U2's most spiritual song and your reasoning?

[ricebird5678]

I love Ultraviolet. And I would really like to hear thoughts on the spiritual direction of that song. It's dark but I think has redemption. But some lyrics seem... nasty, maybe? Your love is like a secret, it's been passed around - who is he talking to there? Is there anything beyond the insult implied?

Is it ultraviolet light/love because it exists just beyond our ability to see it?

I think the 'love is like a secret' line needs to be taken into context with the entire verse. When observing as a whole, with the preceding "You bury your treasure where it cannot be found," I interpret this as meaning we never truly find God, at least in a physical sense during our time on Earth. We are always looking, being given clues and signs.

This leads into the next line that you referred to, "Your love is like a secret." This means that as a human race we all preach and proselytize about what God's love is. We find countless examples in the scriptures, yet it is all taken from the human perspective. We are all passing around our 'secrets' about what we project God's love to be.

This verse shows us that there is a void; an unknown that we ponder. It is an introspection into our own mortality and purpose. It is the notion that wants to make us tear down the walls that hold us inside.

This is my thoughts of the lyrics as of late. I could be dead wrong of course and would like to hear other's commentary.

[xy]

40 .

I just find the bass line/chorus moving, as an atheist.

[SanAntonioKrusty]

Interesting subject.  We know that Christianity has shaped the band members and those ideas certainly enter into the lyrics.  As noted in this thread, Bono is an affinity to the Psalms and even wrote the forward for a the Pocket Canon Series (1999).  Bono starts be saying:

“Explaining belief has always been difficult. How do you explain a love and logic at the heart of the universe when the world is so out of whack?  How about the poetic versus the actual truth found in the scriptures?  <<skip>> Explaining faith is impossible…Vision over visibility…Instinct over intellect…A songwriter plays a chord with the faith that he will hear the next on in his head.”

I also appreciate the Psalms in the Hebrew Scriptures (along with the gift of the Prophets).  What is striking about the Psalms are the large percentage that are Psalms of Lament.  Bono certainly recognizes this and it bleeds into the songs.  To me, many of the most spiritual U2 songs are the songs of lament, such as ‘Wake Up Deadman,” “If God will Send His Angels” and “Peace on Earth,” among many others.  The Psalms let us know that it is ok to be angry at God. 

Heaven on Earth, we need it now, I'm sick of all of this hanging around, Sick of sorrow, sick of the pain, I'm sick of hearing again and again, That there's gonna be peace on Earth

God's got his phone off the hook, babe, Would he even pick up if he could, It's been a while since we saw that child, Hanging 'round this neighborhood, See his mother dealing in a doorway, See Father Christmas with a begging bowl, Jesus' sister's eyes are a blister, The high street never looked so low

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

[GoldenStateGirl]

Following!  I am enjoying the heck out of this thread but cannot reply.  Yet. 

I am leaning toward Streets but I think I am influenced by the live versions which take us "to that other place" referenced in BD.

Magnificent is up there too.  And UTEOTW, for letting us know that even the wickedest among us can be loved and forgiven.

This is is a toughie.

[Tortuga]

I love Ultraviolet. And I would really like to hear thoughts on the spiritual direction of that song. It's dark but I think has redemption. But some lyrics seem... nasty, maybe? Your love is like a secret, it's been passed around - who is he talking to there? Is there anything beyond the insult implied?

Is it ultraviolet light/love because it exists just beyond our ability to see it?

I think the 'love is like a secret' line needs to be taken into context with the entire verse. When observing as a whole, with the preceding "You bury your treasure where it cannot be found," I interpret this as meaning we never truly find God, at least in a physical sense during our time on Earth. We are always looking, being given clues and signs.

This leads into the next line that you referred to, "Your love is like a secret." This means that as a human race we all preach and proselytize about what God's love is. We find countless examples in the scriptures, yet it is all taken from the human perspective. We are all passing around our 'secrets' about what we project God's love to be.

This verse shows us that there is a void; an unknown that we ponder. It is an introspection into our own mortality and purpose. It is the notion that wants to make us tear down the walls that hold us inside.

This is my thoughts of the lyrics as of late. I could be dead wrong of course and would like to hear other's commentary.

There is no right or wrong but I have a more straightforward simple take that burying your treasure where it can’t be found is putting your faith in material things instead of love.  And “your love is like a secret thats been passed around” as your love not being an authentic and true self-sacrificing love but rather one that you have corrupted with concern for yourself or selfishness...the way a secret gets cumulatively corrupted as it gets passed from one person to another.


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[ToRontoRon]

For me, Ultraviolet refers to God's love.

Ultraviolet, or UV rays are things that you cannot see, but despite that, they can change who you are by changing your skin colour among other things.
"Ultraviolet love", as sung in the chorus, is the love of God.  You can't see it, it's invisible, and yet it gets inside you and changes who you are.

[Stateless]

40 is the obvious one and the one that stands out for me.  It is mainly/obviously that it is straight from Psalms 40, but what makes the song and how it is performed so moving is when you are in a stadium with 60-70,000 people and everyone is singing a Psalm from the bible.  It is both emotionally and spiritually incredible when you are at a show and everyone is singing..."how long to sing this song".   

U2 has so many spiritual songs that resonate with people differently. 

[shineinthesummernight]

I think "Gloria" and "40" are great examples of praise songs.  "Magnificent" has some great lines as well--"I was born to sing for You."
    I always find it kind of amusing re. all the atheists and agnostics who are super into U2.  One suspects that they are far more open to the life force (however they may conceive of it) than they think they are.

[BONO31]

For me, Ultraviolet refers to God's love.

Ultraviolet, or UV rays are things that you cannot see, but despite that, they can change who you are by changing your skin colour among other things.
"Ultraviolet love", as sung in the chorus, is the love of God.  You can't see it, it's invisible, and yet it gets inside you and changes who you are.

Totally agree, plus I think the « baby, baby, baby light my way »
is secretly about baby Jesus

[davis]

Bad.  Nothing overtly "Christian" but no song has ever expressed spiritual hunger like Bad does. 

[Absonjourney]

I would agree with a lot of these songs mentioned, but would add Moment of Surrender.

This to me is a call to the moment when faith takes over reason and we place our trust in Someone (I would say Jesus as a Christian and a pastor" who is there for us even if we can't see Him- "at the moment of surrender, vision over visibility..." not to mention the bridge/alternate chorus "I was speeding on the subway Through the stations of the cross Every eye looking every other way Counting down 'til the pentecost..."

The song Yahweh is another obvious one for me.

Also, With or Without You...since we cannot truly live without Jesus, yet as Paul says we cannot live with Him either, we have to die to ourselves.

Love this thread.

[Luzita]

I guess my vote for greatest spiritual song is Still Haven’t Found. I’m probably biased because that is my all-time favorite U2 song, not only because of the Christian theme but that’s part of it.

Some others I love are Gloria and Magnificent, which are praise songs. It is the feeling in those songs, awe and love and gratitude and exaltation, that really move me.


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[Tortuga]

I would agree with a lot of these songs mentioned, but would add Moment of Surrender.

This to me is a call to the moment when faith takes over reason and we place our trust in Someone (I would say Jesus as a Christian and a pastor" who is there for us even if we can't see Him- "at the moment of surrender, vision over visibility..." not to mention the bridge/alternate chorus "I was speeding on the subway Through the stations of the cross Every eye looking every other way Counting down 'til the pentecost..."

The song Yahweh is another obvious one for me.

Also, With or Without You...since we cannot truly live without Jesus, yet as Paul says we cannot live with Him either, we have to die to ourselves.

Love this thread.

“Counting down till the pentecost”???

“Counting down till the pain will stop”

I know U2.com has the former but listening to the track its clear its the latter.


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[Tortuga]

I think "Gloria" and "40" are great examples of praise songs.  "Magnificent" has some great lines as well--"I was born to sing for You."
    I always find it kind of amusing re. all the atheists and agnostics who are super into U2.  One suspects that they are far more open to the life force (however they may conceive of it) than they think they are.

Why would you think agnostics or atheist’s are not open to the “life force”?  Belief in a deity is one way of explaining love and all that is good.  But its not the only way.  I’ve never known an atheist or agnostic that denies that love and goodness exist.


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[u2music]

I would agree with a lot of these songs mentioned, but would add Moment of Surrender.

This to me is a call to the moment when faith takes over reason and we place our trust in Someone (I would say Jesus as a Christian and a pastor" who is there for us even if we can't see Him- "at the moment of surrender, vision over visibility..." not to mention the bridge/alternate chorus "I was speeding on the subway Through the stations of the cross Every eye looking every other way Counting down 'til the pentecost..."

The song Yahweh is another obvious one for me.

Also, With or Without You...since we cannot truly live without Jesus, yet as Paul says we cannot live with Him either, we have to die to ourselves.

Love this thread.

“Counting down till the pentecost”???

“Counting down till the pain will stop”

I know U2.com has the former but listening to the track its clear its the latter.


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To be clear, and if you check, U2.com lists the lyric as "counting down 'til the pentecost".  If you google it, on other lyric services, they say "counting till the pain will stop".  Now, don't know about you but I'm personally inclined to believe the U2.com lyrics page and the lyric makes a lot of sense in that version.

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