U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb - Crumbs From Your Table

Track #8 - Crumbs From Your Table

From the brightest star
Comes the blackest hole
You had so much to offer
Why did you offer your soul?
I was there for you baby
When you needed my help
Would you deny for others
What you demand for yourself?

Cool down mama, cool off
Cool down mama, cool off

You speak of signs and wonders
I need something other
I would believe if I was able
But I’m waiting on the crumbs from your table

You were pretty as a picture
It was all there to see
Then your face caught up with your psychology
With a mouth full of teeth
You ate all your friends
And you broke every heart thinking every heart mends

You speak of signs and wonders
But I need something other
I would believe if I was able
But I’m waiting on the crumbs from your table

Where you live should not decide
Whether you live or whether you die
Three to a bed
Sister Ann, she said
Dignity passes by

And you speak of signs and wonders
But I need something other
I would believe if I was able
I’m waiting on the crumbs from your table
___________________________________________________
This is another song about the AIDS crisis in Africa. I see it as a song being sung from an unbelieving world to the American church as they watch the crisis unfold and they here us speak of "signs and wonders" but we "deny for others what we demand for ourselves".

"Three to a bed /Sister Ann, she said /Dignity passes by "
This line is actually a quote from a nun working in an African AIDS relief tent, when Bono went to visit she explained to him "dignity passes by this place".

"And you speak of signs and wonders /But I need something other /I would believe if I was able /I’m waiting on the crumbs from your table"
This line points out what I feel is a great problem with the church and us Christians in general. We are called to be Christ like, we talk about right and wrong, we judge by standards no man can keep yet we do little to help our fellow man, something Christ spoke about more then anything. Let us not be known for what we say but what we do.

U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb - A Man and A Woman

Track# 7 A Man and A Woman

Little sister don’t you worry about a thing today
Take the heat from the sun
Little sister
I know that everything is not ok
But you’re like honey on my tongue

True love never can be rent
But only true love can keep beauty innocent

I could never take a chance
Of losing love to find romance
In the mysterious distance
Between a man and a woman
No I could never take a chance
‘Cos I could never understand
The mysterious distance
Between a man and a woman

You can run from love
And if it’s really love it will find you
Catch you by the heel
But you can’t be numb for love
The only pain is to feel nothing at all
How can I hurt when I’m holding you?

I could never take a chance
Of losing love to find romance
In the mysterious distance
Between a man and a woman

And you’re the one, there’s no-one else
You make me want to lose myself
In the mysterious distance
Between a man and a woman

Brown eyed girl across the street
On rue Saint Divine
I thought this is the one for me
But she was already mine
You were already mine…

Little sister
I’ve been sleeping in the street again
Like a stray dog
Little sister
I’ve been trying to feel complete again
But you’re gone and so is God

The soul needs beauty for a soul mate
When the soul wants… the soul waits …

No I could never take a chance
Of losing love to find romance
In the mysterious distance
Between a man and a woman

For love and faith and sex and fear
And all the things that keep us here
In the mysterious distance
Between a man and a woman

How can I hurt when I’m holding you?
___________________________________________
This is a classic love song as only U2 could do it.

"You can run from love /And if it’s really love it will find you"
Some of these lines are so cheesy that I would not be able to take them seriously, but Bono has a way of giving them meaning anyway.

"I know that everything is not ok /But you’re like honey on my tongue "
As with every U2 love song its born out of some conflict.

"I could never take a chance /Of losing love to find romance "
This is one of the best love song lines ever, I love that idea, Romance is somthing that you can find in many places, love is much harder to find.

"How can I hurt when I’m holding you?"
Great closing line of a great love song.

U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb - All Because Of You

Track # 6 - All Because Of You

I was born a child of grace
Nothing else about the place
Everything was ugly but your beautiful face
And it left me no illusion

I saw you in the curve of the moon
In the shadow cast across my room
You heard me in my tune
When I just heard confusion

All because of you
All because of you
All because of you
I am… I am

I like the sound of my own voice
I didn’t give anyone else a choice
An intellectual tortoise
Racing with your bullet train

Some people get squashed crossing the tracks
Some people got high rises on their backs
I’m not broke but you can see the cracks
You can make me perfect again

All because of you
All because of you
All because of you
I am… I am

I’m alive
I’m being born
I just arrived, I’m at the door
Of the place I started out from
And I want back inside

All because of you
All because of you
All because of you
I am
____________________________________________
This song is basicaly a praise song that rocks.

"I saw you in the curve of the moon /In the shadow cast across my room /You heard me in my tune /When I just heard confusion"
This verse leaves little doubt that he is talking about God.

"I’m not broke but you can see the cracks /You can make me perfect again"
speaking about God's redemptive abilities.

"All because of you /I am"

U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb - City Of Blinding Lights

Track #5 - City Of Blinding Lights

The more you see the less you know
The less you find out as you go
I knew much more then than I do now

Neon heart dayglo eyes
A city lit by fireflies
They’re advertising in the skies
For people like us

And I miss you when you’re not around
I’m getting ready to leave the ground….

Ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh

Oh you look so beautiful tonight
In the city of blinding lights

Don’t look before you laugh
Look ugly in a photograph
Flash bulbs purple irises
The camera can’t see

I’ve seen you walk unafraid
I’ve seen you in the clothes you made
Can you see the beauty inside of me?
What happened to the beauty I had inside of me?

And I miss you when you’re not around
I’m getting ready to leave the ground

Ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh

Oh you look so beautiful tonight
In the city of blinding lights

Time… time
Won’t leave me as I am
But time won’t take the boy out of this man

Oh you look so beautiful tonight
Oh you look so beautiful tonight
Oh you look so beautiful tonight
In the city of blinding lights

The more you know the less you feel
Some pray for others steal
Blessings are not just for the ones who kneel… luckily
_______________________________________________________

Hulkster on the Circle 6 boards nailed this one, so I am just going to steal his post, I couldn't have said it better....

Hulkster said:

I think Bono is just saying that, the older we get, the more complicated things tend to get in our lives. The more complicated things get, the more gray things become, and answers seem less black and white.

The line about knowing much more "then" than now is just a look back to his youth when he no doubt(like us all) thought we knew it all. And again I think it's just a way Bono in saying "back then things were a little bit more simple than they are now." Everything now is complicated. He's having to jump through government hoops across the world to get things done in Africa, whereas before he thought(mistakenly) that he could change the world with a song, like Sunday Bloody Sunday. It's just a wakeup call of sorts, an admission of the reality of what he's facing.

U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb - Love And Peace Or Else

Track #4 - Love And Peace Or Else

Lay down
Lay down
Lay your sweet lovely on the ground
Lay your love on the track
We're gonna break the monster's back
Yes we are...
Lay down your treasure
Lay it down now brother
You don't have time
For a jealous lover

As you enter this life
I pray you depart
With a wrinkled face
And a brand new heart

I don't know if I can take it
I'm not easy on my knees
Here's my heart I'll let you break it

I need some release, release, release

We need
Love and peace
Love and peace

Lay down
Lay down your guns
All your daughters of Zion
All your Abraham sons
I don't know if I can make it
I'm not easy on my knees
Here's my heart I'll let you break it
I need some release, release, release

We need
Love and peace
Love and peace

Baby don't fight
We can talk this thing through
It's not a big problem
It's just me and you
You can call or I'll phone
The TV is still on
But the sound is turned down
And the troops on the ground
Are about to dig in

And I wonder where is the love?
Where is the love?
Love and peace
Where is the love?
Where is the love?
Where is the love?
_________________________________________________

This song is about the Israeli - Palestinian conflict. Bono is calling both sides to look for Love and Peace.

"Lay down/ Lay down your guns/ All your daughters of Zion/ All your Abraham sons"
Leaving little doubt about the subject matter of this song.

"Baby don't fight/ We can talk this thing through/ It's not a big problem/ It's just me and you/ You can call or I'll phone/ The TV is still on/ But the sound is turned down/ And the troops on the ground/ Are about to dig in"
Comparing it to a fight between two lovers.

"Where is the love?"

U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb - Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own

Track #3 - Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own

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

Listen to me now
I need to let you know
You don't have to go it alone

And it's you when I look in the mirror
And it's you when I don't pick up the phone
Sometimes you can't make it on your own

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

Listen to me now
I need to let you know
You don't have to go it alone
And it's you when I look in the mirror
And it's you when I don't pick up the phone
Sometimes you can't make it on your own

I know that we don't talk
I'm sick of it all
Can - you - hear - me - when - I -
Sing, you're the reason I sing
You're the reason why the opera is in me...

Where are we now?
I've got to let you know
A house still doesn't make a home
Don't leave me here alone...

And it's you when I look in the mirror
And it's you that makes it hard to let go
Sometimes you can't make it on your own
Sometimes you can't make it
The best you can do is to fake it
Sometimes you can't make it on your own
________________________________________________________

This song was written for Bono's father's funeral.

"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"
This line is pretty typical of a lot of father son relationships.

"Listen to me now/ I need to let you know/ You don't have to go it alone"
I heard an interview were Bono was talking about how his "old man" was losing his faith, I think this is Bono's plea to his dad to give up, to stop trying to "make it on your own".

"Can - you - hear - me - when - I -/ Sing, you're the reason I sing/ You're the reason why the opera is in me..."
His father loved Opera and Bono feels that has been passed on to him.

"Where are we now?/ I've got to let you know/ A house still doesn't make a home/ Don't leave me here alone..."
I take this line as admitting, that 'hey, you can't make it on your own, but either can I, I need you here to help' maybe I am wrong with that one, but that’s how I like to think of it.

U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb - Miracle Drug

Track #2 - Miracle Drug

I want to trip inside your head
Spend the day there...
To hear the things you haven't said
And see what you might see

I want to hear you when you call
Do you feel anything at all?
I want to see your thoughts take shape
And walk right out

Freedom has a scent
Like the top of a new born baby's head

The songs are in your eyes
I see them when you smile
I've seen enough I'm not giving up
On a miracle drug

Of science and the human heart
There is no limit
There is no failure here sweetheart
Just when you quit...

I am you and you are mine
Love makes nonsense of space
And time...will disappear
Love and logic keep us clear
Reason is on our side, love...

The songs are in your eyes
I see them when you smile
I've had enough of romantic love
I'd give it up, yeah, I'd give it up
For a miracle, a miracle drug, a miracle drug

God I need your help tonight

Beneath the noise
Below the din
I hear your voice
It's whispering
In science and in medicine
"I was a stranger
You took me in"

The songs are in your eyes
I see them when you smile
I've had enough of romantic love
I'd give it up, yeah, I'd give it up
For a miracle, miracle drug

Miracle, miracle drug
__________________________________

This song is about the Africa AIDS crisis. It is dirceted to God, Bono is crying out for a Miracle Drug, not a "sign or wonder" but a solution.

"I want to trip inside your head/ Spend the day there.../ To hear the things you haven't said/ And see what you might see/ I want to hear you when you call/ Do you feel anything at all?/ I want to see your thoughts take shape/ And walk right out"

This line recalls the song "When I Look At The World" from ATYCLB, in which Bono is calling out to God asking to better understand His ways.

"God I need your help tonight/ Beneath the noise/ Below the din/ I hear your voice/ It's whispering/ In science and in medicine/ "I was a stranger/ You took me in""

This line he is calling for God's help, or for the church to listen to God's teachings. That God even is in the worlds of scince and medicine, a place that the church is often fighting against. Echoing the words of Christ "I was a stranger/ You took me in" calling the church to action.

U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb - Vertigo

The cd is coming out this coming Tuesday. In the next few days I plan on posting the lyrics for each track and take a look at what its about.

Track #1 - Vertigo

Unos, dos, tres, catorce [1,2,3,14]

Turn it up loud, captain!

Lights go down
It's dark
The jungle is your head
Can't rule your heart
I'm feeling so much stronger
Than I thought
Your eyes are wide
And though your soul
it can't be bought
your mind can wander

Hello, Hello
Hola! [Spanish for Hello]
I'm at a place called vertigo (¿Dónde está?) [Where is it?]
It's everything I wish I didn't know
But you give me something I can feel
Feel

The night is full of holes
Those bullets rip the sky
Of ink with gold
They twinkle as the boys play rock and roll
They know that they can't dance
At least they know

I can sell the beat
I'm askin' for the check
Girl with crimson nails
Has Jesus 'round the neck
Swinging to the music
Swinging to the music
Woooao

Hello, Hello
Hola!
I'm at a place called Vertigo (¿Dónde está?) [Where is it?]
It's everything I wish I didn't know
But you give me something I can feel
Feel

All this, all this can be yours
All of this, all of this can be yours
All this, all of this can be yours
Just give me what I want
And no one gets hurt

Hello, Hello
Hola!
I'm at a place called Vertigo
Lights go down and all I know
Is that you give me something I can feel
You're teaching me...hahahaha-ow
Your love is teaching me...hahahahaha-ow
How to kneel
Kneel

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
__________________________________________

I covered this song earlier here.

After hearing the rest of the cd I am sticking to my first thought, that this track is about the unrest in the world.

"The night is full of holes/ Those bullets rip the sky"
"I'm at a place called Vertigo/ It's everything I wish I didn't know"

The unrest in the world makes it feel dizzy, uneasy, like Vertigo.

But there is hope and your "soul can't be bought" it is still tough because "your mind can wander".

"The jungle is your head/ Can't rule your heart/ I'm feeling so much stronger/ Than I thought/ Your eyes are wide/ And/ though your soul/ it can't be bought/ your mind can wander"

McPhisto (devil/rockstar altra-ego) from the Zoo Tour days shows up and offers the world, or the "place called Vertigo"

"All this, all this can be yours/ All of this, all of this can be yours/ All this, all of this can be yours/ Just give me what I want/ And no one gets hurt

Ultimatly there is a final hope, a hope in God.

"But you give me something I can feel/ Feeeeeel"
"Your love is teaching me...hahahahaha-ow/ How to kneel/ Kneeeeeeel"

Derek Webb - T-shirts

They'll know us by the t-shirts that we wear/ they will know us by the way we point and stare/ at anyone whose sin looks worse then ours/ who can not hide the scares of this curse that we all bare/ They'll know us by our picket lines and signs/ they will know us by the pride we hide behind/ like anyone on earth is living right/ and isn't that why Jesus died/ not to make us think were right/

chorus/ when love, love, love/ is what we should bew know for/ love, love, love/ its the how and its the why/ we live and breathe and we die/

They'll know us by the reasons we divide/ how we can't seem to unify/ because we gotta sing songs a certain style/ or we'll walk right down that aisle/ and just leave 'em all behind/ They'll know us by the billboards that we make/ just turing God's words into cheap cliches/ says "what part of murder don't you understand?"/ but we hate our fellow man/ and point a fingure at his grave/ chorus/

They'll know us by the t-shirts that we wear/ they will know us by the way we point and stare/ telling them their sins our worse then ours/ thinking we can hide behind our scars/ beneath these t-shirts that we wear.

It's been a while.

Sorry guys, I have been really freakin' busy. I have a bunch of stuff I want to post, but I am going to spread it out over the next few days.