U2 Discussion -- Part 3

Today we'll look at some of the more politically themed songs of U2.

"Sunday Bloody Sunday" is a song bemoaning war and violence. Specifically, it was written with the violence in Northern Ireland in view. Just to give you some context, consider the following from Walk On: The Spiritual Journey of U2 by Steve Stockman:

Bloody Sunday was the name give to two of the darkest dates in Ireland's bloody history. One is January 30, 1972 -- the day British troops shot and killed thirteen people during a civil rights march in nationalist Derry in Northern Ireland. The army has said it was a shot at first. The civil rights marchers and the families of the dead have always disputed this, saying the victims were innocent. It fanned the flames of the area's troubles. ...

Bloody Sunday was also the name of another tragic day in Dublin. On November 21, 1921, the British ... entered Croke Park, the headquarters for the Gaelic Athletic Association. The association often was accused of being affiliated with Republicans, and the British shot and killed twelve people.

On November 8, 1987, U2 was on their Rattle and Hum Tour and, before performing in Denver, Colorado that night, received news that another "Bloody Sunday" had occurred in their homeland. The IRA exploded a bomb at the War Memorial in Enniskillen. It killed 13 innocent people. In the middle of performing "Sunday Bloody Sunday," Bono let his emotions be seen and heard. He had a monologue midway through the song about how brave it was to kill children and old men who had just cleaned up their medals for the day. His feelings were summarized in that monologue when he proclaimed "F*** the revolution." That would be the last time they performed the song for almost ten years. The following video is that performance in Denver. (WARNING: Bono doesn't censor himself in the monologue like I did above.)


"Bullet The Blue Sky" is a song rebuking America's support for some military dictatorships in Central America. It has been reworked more recently to rebuke the international arms trade and the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib. (WARNING: the video opens with another choice word.)

In the howlin' wind Comes a stingin' rain See it drivin' nails Into the souls on the tree of pain. From the firefly A red orange glow See the face of fear Runnin' scared in the valley below. Bullet the blue sky Bullet the blue sky Bullet the blue Bullet the blue. In the locust wind Comes a rattle and hum. Jacob wrestled the angel And the angel was overcome. You plant a demon seed You raise a flower of fire. We see them burnin' crosses See the flames, higher and higher. Woh, woh, bullet the blue sky Bullet the blue sky Bullet the blue Bullet the blue. Suit and tie comes up to me His face red like a rose on a thorn bush Like all the colours of a royal flush And he's peelin' off those dollar bills (Slappin' 'em down) One hundred, two hundred. And I can see those fighter planes And I can see those fighter planes Across the tin huts as children sleep Through the alleys of a quiet city street. Up the staircase to the first floor We turn the key and slowly unlock the door As a man breathes into his saxophone And through the walls you hear the city groan. Outside, is America Outside, is America America. See across the field See the sky ripped open See the rain comin' through the gapin' wound Howlin' the women and children Who run into the arms Of America.

"Crumbs From Your Table" is about Bono's passion: Africa and their need for debt relief, medical intervention, and trade reform.

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

"In God's Country" is about the tension between wonderful promise of the American Dream and the poisonous materialism and vanity that it often creates.

Desert sky, dream beneath the desert sky.
The rivers run but soon run dry.
We need new dreams tonight.
Desert rose, dreamed I saw a desert rose
Dress torn in ribbons and bows
Like a siren she calls (to me).

Sleep comes like a drug in God's country
Sad eyes, crooked crosses, in God's country

Set me alight, we'll punch a hole right through the night.
Every day the dreamers die to see what's on the other side.
She is liberty, and she comes to rescue me.
Hope, faith, her vanity
The greatest gift is gold.

Sleep comes like a drug in God's country
Sad eyes, crooked crosses, in God's country

Naked flame, she stands with a naked flame
I stand with the sons of Cain
Burned by the fire of love
Burned by the fire of love.

U2 Discussion -- Part 2

Have you ever wondered what Judas would say to Jesus if he had another chance and the benefit of hindsight? Well, "Until the End of the World" envisions Judas, having realized the error of his ways, greeting Jesus as Jesus descends to Hell during the time between the crucifixion and the resurrection. The lyrics are supposed to be the words of Judas in this situation.

Haven't seen you in quite a while
I was down the hold, just passing time.
Last time we met it was a low-lit room
We were as close together as a bride and groom.
We ate the food, we drank the wine
Everybody having a good time except you.
You were talking about the end of the world.

I took the money, I spiked your drink
You miss too much these days if you stop to think.
You led me on with those innocent eyes
And you know I love the element of surprise.
In the garden I was playing the tart
I kissed your lips and broke your heart.
You, you were acting like it was the end of the world.

In my dream, I was drowning my sorrows
But my sorrows they'd learned to swim
Surrounding me, going down on me
Spilling over the brim
Waves of regret and waves of joy.
I reached out for the one I tried to destroy.
You, you said you'd wait till the end of the world.

Have you ever wondered what Jesus' disciples may have been thinking and praying on that day between His death and resurrection. "Wake Up, Dead Man" imagines one of those prayers. Do you think there are any other intended meanings? (WARNING: this song has a word in it that some may find objectionable. Don't say I didn't warn you.)

Jesus, Jesus help me
I'm alone in this world
And a fucked-up world it is too.

Tell me, tell me the story
The one about eternity
And the way it's all gonna be.

Wake up, wake up dead man
Wake up, wake up dead man.

Jesus, I'm waiting here, boss
I know you're looking out for us
But maybe your hands aren't free.

Your Father, He made the world in seven
He's in charge of heaven.
Will you put a word in for me?

Wake up, wake up dead man
Wake up, wake up dead man.

Listen to the words they'll tell you what to do
Listen over the rhythm that's confusing you
Listen to the reed in the saxophone
Listen over the hum of the radio
Listen over the sound of blades in rotation
Listen through the traffic and circulation
Listen as hope and peace try to rhyme
Listen over marching bands playing out their time.

Wake up, wake up dead man
Wake up, wake up dead man.

Jesus, were you just around the corner?
Did you think to try and warn her?
Were you working on something new?
If there's an order in all of this disorder
Is it like a tape recorder?
Can we rewind it just once more?

Wake up, wake up dead man
Wake up, wake up dead man.
Wake up, wake up dead man.

"All Because of You" is a pretty self-explanatory song of praise.

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

"Grace" is a song about ... well ... grace. Notice how he even distinguishes the idea of grace from that of karma.

Grace, she takes the blame
She covers the shame
Removes the stain
It could be her name

Grace, it's the name for a girl
It's also a thought that changed the world
And when she walks on the street
You can hear the strings
Grace finds goodness in everything

Grace, she's got the walk
Not on a ramp or on chalk
She's got the time to talk
She travels outside of karma
She travels outside of karma
When she goes to work
You can hear her strings
Grace finds beauty in everything

Grace, she carries a world on her hips
No champagne flute for her lips
No twirls or skips between her fingertips
She carries a pearl in perfect condition

What once was hurt
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings
Because Grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things

Grace makes beauty out of ugly things

See if you can find the Trinitarian message in "The First Time."

I have a lover, a lover like no other
She got soul, soul, soul, sweet soul
And she teach me how to sing.

Shows me colours when there's none to see
Gives me hope when I can't believe
That for the first time I feel love.

I have a brother, when I'm a brother in need
I spend my whole time running
He spends his running after me.

I feel myself goin' down
I just call and he comes around.
But for the first time I feel love.

My father is a rich man, he wears a rich man's cloak.
He gave me the keys to his kingdom (coming)
Gave me a cup of gold.

He said "I have many mansions
And there are many rooms to see."
But I left by the back door
And I threw away the key
And I threw away the key.

For the first time, for the first time
For the first time, I feel love.

U2 Discussion -- Part 1

The next few posts are for the Pond Springs young adults class. As we continue to look at pop culture and think about our interaction with it, we will consider the music of u2 this week. Please check back here every day and watch the selected videos and think about the U2 clips.

The first one is a combination of two songs, a partial version of "40" and "Where the Streets Have No Name" from their Elevation tour, followed by some clips of Bono speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast


Now, listen to the full version of "40." It is a restatement of Psalm 40, with a refrain taken from Psalm 6:3.

I waited patiently for the Lord.
He inclined and heard my cry.
He brought me up out of the pit
Out of the miry clay.

I will sing, sing a new song.
I will sing, sing a new song.
How long to sing this song?
How long to sing this song?
How long, how long, how long
How long to sing this song?

You set my feet upon a rock
And made my footsteps firm.
Many will see, many will see and hear.

I will sing, sing a new song.
I will sing, sing a new song
I will sing, sing a new song.
I will sing, sing a new song
How long to sing this song?
How long to sing this song?
How long to sing this song?
How long to sing this song? .

"Gloria" borrows the first words from Psalms 30, 31, and 51 as Bono asks for God's help in being honest in his songwriting.

I try to sing this song
I, I try to stand up
But I can't find my feet.
I, I try to speak up
But only in you I'm complete.

Gloria
In te domine
Gloria
Exultate
Gloria
Gloria
Oh, Lord, loosen my lips.

I try to sing this song
I, I try to get in
But I can't find the door
The door is open
You're standing there, you let me in.

Gloria
In te domine
Gloria
Exultate
Oh, Lord, if I had anything, anything at all
I'd give it to you.

Gloria
In te domine
Gloria
Gloria

"Yahweh" is a prayer for God to change us and reshape us. Notice the theme of rebirth in the refrain.

Take these shoes
Click clacking down some dead end street
Take these shoes
And make them fit
Take this shirt
Polyester white trash made in nowhere
Take this shirt
And make it clean, clean
Take this soul
Stranded in some skin and bones
Take this soul
And make it sing

Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, Yahweh
Still I’m waiting for the dawn

Take these hands
Teach them what to carry
Take these hands
Don’t make a fist
Take this mouth
So quick to criticise
Take this mouth
Give it a kiss

Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahewh, Yahweh
Still I’m waiting for the dawn

Still waiting for the dawn, the sun is coming up
The sun is coming up on the ocean
This love is like a drop in the ocean
This love is like a drop in the ocean

Yahweh, Yahweh
Always pain before a child is born
Yahweh, tell me now
Why the dark before the dawn?

Take this city
A city should be shining on a hill
Take this city
If it be your will
What no man can own, no man can take
Take this heart
Take this heart
Take this heart
And make it break

Spelling Bee Fun

Back in the Saddle

My thesis work is virtually finished, so I now have no excuse now and will try to resume blogging. I must confess, I have debated whether I would actually return or not. I enjoy the ability to put some of my thoughts into words and share them and, on rare occasions, get comments back on them. But coming up with regular posts that are insightful and interesting can be difficult. I'll do my best. To begin, a few random thoughts from the past few months.

1. I'm totally on board with the ideas advocated at www.adventconspiracy.org.

2. I have now read the "A New Kind of Christian" trilogy by Brian McLaren. I was blown away by them. While I'm not sure how comfortable with some of the suggestions that are made in the books, I've grown more from reading them than just about any other books I've read.

3. If I'm convinced of anything, its that my Aggies desperately need a new coach. All signs point to this happening. I will be very happy when it does.

4. Ron Paul has gotten a few more headlines recently with his fundraising successes. I still doubt his prospects, but will support him until he's out.

5. I got to spend the day today with Abbie making a kite and then attempting unsuccessfully to get it to fly. We are both sick right now, but it was the best day I've had in a long time.

6. I'm trying to think of topics that I can blog on int he future. Any suggestions?

Wow

I think this may be the only time I've really been impacted by a skit/drama/interpretive dance kind of thing. Check this out. Stick with it. It gets really good.
Lifehouse's "Everything" skit

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Toddlers at the Table (2)

If you haven't kept up with this discussion, but would like to catch up now, here's how it developoed:

• I posted this article, and also emailed it to Al Maxey seeking his feedback.
• Mr. Maxey responded in his weekly Reflections email newsletter. Click here to read it.

Well, I have had some further correspondence with Al regarding the question of children partaking of the Lord's Supper. With his gracious permission, I am posting our correspondence.

First, my response to his article:

Brother Maxey,

Thank you for your thorough and thoughtful treatment of my question about allowing my daughter to partake in communion. The factors which you mentioned are the ones that I have always been taught. You confirmed them sufficiently for me to refrain from allowing my daughter to partake at this time. However, I still have some questions that plague me on this issue.

My difficulty is not with any specific point that you made, but with the general idea that "The rituals of Christianity are only for the mature." You mentioned in your conclusion the passage that says that we will pray and sing with understanding. I'm glad you brought this up because I think it helps explain my continuing difficulty with this question.

We believe that the Bible teaches that all that we do must be more than a mere "going through the motions," but must be done with an understanding of what we are doing. This applies to singing, praying, the Lord's Supper, daily life, etc. However, we don't keep our children from singing in worship even though they don't understand the meaning of the words that they sing. We don't keep them from praying even though they don't understand prayer. We certainly don't forbid them from participating in the offering, although they don't understand any of the theology behind it. And we don't discourage them from adopting Christian morals and values in their daily activity (don't lie, be kind, have good manners, etc.) even though they don't understand the theology behind Christian living. We don't forbid these things because, among other things, there is educational and developmental value to the
experiencing of Christian rituals and activities as they progressively learn more and more about the deeper meanings. I see it as the difference between active/multi-sensory learning and theoretical learning.

I agree that the Bible teaches a deeper meaning behind the Lord's Supper than my Abbie can even come close to comprehending. However, I believe that the Bible teaches a deeper meaning behind singing, praying, offering, Christian living than she is able to comprehend. Why, then, do we forbid the Lord's supper but not the others?

As I said, your article was truly a helpful reminder, as I often allow my exploratory thinking to take over and sometimes lose my grounding in the process. You called me back to a grounded view of the question that I asked. For this I thank you. However, the questioner within me is still not satisfied. I know that you probably receive enough email that an ongoing discussion like this may be something that you don't have time for. However, your further thoughts would be appreciated.

Blessings,

Jeff Borcherding

Now, his reply:

• I can certainly appreciate where you are coming from; I've struggled with many of these same questions and feelings over the years, as I'm sure a great many have. One will discover, however, that in most human societies (whether secular or spiritual, primitive or modern) there is a perceived need to reserve some activities for those who have attained a certain level of maturity. For example, consider marriage. Yes, there are indeed some cultures where the very young are allowed, even encouraged, to marry and bear children. I have heard of girls as young as ten having a baby. Most of us, however, regard such an activity as being something that is not truly developmentally appropriate for that age. Are their bodies capable of reproducing? Yes, in many cases. Does a ten-year-old have a rudimentary understanding of marriage? I'm sure they do. Would you encourage your own daughter to "experience" marriage and reproduction firsthand simply because her physical body might be capable of such, thereby giving her experiential, not just theoretical, knowledge of this?! Probably not. Why not? Because we see the wisdom in postponing certain activities until one is more emotionally and/or spiritually capable of appreciating and accepting the responsibilities of said activity. I truly believe some things are important enough in our lives to advise waiting until we are truly ready to embrace them as they should be, and need to be, embraced.
• Yes, as we assemble together, we do encourage our children to sing, pray and give. However, these are things we also encourage them to do every day. In reality, these activities are largely inherent. Before an infant can even form words, they are singing. A fetus will respond to music even in the womb. It is part of our nature. So is giving. Watch a baby sometime. They'll suck on a cracker and then offer the soggy morsel to Mom and Dad. They are sharing; giving. It is inherent. Psychologists, and even anthropologists, will tell you that man is a "worshipful animal" -- i.e., we have an inherent need to look to something or someone greater than ourselves. Solomon wrote that God has "set eternity in their heart" [Eccl. 3:11]. In other words, God has placed within man an inherent awareness, however rudimentary, of that which is greater than himself, so that even from the very first there may be this inherent longing to grasp the Infinite One. Seeking to communicate with this One is inherent within us, and this is accomplished in prayer. It is a need even a child can fulfill. We can cry out Abba, Daddy, long before we appreciate the true nature of that eternal Father. Thus, singing, praying and giving all address fundamental, basic, inherent traits of the human species, and are developmentally appropriate to almost any age.
• The Lord's Supper, on the other hand, points to a most remarkable moment in time and space, one that is completely outside of and apart from the realm of human nature and experience. It memorializes an event when God Himself stepped shockingly into our physical realm and did the unthinkable -- He died a horrendous death in our place. There is absolutely nothing inherent within our nature to prepare us for this expression of His nature. "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" [Rom. 5:7-8]. Two verses later we are told that the death of Jesus reconciled us to the Father while we were still His enemies. There is nothing inherent within man that prepares us for this amazing grace! The Lord's Supper commemorates the supreme act of love of our Creator, an event that requires some degree of maturity to even begin to grasp, much less apply to our lives in a meaningful way. Singing, praying and sharing are aspects of our nature; that which the Lord's Supper displays is an aspect of His. It is totally outside of our own human experience, and thus requires some degree of development as disciples of Jesus to appreciate, much less accept, this demonstration of His redeeming love!
• Nevertheless, having stated all of the above, it is certainly true that there is no definitive "law" for resolving the issue of precisely when it is "developmentally appropriate" for one to partake of the Lord's Supper. God has largely left that to the exercise of our good judgment. In my previous study I provided what I personally believe the purposes of that event to be, according to my best understanding of the Scriptures, and then simply challenged us all to determine, as best we can, at what point we feel one is capable of truly appreciating this event as it deserves to be appreciated. Since the Lord has not specifically set an age for participation, neither can I. I can only offer the fruit of my study and my insights into the matter. In the end, each person must make that determination for themselves. I have stated my belief -- a four-year-old is not yet ready for this event -- but I will most certainly not condemn those who differ with me on this matter, and who choose to give the bread and wine to their child (although I think it inappropriate to do so). This is, ultimately, between them and their God, and I gladly leave the matter in His merciful, loving and gracious hands. Our Father knows men's hearts and motives far better than I. In conclusion, to this brother from Texas I say: May God richly bless you and your precious daughter. She is truly blessed to have such conscientious parents who want only to raise her to love and appreciate the Lord.
--- Al Maxey