Songs of the Future lyrics by U2

If "American Obituary" is the anger of the Days of Ash EP, "Song of the Future" is its heartbreak. This track stands as a searing tribute to the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement in Iran, specifically honoring the memory of Sarina Esmailzadeh. 

A vibrant 16-year-old vlogger who shared her dreams of a normal life on YouTube, Sarina was beaten and killed by Iranian security forces for daring to demand basic rights. 

Bono’s lyrics don't just mourn her; they attempt to amplify the voice that was stolen, contrasting the innocence of her online videos with the brutality of her fate.

Sarina Esmailzadeh

Musically, the track reflects the tension of the streets she marched on. Produced by Jacknife Lee with a mix by Tom Elmhirst, the song layers U2's signature atmospheric sound with a darker, more urgent rhythm that refuses to look away from the violence. 

It is a central pillar of the Days of Ash EP, serving as a reminder that while regimes may extinguish a life, they cannot extinguish the song of the future that Sarina represented.

Songs of the Future lyrics by U2

Song of the Future honours a teenage girl who died while protesting in Iran in 2022,

The future, as everyone knows
Is where we're gonna be spending the rest of our life
Who said the future is closed
Never saw the promise in her eyes… liberty
And I'm running my mouth off
Running my mouth off
It's not poetry
And I'm running my mouth off again

Sarina Sarina
She's the song of the future
Playing in my mind
Gotta know gotta find a way to get to her
She's holding up the sign
All alone
All alone
But not alone
Yeah, we're not alone
Sarina Sarina
She's the song of the future
Yeah

Picture - heaven is closed
All the classroom prophets gone to ground
Schoolgirl says everyone knows
Love is a verb and not a noun
Or so it seems
It has me running my mouth off
Running my mouth off
It's not poetry
But I'm running my mouth off again

Sarina Sarina
She's the song of the future
Playing in my mind
Gotta know gotta find a way to get to her
She's holding up the sign
All alone
All alone
But not alone
Yeah, we're not alone
Sarina Sarina
She's the song of the future

Sarina Sarina
She's the song of the future
Playing in my mind
Gotta know gotta find a way to get to her
She's holding up the sign
All alone
All alone
You're not alone
Yeah, we're not alone
Sarina Sarina
She's the song of the future
Playing in my mind

(Jina Mahsa Amini was inspiration to so many
1999-2022)

(Sarina Esmailzadeh was inspired
2006-2022)

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