'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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