To even show you how much I forgive you, I provide the requested evidence in the form of a comparison: In All Because of You, Bono metaphorically calls himself an "intellectual tortoise" for the purpose of describing a state of mind or being "racing with your bullet train". However, he did not write this entire song from the character of a large land turtle. My point being that he likes to use metaphors but they can be for only a few lines in a larger song and not the "voice" of the whole song. So in NLOTH I think he's doing the same thing with the traffic cop.  Just sayin' 

Dear Rock N Roll Girl,

If there'd been another song on "Bomb" from the turtles pov, let's say a kind of autobiographical fable about the turtle (Bono) racing against the hare (Commercial Success), would you still say the turtle was simply a metaphor or that maybe the turtle had graduated to having character status on the album. As far as I'm concerned, I wouldn't mind having Bono suit up in a turtle costume for the tour. It'd be grand, cabaret madness! The Edge garbed in a hare costume. Him and Bono dramatizing the rabbit and hare on opposite sides of the stage and then embracing in the middle, a hug representing a U2 that has reconciled their early idealistic beliefs with their later commercial success. Vertigo in a half-shell! Grand larceny! What madness! Pow, pow! Cue electric staging.

For your additional info, the rue du marais cop had his introduction on the "Discotheque" video. "I'm a traffic cop, rue du marais, the siren squeeling but its me that wants to get away, boom-cha! Ba-ba-boom-cha!"

Why stop at knuckle caresses? Wink-wink. (Rock N Roll girl hauls moderator ass in, Stoker dragged out for sexual harrasment. End of NLOTH research project. Sign of U2 decline on the horizon? Meet me in the sound to discuss.)


Stoker

There you have it folks. Good night.

Dear Rock N Roll Girl,

If there'd been another song on "Bomb" from the turtles pov, let's say a kind of autobiographical fable about the turtle (Bono) racing against the hare (Commercial Success), would you still say the turtle was simply a metaphor or that maybe the turtle had graduated to having character status on the album. As far as I'm concerned, I wouldn't mind having Bono suit up in a turtle costume for the tour. It'd be grand, cabaret madness! The Edge garbed in a hare costume. Him and Bono dramatizing the rabbit and hare on opposite sides of the stage and then embracing in the middle, a hug representing a U2 that has reconciled their early idealistic beliefs with their later commercial success. Vertigo in a half-shell! Grand larceny! What madness! Pow, pow! Cue electric staging.

For your additional info, the rue du marais cop had his introduction on the "Discotheque" video. "I'm a traffic cop, rue du marais, the siren squeeling but its me that wants to get away, boom-cha! Ba-ba-boom-cha!"

Why stop at knuckle caresses? Wink-wink. (Rock N Roll girl hauls moderator ass in, Stoker dragged out for sexual harrasment. End of NLOTH research project. Sign of U2 decline on the horizon? Meet me in the sound to discuss.)


Stoker

  You might be on to something with the whole turtle and hare costume. It could be the new stage drama replacing the Until the End of the World showdown.  I *might* be convinced if Bono had written other songs as a turtle....

Giggle  no charges will be pressed, sir, for your charming flirtation...

Great discussion going on!  For some distinct reason-- call me a fool--- but have a very strong feeling that all of the album relates to the scriptures.  What a surprise that would be!  NLOTH is a brilliant story.  Especially since it has been noted in the past that Bibles were laying around the studio in earlier recording sessions.  Right now in this moment, I am thinking the basic meaning behind it is there is no line on the horizon because God/love is infinity.  Infinity is not a linear. Neither is God's/the Creator love. Cedar refers directly to the Cedars of Lebanon and White as Snow refers directly to Christ.  Magnificent, Stand Up all seem to refer to exalting the most high in the Universe.  I am not uber religious, but to me this seems very apparent, along with it being a sort of love story.  One could refer to the Song of Songs and many other parts of the Bible to find this.  Also, am I offbase in thinking when he refers to 'siren' singular or plural that he is not speaking about a police siren but a muse? 

Keep up the discussion, it is wonderful.  I just had to pop in on this before I lost my train of thought on this subject.

Great discussion going on!  For some distinct reason-- call me a fool--- but have a very strong feeling that all of the album relates to the scriptures.  What a surprise that would be!  NLOTH is a brilliant story.  Especially since it has been noted in the past that Bibles were laying around the studio in earlier recording sessions.  Right now in this moment, I am thinking the basic meaning behind it is there is no line on the horizon because God/love is infinity.  Infinity is not a linear. Neither is God's/the Creator love. Cedar refers directly to the Cedars of Lebanon and White as Snow refers directly to Christ.  Magnificent, Stand Up all seem to refer to exalting the most high in the Universe.  I am not uber religious, but to me this seems very apparent, along with it being a sort of love story.  One could refer to the Song of Songs and many other parts of the Bible to find this.  Also, am I offbase in thinking when he refers to 'siren' singular or plural that he is not speaking about a police siren but a muse? 

Keep up the discussion, it is wonderful.  I just had to pop in on this before I lost my train of thought on this subject.

There is much scriptural reference on this album and you've pointed out several. There are a lot more too.

Hmm, the "siren" thing is interesting. I was thinking police siren as he'd just mentioned the cop, but there is a "get away" theme on the album too, maybe a multiple meaning in that line is also the desire to escape from the muse from time to time...  got any other thoughts like this?

Dear Whitewave,

NLOTH is unique amongst U2 album's in the sense that it is dedicated in its entirety to the muse. On this album, the muse is explictly feminine. It may be God, but does not necessarily have to be Yahweh or Jehovah. It may be El Shalom or Calliope or the Holy Spirit. It may also be regular woman. The album is an offering at the altar of inspiration. As to who's the recipient? Have your pick.

Great discussion going on!  For some distinct reason-- call me a fool--- but have a very strong feeling that all of the album relates to the scriptures.  What a surprise that would be!  NLOTH is a brilliant story.  Especially since it has been noted in the past that Bibles were laying around the studio in earlier recording sessions.  Right now in this moment, I am thinking the basic meaning behind it is there is no line on the horizon because God/love is infinity.  Infinity is not a linear. Neither is God's/the Creator love. Cedar refers directly to the Cedars of Lebanon and White as Snow refers directly to Christ.  Magnificent, Stand Up all seem to refer to exalting the most high in the Universe.  I am not uber religious, but to me this seems very apparent, along with it being a sort of love story.  One could refer to the Song of Songs and many other parts of the Bible to find this.  Also, am I offbase in thinking when he refers to 'siren' singular or plural that he is not speaking about a police siren but a muse? 

Keep up the discussion, it is wonderful.  I just had to pop in on this before I lost my train of thought on this subject.

There is much scriptural reference on this album and you've pointed out several. There are a lot more too.

Hmm, the "siren" thing is interesting. I was thinking police siren as he'd just mentioned the cop, but there is a "get away" theme on the album too, maybe a multiple meaning in that line is also the desire to escape from the muse from time to time...  got any other thoughts like this?

Ah, I like the siren thought. Sirens are ancient grecian mythological creatures that would sing and lure sailors onto the rocks and destroy their ships. He could be saying that he is a traffic cop (for captain of a ship), and there is a siren (a sin or bad influence) that he needs to get a way from. Does this sound right to anybody?

Folks, why the desperate stabs in the dark? "Traffic cop" stands for "Captain of a ship"? Metaphors on top of metaphors. I yield. The meaning of the album resides within the album. Nothing outside of it can explain its meaning. Criticism 101.

The album is full of self-reference. Hence the "let me in the sound" refrain. To better understand the album we need to focus on particulars within, not generalities without. However, the image of the "siren" may be meaningful as part of a larger point. But to draw conclusions we need to find a cohesive thread or a series of cohesive threads. The sea figures in. Ship? I dunno about that. Mythological siren? Equally doubtful.

Keep thinking folks. We're getting somewhere. We'll get there even if we need to travel sideways at times.

Thanks for caring.

Stoker.

The meaning of NLOTH?

"Who are we, why are we here and where are we going?"

Rock N Roll Girl,

If the "sound" is the protagonist's salvation, why does he leave that domain for another? Need to get away from the muse? Why would it be worth his time? "Cedars" does not paint a very alluring picture.

Stoker.

Rock N Roll Girl,

If the "sound" is the protagonist's salvation, why does he leave that domain for another? Need to get away from the muse? Why would it be worth his time? "Cedars" does not paint a very alluring picture.

Stoker.

Well, this is not new for Bono - he's had a love/hate relationship with his salvation for a long time. Remember The First Time or Wake Up Dead Man. He likes that uncertainty thing, a lot. Mind you, he always comes back to the salvation but he flirts a lot with the idea of leaving it. I don't know why exactly he feels the need from time to time to escape the muse or go on a prodigal journey from "salvation, but as we see in NLOTH and Cedars, he does. Perhaps it's just curiosity, "turning over rocks" as he puts it. The complexity does make U2's music more interesting than most though.

Well said.

Dear Whitewave,

NLOTH is unique amongst U2 album's in the sense that it is dedicated in its entirety to the muse. On this album, the muse is explictly feminine. It may be God, but does not necessarily have to be Yahweh or Jehovah. It may be El Shalom or Calliope or the Holy Spirit. It may also be regular woman. The album is an offering at the altar of inspiration. As to who's the recipient? Have your pick.

Not to be a Bible Nazi(Oh, you know what I mean), but is there really a difference between Yahweh and El Shalom, Jehovah and the Holy Spirit?  I know the names stand for different things, but I believe that the Spirit and the Father are the same being, though different persons.

And I like the idea about the siren too.

If there wasn't a difference in their person, why the distinct manifestations? In Classical Greek Mythology the plurality of Gods was dazzling to the imagination. I won't even start with the Hindu pantheon. Why not leave a little breathing space between the Christian Trinity? A little room for character development?

For some ancient Gnostics, Jehovah was the enemy, with Christ being the liberator. And there's a variety of other creative interpretations out there as well. Ancient, modern, you name it. The magpie instinct collects them all.