'This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now' song lyrics by U2

This song is from U2's new Songs of Innocence album. It ss dedicated to the gone but never forgotten Joe Strummer, and 'celebrates The Clash spirit of passion and purposefulness'.

In "This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now," U2 draws heavily from the punk ethos of rebellion and resistance, with lyrics that capture a generational call to arms, echoing the spirit of The Clash. 

Bono’s invocation of "Soldier, soldier / We signed our lives away" reveals a metaphorical enlistment into a cause bigger than oneself—a surrender not to traditional warfare but to a lifelong battle for meaning, truth, and justice. The imagery of complete surrender as "the only weapon we know" speaks to the band's immersion in the world of activism and idealism, where their chosen struggle is waged not with violence but with music and conviction. 

There's a sense of lost innocence and irrevocable change in "we knew the world would never be the same," reflecting how The Clash shaped U2's early vision—a vision that was less about being “cool” and more about channeling the energy of punk into something constructive, something transformative.

The lyrics carry a sense of disillusionment, especially in the exchanges with the "Old man," who represents a kind of weary pragmatism. "Old man knows how to cheat ambition / You don’t lose if you don’t play" reflects a generational divide, where youthful defiance butts up against the cynical wisdom of experience. 

Yet U2 chooses to "take the path of most resistance," a reference to their decision to rebel not just against authority but against complacency itself, embracing the difficult road of social change and artistic integrity. 

'This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now' song lyrics by U2

Soldier, soldier

We signed our lives away

Complete surrender
The only weapon we know
Soldier soldier
We knew the world would never be the same
Solider, this is where you can reach me now

We come from an ancient place
Beyond what we can see
We’ve come to colonise your night
And steal your poetry

Old man knows that I never listen
So how could I have something to say
Old man knows how to cheat ambition
You don’t lose if you don’t play

1 2 3 4 was enough

Soldier, soldier
We signed our lives away
Complete surrender
The only weapon we know
Soldier soldier
We knew the world would never be the same
Solider, this is where you can reach me now

In a double decker bus
Into College Square
If you won’t let us in your world
Your wold just isn’t there
If you won’t let us in your world
Your world just isn’t there

Old man says that we never listen
We shout about what we don’t know
We’re taking the path of most resistance
The only way for us to go

Hup 2 3 4 was enough

Soldier, soldier
We signed our lives away
Complete surrender
The only weapon we know
Soldier soldier
We knew the world would never be the same
Solider, this is where you can reach me now

This is the site
This is the season
This is where you can reach me now
This is the time
This is the number
This is where you can reach me now

Check out the lyrics to The Troubles which is also from Songs of Innocence.