'The Crystal Ballroom' song lyrics by U2

"The Crystal Ballroom," a B-side from U2's Songs of Innocence, is a nostalgic and deeply personal track, with Bono reflecting on his youth and the significance of the dance halls in Dublin, particularly the one his parents frequented. The ballroom becomes a metaphor for memory, love, and loss, capturing the energy and excitement of life before adulthood's complexities set in. Bono conjures an image of the past where people danced not just for joy, but as an act of freedom and rebellion. The repeated lyric, "If I could, I’d make it all right," speaks to a desire to reconcile with the past, to relive and correct moments that have since faded away.

Musically, the song channels a more upbeat, disco-inspired sound that contrasts with its reflective lyrical themes, embodying U2’s concept of "joy as an act of defiance" found throughout Songs of Innocence. The dance-hall references are intertwined with spiritual undertones, as Bono alludes to an almost ethereal transcendence through music and movement. It’s a rare glimpse into the singer’s personal history, where memory, music, and the passage of time coalesce into something deeply moving yet infectious.

The Crystal Ballroom is a bonus song that comes with the Deluxe Edition of Songs of Innocence.

The Crystal Ballroom lyrics by U2

 Life begins with the first glance
The first kiss at the first dance
All of us are wondering why we’re here
In the crystal ballroom underneath the chandelier

Wet the glass ’til the glasses sing
We punish our hearts ’til the heart bells ring
‘Cause where we come from
We’re not always kind
The human story is what love leaves behind

We’re the ghosts of love
And we haunt this place
We’re the ghosts of love
In every face
In the ballroom of the crystalline
Everyone’s here with me tonight
Everyone but you

Our first chance is their last dance
Our life is shaped by another’s hands
Buttoning, unbuttoning her Coco dress
Stopping and unstopping every cold caress

Born for bliss, born for this
Every human life begins with a kiss
Kissed by every kind of possibility
And everyone is here tonight with me

We’re the ghosts of love
And we haunt this place
We’re the ghosts of love
In every face
In the ballroom of the crystalline
Everyone’s here with me tonight

Everybody’s here with me tonight
Everybody’s here with me but you
Everybody’s here with me tonight
Everybody’s here with me but you
Everybody’s here with me tonight
Everybody’s here with me but you
Everybody’s here with me tonight
Everybody’s here with me but you

Born for bliss, born for this
Every human life begins with a kiss

Lucifer's Hands is also another track from the Special Version of the album.

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"Lucifer's Hands" song lyrics by U2

Along with The Crystal Ballroom, "Lucifer's Hands," is an additional track from U2's album "Songs of Innocence," released as part of the deluxe edition, delves into a blend of personal history, spiritual struggle, and the quest for redemption. This song, like many others in U2's repertoire, intertwines the band's personal narratives with broader, more universal themes, allowing listeners to find their own meanings in the lyrics.

One of the primary themes of "Lucifer's Hands" is the struggle between good and evil, both externally and within oneself. The title itself, invoking the name of Lucifer, a symbol of temptation and fallen grace in Christian theology, sets the stage for a narrative about confronting inner demons and moral challenges.

The lyrics, "I was chasing down the days of fear, chasing down a dream before it disappeared," suggest a journey through difficulties and uncertainties, metaphorically represented by 'Lucifer's hands' trying to take control.

The song also explores the theme of liberation and rebirth. 

The lines, "I got out from under Lucifer's hands, and I can dance, I can dance," indicate a triumphant escape from the grip of negative forces, whether they be personal struggles, doubts, or external challenges. 

"Lucifer's Hands" song lyrics by U2

Punk rock party in a suburban home
Everybody’s famous here but nobody’s known
We got no music ‘cause the speaker’s blown apart

The spirit’s moving through a seaside town
I’m born again to the latest sound
New wave airwaves swirling around my heart

You no longer got a hold on me
I’m out of Lucifer’s hands
You no longer got a hold on me
You’re no longer in control of me
I am

The NME is spitting from an inky page
St. John the Divine is gonna take the stage
Like a talent show where your talent is your rage
I’m in

Prayers of fire on a raindog night
Young men see visions beyond sound or sight
The Velvets beginning to see the light
Amen

You no longer got a hold on me
I’m out of Lucifer’s hands
You no longer got a hold on me
You’re no longer in control of me
I am

Yes, I can change the world
Yes, I can change the world
The poor breaking bread
That’s made out of stone
The rich man won’t eat
He’s eating alone
That’s easy
But I can’t change the world in me

You no longer got a hold on me
I’m out of Lucifer’s hands
You no longer got a hold on me
You’re no longer in control of me
I am

-

This theme of liberation is not just about physical freedom, but also about spiritual and emotional awakening. The ability to dance, in this context, symbolizes joy, freedom, and the reclaiming of one's spirit after being under a dark influence.

Additionally, "Lucifer's Hands" touches on the journey of finding one's voice and identity. This is particularly evident in the line, "I was playing with fire, not feeling the heat," which can be interpreted as a young person's experimentation with danger and risk, not fully understanding or acknowledging the consequences. This recklessness is a part of the search for identity, a common theme in U2's work, especially in "Songs of Innocence," which largely reflects on the band's formative years.

The song's lyrics also reflect a sense of nostalgia and reflection. References to the band's early influences, such as Joe Strummer and The Clash, connect the song to U2's musical roots and their journey as artists. This aspect of the song links personal growth and transformation to the wider context of their musical journey and influences.

Check out Song for Someone, also from Songs of Innocence.

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'Sleep like a baby tonight' song lyrics by U2

In “Sleep Like a Baby Tonight,” U2 addresses one of the most disturbing realities of modern Irish history—the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests.

The song focuses not on the victim, but on the predator. Bono’s lyrics draw a portrait of a man who wears sanctity as disguise. The priest moves through his day—toast, tea, sugar—as if innocence has not been destroyed under his care.

That calm surface is the horror.

“Tomorrow dawns like someone else’s suicide” delivers the central wound. It’s the victim’s suffering—internalized, unseen, and fatal—juxtaposed against the priest’s untroubled sleep.

The song gains further weight when situated in the Irish context. U2’s childhoods were shaped by the Catholic Church’s dominance in schools, families, and public morality. To speak out against the Church was once unthinkable. 

Now, it is essential.

Bono’s falsetto on the track is fragile, nearly childlike. It mirrors the silenced voice of the abused. Against the priest’s peace, this trembling vocal line becomes the only echo of what was lost.

Lines like “Where the church is where the war is” and “No one can feel no one else’s pain” do not only name individual guilt—they implicate the institution. They point to a system that enabled, protected, and denied.

There is no metaphor in this song.

It is direct, accusatory, and moral. The Church, once seen as a source of healing, is exposed as a site of damage. U2 does not offer resolution. They offer exposure.

“Sleep Like a Baby Tonight” is not just about a priest. It’s about a nation betrayed, childhoods erased, and a silence that lasted too long.

U2 turns that silence into song.

'Sleep like a baby tonight' song lyrics by U2

Morning, your toast

Your tea and sugar

Read about the politician’s lover

Go through the day

Like a knife through butter

Why don’t you

You dress in the colours of forgiveness

Your eyes as red as Christmas

Purple robes are folded on the kitchen chair




You’re gonna sleep like a baby tonight

In your dreams everything is alright

Tomorrow dawns like someone else’s suicide

You’re gonna sleep like a baby tonight




Dreams

It’s a dirty business, dreaming

Where there is silence and not screaming

Where there’s no daylight

There’s no healing, no no




You’re gonna sleep like a baby tonight

In your dreams everything is alright

Tomorrow dawns like a suicide

But you’re gonna sleep like a baby tonight




Hope is where the door is

When the church is where the war is

Where no one can feel no one else’s pain


You’re gonna sleep like a baby tonight

In your dreams everything is alright

Tomorrow dawns like a suicide

But you’re gonna sleep like a baby tonight

Sleep like a baby tonight

Like a bird, your dreams take flight

Like St. Francis covered in light

You’re gonna sleep like a baby tonight

-

From the Songs of Innocence album released September 9 2014. That date is poignant for U2 as that is the date Bono's mother Iris died.

Read the lyrics to The Miracle.

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'Raised by Wolves' song lyrics by U2

In "Raised by Wolves," U2 confronts the brutal memory of the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings, a searing trauma etched into Bono's psyche since his near-brush with death on that fateful day. The track opens with vivid imagery of a man lying face down in "a pool of misery," while Bono, observing from the safety of a "white van," describes the carnage of a city street transformed into a bloody, chaotic scene.

The metaphorical "red sea" becomes a biblical deluge of violence, drowning the innocence of the people cut down in the bombings' aftermath.

Here, Bono captures not only the immediate horror of the event, but also the emotional wreckage that followed—his disillusionment palpable in the repeated refrain, "I don’t believe anymore."

This expression of faith lost and innocence shattered reverberates through the track, channeling the anguish and confusion of a teenager who could have easily been one of the victims.

The song's chorus, "Raised by wolves / Stronger than fear," suggests a generation hardened by violence and distrust, growing up amidst the sectarian tensions that tore through Ireland. The wolf imagery signifies not just survival, but a kind of brutal, feral conditioning—an upbringing in which fear was ever-present, yet ultimately something to be overcome.

Bono taps into a deeper commentary on how belief systems, when twisted by hate, justify the worst atrocities, as emphasized in the lines, "The worst things in the world / Are justified by belief." The recurring imagery of running wild, of an unleashed chaos and terror, underscores how these traumas are carried forward, haunting the victims and survivors alike.

In a final wrenching moment, Bono sings, "If I open my eyes, you disappear," as if willing the nightmare to vanish, yet knowing it is imprinted on his soul. "Raised by Wolves" stands as a visceral indictment of both the personal and political fallout of violence, an anthem of resilience in the face of terror, but also a lament for the faith and innocence that died on that blood-stained street.

Raised by Wolves song lyrics by U2

Face down on a broken street
There’s a man in the corner
In a pool of misery
I’m in white van
As a red sea covers the ground

Metal crash
I can’t tell what it is
But I take a look
And now I’m sorry I did
5:30 on a Friday night
33 good people cut down

I don’t believe anymore
I don’t believe anymore

Face down on a pillow of shame
There are some girls with a needle
Tryin’ to spell my name
My body’s not a canvas
My body’s now a toilet wall

I don’t believe anymore
I don’t believe anymore

Raised by wolves
Stronger than fear
Raised by wolves
We were raised by wolves
Raised by wolves
Stronger than fear
If I open my eyes
You disappear

Running wild
Running wild

Running wild
Boy sees his father
Crushed under the weight
Of a cross in a passion
Where the passion is hate
Running wild
Blue mink Ford
I’m gonna detonate in your den
Running wild
Blood in the house
Blood in the street
The worst things in the world
Are justified by belief
Running wild
Registration 1385-WZ

Running wild
I don’t believe anymore
Running wild
I don’t believe anymore

Raised by wolves
Stronger than fear
Raised by wolves
We were raised by wolves
Raised by wolves
Stronger than fear
If I open my eyes
You disappear

Running wild
Running wild
Running wild
Running wild
Running wild

-

On Songs of Innocence, U2 explores themes of trauma, loss, and the fragility of belief, drawing from their personal experiences and the tumultuous history of their homeland. Three songs that echo the thematic depth of "Raised by Wolves" are:

• "Iris (Hold Me Close)" reflects Bono’s deep grief over the loss of his mother, Iris, when he was just fourteen. Much like the existential disillusionment in “Raised by Wolves,” “Iris” expresses how early trauma scars the soul, leaving an emotional void that shapes the rest of one’s life. 
• “Cedarwood Road” similarly revisits Bono's youth, but through the lens of the tensions and violence that marked his Dublin neighborhood. Cedarwood Road becomes a metaphor for a place where survival required vigilance, much like being “raised by wolves.” Here, the fear and anger of a divided community mirror the disillusionment of witnessing senseless acts of violence. 
• Finally, “The Troubles” tackles the pervasive, haunting aftershocks of conflict on a personal level. The “troubles” of the song evoke both the Northern Ireland conflict and internal struggles with personal demons. Bono’s recurring line, “Somebody stepped inside your soul,” suggests how fear and trauma can take root, much as the wolves in "Raised by Wolves" come to symbolize the darker forces that shape identity. These songs form a triptych that captures U2’s exploration of trauma, resilience, and the complex relationship between personal history and collective memory.

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'Cedarwood Road' song lyrics meaning by U2

In "Cedarwood Road," Bono transports listeners back to his childhood home in Dublin, crafting a vivid landscape that mirrors the emotional tumult of his formative years. The lyrics pulse with the tension between fear and hope, friendship and isolation, painting Cedarwood Road as both a physical and psychological battleground. 

The cherry blossom tree—an image of fleeting beauty and renewal—stands as a gateway to something transcendent, a momentary escape from the harsh realities of teenage life in a neighborhood darkened by skinhead culture and the looming specter of violence. 

Yet, this road is more than a memory lane. It becomes a metaphor for the complexities of growing up, where the "foolish pride" that drives us out into the world can also lead to wounds that never fully heal. Bono reflects on the tension between holding onto the "hurt you hide" and the "joy you hold," a paradox that defines not just his upbringing, but the human condition at large.

U2 getting old...

As the song unfolds, the familiar streets of Bono’s youth blur into the broader realities of life—fear, identity, and the scars left by a fractured society. 

The line "It was a warzone in my teens" carries a dual meaning, touching on both the personal struggles of adolescence and the external strife of a city grappling with sectarian violence and economic hardship. This sense of a world at odds with itself is underscored by the symbolic clash of "bibles smashing" and the chaotic images of a world painted by opposing forces. 

The song’s conclusion—"And a heart that is broken / Is a heart that is open"—transcends the autobiographical, speaking to the universal truth that vulnerability and pain are inextricable from the possibility of redemption. "Cedarwood Road" becomes not just a reflection of a time and place, but an exploration of how the past, with all its scars, continues to shape and haunt our present selves.

'Cedarwood Road' song lyrics meaning by U2

I was running down the road
The fear was all I knew
I was looking for a soul that’s real
Then I ran into you
And that cherry blossom tree
Was a gateway to the sun
And friendship, once it’s won
It’s won, it’s one
Northside
Just across the river to the Southside
That’s a long way here
All the green and all the gold
The hurt you hide
The joy you hold
The foolish pride
That gets you out the door
Up on Cedarwood Road
On Cedarwood Road
Sleepwalking down the road
Not waking from these dreams
‘Cause it’s never dead
It’s still my dead
It was a warzone in my teens
I’m still standing on that street
Still need an enemy
The worst ones I can’t see
You can, you can
Northside
Just across the river to the Southside
That’s a long way here
All the green and all the gold
The hurt you hide
And the joy you hold
The foolish pride
That sends you back for more
Up on Cedarwood Road
On Cedarwood Road
If the door is open it isn’t theft
You can’t return to where you’ve never left
Blossoms falling from a tree
They cover you and cover me
Symbols clashing, bibles smashing
Paint the world you need to see
Sometimes fear is the only place
That we can call our home
Cedarwood Road
And a heart that is broken
Is a heart that is open
Open, open

Check out the lyrics to U2's Volcano which can also be found ripping it up on Songs of Innocence.

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'Volcano' song lyrics by U2

In “Volcano”, U2 taps into a current of unfiltered energy, one that fuses personal unrest with cultural upheaval. The song is raw, immediate, and unstable—like its title, it carries the threat of eruption. But beneath its explosive surface lies a meditation on identity, isolation, and creative defiance.

The opening lines—“You’re out of your mind / Not in your right mind”—set a tone of dislocation. This is a self addressed in crisis. The repetition suggests an inner voice caught in conflict, grappling with sanity, belonging, and purpose.

U2 here is not nostalgic.

The song doesn’t look back fondly. It pulls us into the restless urgency of youth, where confusion and rage are not passing phases but survival responses.

Bono invokes the feeling of being “out in the wild,” an image that can be read politically and spiritually. It recalls growing up in 1970s Dublin, amid the sectarian tensions of the Troubles. The wild is not just external chaos—it’s also the spiritual wilderness that comes with questioning institutions: church, family, nation.

The volcano, central to the lyric, is more than a metaphor for anger.
It is potential energy.

It holds everything suppressed: grief, frustration, shame, desire. When Bono sings, “Volcano, you don’t wanna, you don’t wanna know,” he touches the line between fear and temptation—the dread of what might emerge, and the need to face it anyway.

The line “Your eyes were black with something wrong” points to a moment of self-recognition. It captures the realization that transformation requires confrontation—that you have to look into the fire.

Then comes the reversal:

“You were alone / But you are rock n’ roll.”

It’s not just about music. It’s about becoming. About using expression—rage, performance, language—as a way through pain. Music here is not an escape from trauma; it’s a way of naming and containing it.

Rock, in this frame, is survival instinct.

The use of “landing lights” fading is telling. Once, there was direction, even faith. But now the map is gone. What replaces it isn’t resolution, but motion. Eruption becomes movement.

Thematically, “Volcano” fits within Songs of Innocence’s exploration of memory, trauma, and the forging of self. It’s a younger brother to earlier U2 songs like “Out of Control” or “Stories for Boys”, but now filtered through the lens of retrospection. It’s not a song from the past—it’s a return to it with the clarity that comes only after surviving it.

U2 doesn't romanticize the volatility of youth.
They document it.

They understand that identity isn’t discovered—it’s detonated. And from that detonation, something new can be built.

'Volcano' song lyrics by U2

The world is spinning fast tonight
You can hurt yourself tryin’ to hold on
To what you used to be
I’m so glad the past is gone

Been out in the wild
Been out in the night
Been out of your mind
Do you live here or is this a vacation

Volcano
You don’t wanna, you don’t wanna know
Volcano
Something in you wants to blow
Volcano
You don’t wanna, you don’t wanna know

Your eyes were like landing lights
They used to be the clearest blue
Now you don’t see so well
The future’s gonna land on you

Been out in the wild
Been out in the night
Been out of your mind
Do you live here or is this a vacation

Volcano
You don’t wanna, you don’t wanna know
Volcano
Something in you wants to blow
Volcano
You don’t wanna, you don’t wanna know
You’re on a piece of ground above a volcano

You were alone
And now you’re not alone
You were alone
But you are rock n’ roll
You and I are rock n’ roll
But you are rock n’ roll
You and I are rock n’ roll

Oh, volcano
You don’t wanna, you don’t wanna know
Volcano
Something in you wants to blow
Volcano
You don’t wanna, you don’t wanna know
You’re on a piece of ground above a volcano

-

Three thematically connected songs from Songs of Innocence are "Iris (Hold Me Close)," "Cedarwood Road," and "The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)." 

Each track explores themes of personal history, loss, and the transformative power of music and memory. "Iris (Hold Me Close)" is a poignant reflection on Bono’s relationship with his late mother, Iris, whose untimely death left a profound impact on his life. The song taps into the grief, love, and enduring connection he feels with her spirit, embodying the album’s exploration of formative emotional scars. 

"Cedarwood Road" traces Bono's memories of his childhood home in Dublin, portraying the street as both a battleground and a sanctuary, where he struggled to define himself amidst the political and social tensions of Ireland in the 1970s. The song's title references the literal and metaphorical path that shaped his identity, marked by anger, friendship, and resilience.

 

"The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)" celebrates the liberating force of music, particularly the influence of the punk rock icon Joey Ramone, who inspired Bono to find his voice. In each song, U2 taps into personal experiences of loss, change, and salvation, weaving a narrative of how the past—though sometimes painful—propels personal growth and creative expression.

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U2's 'Songs of Innocence' song lyrics + meaning

U2's Songs of Innocence is a deeply personal excavation of the band's origins, an album that drips with both nostalgia and reflection, harking back to the Boy through War era.

In a bold stylistic pivot, Bono’s lyrics channel a vivid recounting of his formative years in Dublin, merging youthful abandon with the painful wisdom of adulthood. Tracks like “The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)” are a love letter to the raw power of rock 'n' roll that saved him, portraying music not just as an art form but as a spiritual lifeline. Bono’s voice alternates between reverence and defiance, honoring the punk revolution while simultaneously acknowledging its impact on his personal and creative evolution.

His lyrics speak of salvation, suggesting that the music of Ramone didn’t just inspire a career—it resurrected his sense of self.

This sentiment of transformative discovery echoes throughout the album, from the anthemic calls to freedom in “Every Breaking Wave” to the aching vulnerabilities of “Iris (Hold Me Close),” where Bono lays bare the wounds of losing his mother at a young age, seeking closure through lyrical catharsis.

A change of pace and style from No Line of the Horizon, Songs of Innocence is not merely a dive into autobiography; it wrestles with the collective and cultural ghosts that shaped the band’s psyche. “Raised By Wolves” recounts the visceral horror of the Dublin car bombings, capturing the tension between innocence lost and the scars left behind.

Bono's lyrics tread the line between memory and trauma, conveying a powerful indictment of violence while holding space for reconciliation.

Similarly, “Cedarwood Road” acts as a metaphorical journey through his childhood neighborhood, where the streets of Dublin become symbolic of an internal landscape fraught with anger, yearning, and ultimately, a search for redemption.

Bono said on the album's release date of 9 September 2014:

"Remember us? Pleased to announce myself, Edge, Adam and Larry have finally given birth to our new baby… Songs of Innocence. It’s been a while. We wanted to get it right for you/us."

U2's Songs of Innocence album lyrics


• The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)
• Every Breaking Wave
• California (There Is No End To Love)
• Song For Someone
• Iris (Hold Me Close)
• Volcano
• Raised By Wolves
• Cedarwood Road
• Sleep Like A Baby Tonight
• This Is Where You Can Reach Me Now
• The Troubles

Also, the deluxe version of the album features two additional songs, Lucifer's Hands and The Crystal Ballroom.

U2, have also followed up with Songs of Experience. This album thematically complements Songs of Innocence and is inspired by the works of William Blake.

The album cover of Songs of Innocence is a stark, black-and-white image featuring U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr. embracing his son, Aaron Elvis Mullen, (the name is surely a nod to the great man himself). The photograph, taken by Glen Luchford, depicts Larry shirtless, standing protectively behind his equally bare-chested son, who clutches his father’s waist. 

This intimate, vulnerable pose reflects the album's deeply personal themes, as well as the notion of innocence being sheltered by experience. The cover's minimalist design—absent of text or elaborate imagery—invites viewers to contemplate the emotional weight of the image itself, encouraging a connection to the familial and protective bonds it evokes.

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Iris (Hold Me Close) song lyrics by U2

Iris should not be confused with the popular 1990's song 'Iris' by the Goo Goo Dolls. 

You could be forgiven for this though as that song also appeared on the City of Angels soundtrack with U2's If God Will Send his Angels.

Iris is directly inspired by Bono's mother, Iris Hewson. Bono has previously referenced Iris in Tommorrow from the October album.

The song contains contains a cute reference to Kraftwerk. Bono said 'My mother [died] just as I was discovering girls. One of the girls I was discovering was Ali... she arrived at Mount Temple in the same month. The first lover’s gift I gave Ali was a Kraftwerk album called The Man Machine. So I referred to that.' with the line "It was you made me your man/Machine.’

Songs of Innocence was released, through sheer coincidence, 40 years to the day that Iris died.

Bono also noted to Rolling Stone Magazine that he was later inspired to rewrite part of the song after being deeply moved by the late ISIS hostage James Foley's letter to his family. "I realized," Bono says, "that we will all be remembered, and we remember our loved ones, by the least profound moments. The simplest moments. In the letter he says to his brother, 'I remember playing werewolf in the dark with you.'

Iris (Hold Me Close)  song lyrics by U2

The star that gives us light
Has been gone a while
But it’s not an illusion
The ache in my heart
Is so much a part of who I am

Something in your eyes
Took a thousand years to get here
Something in your eyes
Took a thousand years, a thousand years

Hold me close
Hold me close and don’t let me go
Hold me close
Like I’m someone that you might know
Hold me close
The darkness just lets us see
Who we are
I’ve got your life inside of me

Iris, Iris

Once we are born
We begin to forget
The very reason we came
But you I’m sure I’ve met
Long before the night
The start went out
We’re meeting up again

Hold me close
Hold me close and don’t let me go
Hold me close
Like I’m someone that you might know
Hold me close
The darkness just lets us see
Who we are
I’ve got your life inside of me

Iris, Iris

The start are bright
But do they know
The universe is beautiful but cold
You took me by the hand
I thought that I was leading you
But it was you made me your man
Machine, I dream where you are
Iris standing in the hall
She tells me I can do it all
Iris wakes to my nightmare
Don’t fear the world
It isn’t there

Iris playing on the strand
She buries the boy beneath the sand
Iris says that I will be the death of her
It was not me

Iris, Iris
She said free yourself to be yourself
If only you could see yourself
Free yourself to be yourself
If only you could see

-

The song, steeped in emotional vulnerability, reveals Bono’s persistent grappling with the absence of maternal presence in his life. Through the repetition of the phrase “Hold me close,” Bono reflects the deep-seated desire for closeness, both physical and emotional, that never had the chance to mature due to his mother’s early death. The verses are laced with rich imagery, from the “freezing rain” that mirrors the numbness of loss, to the light his mother represents, a beacon guiding him through the darkness. The juxtaposition of grief and longing with the ethereal imagery of light and stars creates a tension that underscores the paradox of losing someone so intimately tied to your sense of self, yet still feeling them in every corner of your existence.

The song also functions as an exploration of memory’s power to both heal and haunt. 

Bono navigates the complex terrain of reconciling his life without Iris, while acknowledging the indelible mark she left on his spirit. In lines like “The ache in my heart is so much a part of who I am,” there’s an acceptance that his pain and identity are inextricably linked. The Edge’s shimmering guitar work, with its delicate reverb, serves as an echo of that emotional longing, almost as if the music is searching for resolution, much like Bono’s heart. 

U2 have written a of songs which make references to parents. A notable effort was Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own from the  All That You Can't Leave Behind album.

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California (There Is No End To Love) song lyrics by U2

In "California (There Is No End to Love)," U2 presents a lyrical homage to the West Coast, but more deeply, it's a meditation on the paradoxes of love, grief, and the passage of time. The recurring chant of "Barbara, Santa Barbara" invokes a dreamlike, Beach Boy riffing connection to the spiritual and the earthly—Santa Barbara as both a place and an ethereal figure of protection. 

It frames the song in a repetitive, almost hypnotic refrain, echoing the timelessness Bono is grasping for. The song’s core sentiment, “There is no end to love,” serves as an emotional anchor in a sea of personal upheaval. In the imagery of California’s natural beauty—Zuma Beach, blood orange sunsets—the lyrics transcend the romanticization of place to instead address the healing and pain found in love’s endurance. 

When Bono sings of "watching you cry like a baby," there's an intimate juxtaposition of vulnerability and renewal, as if California itself is the witness and balm to human suffering.

Yet, this is no simple ode to love or loss. 

The song deftly explores the shadows that linger beneath the California dream, where "everyone’s a star" but stardom can corrode the soul, dimming the light of individuality. Bono hints at the self-reflection and alienation of stardom, as mirrored in “your bedroom, in a mirror, watching yourself cry.” 

It's a telling critique of fame's emptiness, reminding us that love is the only real antidote to such grief. In the line “I’ve seen for myself, there’s no end to grief, that’s how I know there’s no end to love,” Bono conflates sorrow and affection in a cosmic, inseparable dance—where grief and love are boundless, eternal. These words seem to reassure, affirming that the very act of feeling deeply, whether joy or sorrow, proves love’s permanence. 

And in true U2 fashion, what starts as a personal reflection unfurls into something more universal, a spiritual truth that, as always, finds its way home to love.

California (There Is No End To Love) song lyrics by U2

Barbara, Santa Barbara
Barbara, Santa Barbara
Barbara, Santa Barbara
Barbara, Santa Barbara
Barbara, Santa Barbara
Barbara, Santa Barbara
Barbara, Santa Barbara
Barbara, Santa Barbara
Barbara, Santa Barbara
Barbara, Santa Barbara

California
Then we fell into the shining sea
Well, that’s what took me
Where I need to be
Which is here, out on Zuma
Watching you cry like a baby
California, at the dawn
You thought would never come
But it did like it always does

All I know
And all I need to know
Is there is no end to love

I didn’t call you
Words can scare a thought away
Everyone’s a star in our town
It’s just your light gets dimmer
If you have to stay
In your bedroom, in a mirror
Watching yourself cry like a baby
California, blood orange sunset
Brings you to your knees
I’ve seen for myself
There’s no end to grief
That’s how I know

That’s how I know
And why I need to know
That there is no
Yeah, there is no end to love
All I know and all I need to know
Is there is no
Yeah, there is no end to love

Barbara, Barbara
There is no end to love

All I know and all I need to know
Is there is no
Yeah, there is no end to love
We come and go
But stolen days you don’t give back
Stolen days are just enough

Produced by: Declan Gaffney, Paul Epworth and Danger Mouse and taken from the Songs of Innocence album.

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The Miracle (of Joey Ramone) song lyrics by U2

The Miracle is the first song from U2's album Songs of Innocence.

It's an ode to U2's love of the Ramones, a band they consider very influential on the themselves. U2 have previously covered Beat on the Brat by the Ramones and the song, In a Little While from All That You Can't Leave Behind was also dedicated to Joey Ramone following his death.

Marky Ramone, a longtime Ramones Drummer said of the track 'I’m very grateful U2 wrote a song about my former friend and bandmate Joey Ramone. Joey would have been honored. It is well-deserved.'

The song was produced by three players Danger Mouse, Paul Epworth and Ryan Tedder.

The Miracle (of Joey Ramone) song lyrics by U2

Joey Ramone

I was chasing down the days of fear
Chasing down a dream before it disappeared
I was aching to be somewhere new
Your voice was all I heard
I was shaking from a storm in me
Haunted by the spectors that we had to see
Yeah, I wanted to be the melody
Above the noise, above the herd

I was young, not dumb
Just wishing to be blinded
By you, brand new
And we were pilgrims on our way

I woke up at the moment when the miracle occurred
Heard a song that made some sense out of the world
Everything I ever lost now has been returned
The most beautiful sound I ever heard

We've got language so we can communicate
Religion so I can love and hate
Music so I can exaggerate my pain
And give it a name

We can hear, we can hear
We can hear, ooh

I woke up at the moment when the miracle had come
I get so many things I don't deserve
All the stolen voices may some day be returned
The most beautiful sound I ever heard

And your voices will be heard
And your voices will be heard

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

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