Did everyone catch the live streaming U2 rose bowl concert? They should be rebroadcasting it here soon. I got a ton of hits from people searching for song lyrics and meanings. There’s so much great stuff in One, but did you ever notice the lyrics in this verse?
It’s too late tonight to drag the past out into the lights
Besides being profound and rhyming, every line here starts with a different variant of the sound 2… yet the song is called One… intriguing eh?
Continuing the series of posts on U2 songs, “City of Blinding Lights” is also a favorite. It’s musically reminiscent of “Where the streets have no name” with a brilliant intro.
I think I heard Barack Obama use it as his entrance music a number of times during the campaign.
As with many u2 songs there are a number of conflicting images in the song.
A couple of simple repeated lines throughout the song, make me go hrm…
Oh you look so beautiful tonight In the city of blinding lights
Can you see the beauty inside of me? What happened to the beauty I had inside of me?
For some reason it makes me think of an old story I heard originally by H.G. Wells called Country of the Blind. (Doing some research on it, I realize there’s several renditions of it, below is a summary strictly from my own twisted memory).
There once was a remote city struck with a disease that caused complete blindness of all it’s inhabitants and it’s descendants.
The people eventually adapted to life being blind. It became so normal that the very concept of sight was all but forgotten after several generations had passed.
A man with perfect vision stumbles into the city. His heart breaks because he realizes an entire people group have no idea of the colors and beauty that surround them as they feel their way through the dark.
He commits himself to sharing this wonderful gift of vision he has with the people of the city.
He befriends the people and begins describing to them textures, and tints, and things in the distance. He points out beautiful features on their faces, the blues across the skies, and the yellowness of the sun.
But the people of the city think he’s gone mad as they are unable to comprehend what the man is passionately illustrating.
Having compassion, the people of the city take hold of the man, to help cure him of his illness.
And they gouge out his eyes.
I wonder if this man would be singing “Can you see the beauty inside of me? What happened to the beauty I had inside of me? ”
Ever been there? Had a spark of hope that no one understood? Saw something that was so overwhelmingly beautiful that you couldn’t put words to it, but you tried to share it anyways? Only to then have them crush it and rip it from your soul?
“Moment of Surrender” is definitely one of the standout tracks from the latest album. A lot of U2’s recent material seems a bit unfinished and uneven to me, but this one’s just about there. I love the way the vocals kick in, and there’s lots of great lyrics to chew on. I’ll just post the lyrics rather than commenting.
I tied myself with wire To let the horses roam free Playing with the fire Until the fire played with me
The stone was semi-precious We were barely conscious Two souls too smart to be In the realm of certainty Even on our wedding day
We set ourselves on fire Oh God, do not deny her It’s not if I believe in love If love believes in me Oh, believe in me
At the moment of surrender I folded to my knees I did not notice the passers-by And they did not notice me
I’ve been in every black hole At the altar of the dark star My body’s now a begging bowl That’s begging to get back, begging to get back To my heart To the rhythm of my soul To the rhythm of my unconsciousness To the rhythm that yearns To be released from control
I was punching in the numbers at the ATM machine I could see in the reflection A face staring back at me At the moment of surrender Of vision over visibility I did not notice the passers-by And they did not notice me
I was speeding on the subway Through the stations of the cross Every eye looking every other way Counting down ’til the train would stop
At the moment of surrender Of vision of over visibility I did not notice the passers-by And they did not notice me
What do you think? Anything redemptive? Anything that resonates with you?
Without a doubt my favorite U2 album of all time remains Achtung Baby. It’s gritty layers went really well with my early teenage angst years.
A completely underrated song in the Album is Acrobat.
Here’s a snippet:
No, nothing makes sense Nothing seems to fit I know you’d hit out If you only knew who to hit And I’d join the movement If there was one I could believe in Yeah I’d break bread and wine If there was a church I could receive in ‘Cause I need it now
To take the cup To fill it up To drink it slow I can’t let you go I must be an acrobat To talk like this And act like that And you can dream So dream out loud And don’t let the bastards grind you down
As a teenager it had everything to do with hating ‘the system’, and oscillating between not wanting to exist while wanting to belong.
These days the problem’s a bit more internal.
Now I’m part of the church, that has problems receiving people.
Worst yet, I’ve got a preaching gig. And no one talks one way and acts another way more than the preacher. Yes, preacher’s aren’t perfect, and we share our struggles. But that dreaded Book keeps making us call people to Christ-likeness.
Every day I’m confronted by my own hypocrisy. Grace just rubs it in further.
Since the U2 concert last week I’ve been revisiting my love of music in general. I haven’t really listened to the radio in years, and have opted for books and talks during my winding down time.
While I still find it hard to sit down and do nothing but listen to music, there’s still something beautiful about just catching a great riff or a powerful lyric.
I’ve decided I’m going to do a series of posts on some of my personal U2 highlights. I know volumes of books and blogs have already been written on them, but amuse me, won’t you? I’m not sure how long this will go for, or if I’ll move on to some other band/artist. But they’ll do for now.
One lyric that’s stuck with me from the recent album is in the song Stand up Comedy. A friend and I were having lunch a few months back and started talking about the album, and this one same line came to both of our minds.
“be careful Of small men with big ideas”
The interesting thing is we had completely different impressions of the verse. I shared about how it echoed one of my fears of being a person with great visions and weak in character. My buddy Zaya (who’s actually written a few guest posts here) shared about the hope of having powerful ideas even if you’re low on the ladder.
I wonder if the discrepancy had anything to do with our cultural narratives? Myself being Asian, known for mass-production and corner cutting. And Zaya being shaped by an African oppression narrative? I’m not sure, but like the Scriptures, there’s something mysterious when what you’re examining starts looking back at you.
The clock just struck Christmas here, and a song by the goo goo dolls is playing in my head.
And you ask me what I want this year And I try to make this kind and clear Just a chance that maybe we’ll find better days Cuz I don’t need boxes wrapped in strings And desire and love and empty things Just a chance that maybe we’ll find better days
So take these words And sing out loud Cuz everyone is forgiven now Cuz tonight’s the night the world begins again
And it’s someplace simple where we could live And something only you can give And that’s faith and trust and peace while we’re alive And the one poor child that saved this world And there’s 10 million more who probably could If we all just stopped and said a prayer for them
Regardless of what day Christ was really born on, today we celebrate a moment that changed history forever.
But really, shouldn’t every single child born make a mark on humanity?
Is there a way we can see the hope of salvation resting in every person we encounter, without devaluing Christ?
To follow up on the previous post on Christian platforms and networks… I was just re-introduced to this song Hurt, by Johnny Cash. I haven’t really listened to this song since I was an angst filled teenager when it was originally by the Nine Inch Nails. I loved the song because I felt it described my reality in raw form.
Hearing it now, I realize while it’s still a glimpse into reality, it’s moreso a reality without hope.
If I ever had the guts to slit my wrists back then, this song would definitely be on replay.
It’s intriguing that Johnny Cash chose to cover this song not long before he died. After living a life that many others might envy, he lays it all on the line here and calls it an ‘empire of dirt’ (Supposedy he re-embraced his Christian faith later in life). The accompanying visuals in this are fantastic as well.
I wonder how many of us will look back at the end of our days wondering ‘what have we become’? Even if we’ve impacted a million lives, who are we when we’re completely alone at our final gasps? What’s the kingdom, without the King?
Lyrics below.
I hurt myself today to see if I still feel I focus on the pain the only thing that’s real the needle tears a hole the old familiar sting try to kill it all away but I remember everything what have I become? my sweetest friend everyone I know goes away in the end and you could have it all my empire of dirt
I will let you down I will make you hurt
I wear this crown of thorns upon my liar’s chair full of broken thoughts I cannot repair beneath the stains of time the feelings disappear you are someone else I am still right here
what have I become? my sweetest friend everyone I know goes away in the end and you could have it all my empire of dirt
I will let you down I will make you hurt
if I could start again a million miles away I would keep myself I would find a way
It’s been a long while since I’ve felt that U2 has reached the same lyrical brilliance they had since the Achtung Baby/Joshua Tree albums. Maybe it’s just be, but there was something artistically profound in the lyrics back then, and as with much of popular music, it seems much more casual stylistically today.
I’ve always enjoyed one of the song “Sometimes you can’t make it on your own” from their last album, but yesterday I fell in love with it. I’ve always known that the song was written about Bono’s father, but I was waiting in the car for my wife, and listened to it several times over from different perspectives and it floored me.
I thought about it from my own father towards myself.
Tough, you think you’ve got the stuff You’re telling me and anyone, You’re hard enough
You don’t have to put up a fight You don’t have to always be right Let me take some of the punches, For you tonight
It’s interesting how we’re often raised to be autonomous and independent. To think that my parents would not only want to raise me and support me, but also struggle on behalf of me is mindblowing.
I thought about my own daughter and how much I want her to deeply know that she doesn’t need to appear strong before me and that I’d gladly take shots for her and fight for her.
I thought about my wife.
Listen to me now, I need to let you know You don’t have to go it alone
She embodies these words especially as I venture out on an unpaved path in life. I’m guessing as with many wives she wants to know how she uniquely helps or contributes to my well being, but this basic reality of staying the course with me.
I thought about myself.
A house still doesn’t make a home Don’t leave me here alone
I think this is such a vulnerable statement. Besides when I was sharing with my wife yesterday, I don’t recall the last time I uttered the words “don’t leave me here alone”. All the stuff and significance I surround myself with could never compare to the family that makes my home.
I thought about relationships.
We fight all the time, You and I That’s alright, we’re the same soul I don’t need, I don’t need to hear you say That if we weren’t so alike You’d like me a whole lot more
It’s odd how the people that are most like us, we can have the most contention with. They remind us of our own failings, our own junk, our own areas of weakness.
I thought about people who’ve shaped me at the climax of the song…
Can you hear me when I sing? You’re the reason I sing
Like my daughter when she’s proudly showing me what she made with her blocks, I realized I’m the same way. I come alive when I have an opportunity to express the best of what’s been given to me. But even more importantly, it hit me how deeply indebted to others I am, especially my wife.
I can’t do what I do, simply because I just reached deep within and pulled it out of myself. I’m not a self-generating machine. The best of what I am is because of others. You’re the reason I’m able to sing.
Now take it further, and listen to this from the perspective of God speaking to you.
Can you hear me when I sing? You’re the reason I sing
Can you hear and see and feel a God that is joyously expressing his infinite love towards you?
