Stateless is from The Million Dollar Hotel soundtrack for which Bono played a major contribution.
Stateless Lyrics:
I've got no home in this world
Just gravity, luck, and time
I've got no home in this world
Just you and you are not mine
Stateless
Weightless
Stateless
Such a girl
There are no colors in your eye
There's no sunshine in your sky
There's no race, only the prize
There is no tomorrow, only tonight
Stateless
It's the difference
You can cover a world with your thumb
Still so big, so bright, so beautiful
Weightless
Stateless
Push down on me
Push down on me
A weight now
A weight down on me
Your weight down
Be the weight, hard
Down on me
Be the heavy hand
The wall of sand
Be the weight, hard
Down on me
Stateless
Weightless
Hateless
The lyrics to "Stateless" reflect a deep sense of disconnection, alienation, and existential drift. The recurring phrase "I've got no home in this world" conveys a profound feeling of rootlessness, suggesting a character who feels unattached to any particular place or even to the people in their life. The protagonist seems to be grappling with the lack of stability, relying only on "gravity, luck, and time"—forces that are uncontrollable and impersonal. The line "Just you and you are not mine" speaks to the experience of unrequited or unattainable love, where the individual they long for remains out of reach, further emphasizing the emotional isolation. The chorus, "Stateless, weightless," evokes the idea of floating without an anchor, both literally and figuratively, capturing a sense of being adrift in the world without a clear identity or sense of belonging.
As the song progresses, it delves deeper into the emotional and existential weight the protagonist feels, despite the repeated notion of being "weightless." The second verse portrays an almost nihilistic outlook: "There are no colors in your eye / There's no sunshine in your sky" reflects a world drained of vibrancy, where the future is nonexistent ("There is no tomorrow, only tonight"). The weightlessness is juxtaposed against lines like "Push down on me" and "Be the weight, hard down on me," suggesting that despite the desire to feel light or free, the character is burdened by the pressures and emotional heaviness of their reality. The phrase "be the heavy hand" could signify a plea for something solid to hold on to or a desire to feel something tangible in a world that feels insubstantial.