"A Sort Of Homecoming" Song Lyrics by U2

Saturday, August 8, 2009
"A Sort Of Homecoming" Song Lyrics by U2
A Sort of Homecoming," the opening track on U2's 1984 album The Unforgettable Fire, marks a significant shift in the band's sound and lyrical approach. 

 While War raged with political urgency and raw emotion, "Homecoming" ushers in an era of atmospheric introspection, a sonic landscape painted with broader strokes and more poetic imagery. The song's expansive soundscape, with The Edge's shimmering guitar textures and Brian Eno's ambient production, creates a sense of vastness and wonder, reflecting the song's theme of journey and self-discovery. 

Unlike the directness of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" or the anthemic quality of "Pride (In the Name of Love)," "Homecoming" unfolds gradually, inviting the listener to embark on a sonic pilgrimage alongside the band.

Lyrically, "A Sort of Homecoming" is rich with symbolism and metaphor. Bono, inspired by his travels through Ethiopia and his growing fascination with literature and philosophy, crafts a narrative that transcends the physical journey, delving into the realm of the spiritual and the existential. "And you hunger for the time / Time to heal, desire, time / And your earth moves beneath / Your own dream landscape," he sings, evoking a sense of longing for something beyond the mundane, a yearning for connection and meaning. 

The "homecoming" referenced in the title is not merely a return to a physical place, but a journey inward, a rediscovery of the self. This theme of searching for meaning and connection is echoed in other tracks on The Unforgettable Fire, such as "Wire" with its exploration of internal struggles and "Bad," a poignant reflection on addiction and loss.

A Sort of Homecoming also featured on the U2 EP, Wide Awake in America.

"A Sort Of Homecoming" Song Lyrics by U2

And you know it's time to go

Through the sleet and driving snow

Across the fields of mourning

To a light that's in the distance


And you hunger for the time

Time to heal, desire, time

And your earth moves beneath

Your own dream landscape


Oh, on borderland we run

I'll be there, I'll be there tonight

A high road

A high road out from here


The city walls are all pulled down

The dust a smokescreen all around

See faces ploughed like fields

That once gave no resistance


And we live by the side of the road

On the side of a hill as the valley explodes

Dislocated, suffocated

The land grows weary of its own


Yosoma way oh coma way o com o coma way say I

O coma way o coma way o com o coma way say I


Oh, on borderland we run and still we run

We run and don't look back

I'll be there, I'll be there

Tonight, tonight


I'll be there tonight

I'll believe

I'll be there so hold on

I'll be there tonight

Tonight


Yocoma way amy samwesay oma

Yocoma way oma say


The wind will crack in wintertime

This bomb-blast lightning waltz

No spoken words, just a scream, oh


Tonight we'll build a bridge across the sea and land

See the sky, the burning rain

She will die and live again

Tonight


And your heart beats so slow

Through the rain and fallen snow

Across the fields of mourning

To a light that's in the distance


Oh, don't sorrow,

No don't weep for tonight, at last

I am coming home

I am coming home

"A Sort of Homecoming" stands as a pivotal moment in U2's evolution. It marks a departure from the raw energy of their earlier work, embracing a more atmospheric and introspective sound. The song's lyrical depth and sonic richness set the stage for the album's exploration of themes such as memory, loss, and the search for meaning in a world often marked by chaos and uncertainty.

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