love
Then she makes you watch her from above
And you need her like a drug

Oh love you say in love there are no rules
Oh love sweetheart
You're so cruel

She wears my love like a see-through dress
Her lips say one thing
Her movements something else
Oh love like a screaming flower
Love dying every hour love

You don't know if it's fear or desire
Danger the drug that takes you higher
Head in heaven, fingers in the mire
Her heart is racing, you can't keep up
The night is bleeding like a cut
Between the horses of love and lust
We are trampled underfoot

Oh love you say in love there are no rules
Oh love sweetheart
You're so cruel

Oh love to stay with you I'd be a fool
Sweetheart, you're so cruel

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The song was written during a period of intense emotional strain for the band, particularly for Bono, who has mentioned that Achtung Baby reflects personal and relational struggles he and others in the band were facing at the time. "So Cruel" taps into that tension, addressing not just romantic love but the larger theme of emotional distance and miscommunication. 

Musically, the song is built around a minimalistic structure—The Edge’s subtle guitar work and Adam Clayton’s pulsing bassline create an atmospheric, almost hypnotic backdrop for Bono’s vulnerable, sorrowful vocals. This sparse arrangement amplifies the sense of isolation in the lyrics, as though the singer is stranded in his pain, reaching out for someone who remains unreachable. 

Check out the lyrics to The Fly. It was a big number one hit for U2.

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