In U2’s haunting ballad “Running to Stand Still,” from their iconic 1987 album The Joshua Tree, the band delivers a poignant exploration of addiction, despair, and the struggle for redemption. Set against the backdrop of a troubled Dublin, the song’s narrative centers on a young couple grappling with the ravages of heroin addiction.
With its slow, deliberate pace and melancholic melodies, U2 crafts a soundscape that echoes the weight of the lyrics, inviting listeners into the suffocating reality of addiction. Bono’s evocative vocals, coupled with The Edge’s ethereal guitar riffs, create an atmosphere that captures both the fragility of hope and the relentless grip of despair.
Lyrically, “Running to Stand Still” reflects a deep-seated awareness of the personal and social ramifications of drug addiction, particularly in Ireland during the 1980s. Bono tells the story of a woman seeking solace and escape through heroin, highlighting the cyclical nature of addiction: the fleeting moments of euphoria followed by a harsh return to reality.
Lines such as “I can’t stop running to stand still” encapsulate the futility of this struggle, as the couple becomes trapped in a vicious cycle of dependence and desperation. The imagery of the “Dublin street” serves as a stark reminder of the environment that breeds such despair, painting a vivid portrait of a society grappling with its demons while longing for liberation.
"Running To Stand Still" song lyrics by U2
And so she woke up
Woke up from where she was lying still
Said I got to do something
About where we're going
Step on a steam train
Step out of the driving rain
Maybe run from the darkness in the night
Singing ha la la la de day
Ha la la la de day ha la la de day
Sweet the sin
Bitter the taste in my mouth
I see seven towers
But I only see one way out
You got to cry with out weeping
Talk without speaking
Scream without raising your voice
You know I took the poison from the poison stream
Then I floated out of here
Singing ha la la la de day
Ha la la la de day ha la la de day
She runs through the streets
With her eyes painted red
Under a black belly of cloud in the rain
In through a doorway she brings me
White gold and pearls stolen from the sea
She is raging, she is raging
And the storm blows up in her eyes
She will suffer the needle chill
She is running to stand still
Check out other lyrics from The Joshua Tree including "With or Without You" and "Red Hill Mining Town"
Woke up from where she was lying still
Said I got to do something
About where we're going
Step on a steam train
Step out of the driving rain
Maybe run from the darkness in the night
Singing ha la la la de day
Ha la la la de day ha la la de day
Sweet the sin
Bitter the taste in my mouth
I see seven towers
But I only see one way out
You got to cry with out weeping
Talk without speaking
Scream without raising your voice
You know I took the poison from the poison stream
Then I floated out of here
Singing ha la la la de day
Ha la la la de day ha la la de day
She runs through the streets
With her eyes painted red
Under a black belly of cloud in the rain
In through a doorway she brings me
White gold and pearls stolen from the sea
She is raging, she is raging
And the storm blows up in her eyes
She will suffer the needle chill
She is running to stand still
Check out other lyrics from The Joshua Tree including "With or Without You" and "Red Hill Mining Town"