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Jul 28, 2015
This song is about Bono's time with Amnesty International in El Salvador during the 1980s. There, Bono witnessed the firebombing of a small village by the US military. It is said that Bono told The Edge to "put El Salvador through an amplifier". This is easily one of U2's most political songs, and is usually played along with a message against political conflicts and violence. When U2 performed in Boston in 2001, they played "Bullet the Blue Sky" accompanied by a video of the president of the NRA at the time, Charlton Heston, who said, when asked about his agenda for the NRA, "Well, here's my credo - there are no good guns, there are no bad guns. A gun in the hands of a bad man is a bad thing. Any gun in the hands of a good man is no threat to anyone, except bad people." This is followed by a video of a young girl getting into a bag and pulling out a handgun.
Jul 28, 2015
Jul 28, 2015
"
This guy comes up to me
His face red like a rose on a thorn bush
Like all the colors of a royal flush
And he's peeling off those dollar bills
Slapping them down
One hundred, two hundred
His face red like a rose on a thorn bush
Like all the colors of a royal flush
And he's peeling off those dollar bills
Slapping them down
One hundred, two hundred
This is a reference to the current president at the time, Ronald Reagan and his foreign policy views. Bono was thinking of addressing him while writing these lyrics.
Jul 28, 2015
Jul 28, 2015
Jul 28, 2015
Jul 28, 2015
"
Jacob wrestled the angel
And the angel was overcome
And the angel was overcome
This is a reference to the story of Jacob in the bible. In Genesis 32:22-31, Jacob wrestles with an angel "Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak", In this passage, Jacob is renamed Israel by the angel. Jacob said "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved." before naming where they wrestled "Peniel". He also referred to it as "the face of God".
Jul 28, 2015
"
Bullet the blue sky
Bullet the blue sky
Bullet the blue
Bullet the blue
Bullet the blue sky
Bullet the blue
Bullet the blue
This song was written in reference to the United States military intervention in the Salvadoran Civil War in the 1980s. Bono visited El Salvador in the 1980s and witnessed the firebombing of a small village by the us military. This song was born from that.
Jul 28, 2015
Jul 28, 2015
"
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways
She moves in mysterious ways
It's alright, it's alright, it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways
The "she" is still referred to as the Holy Spirit here. Spirit moves in mysterious ways. This really plays off of Romans 28:6. It's "alright" -- the Holy Spirit "helps us in our weakness".
Jul 28, 2015
"
She's slippy
You're sliding down
She'll be there when you hit the ground
You're sliding down
She'll be there when you hit the ground
Bono has explained why he sees the Holy Spirit as "slippy" -- "God’s Spirit moves through us and the world at a pace that can never be constricted by any one religious paradigm. I love that. You know, it says somewhere in the scriptures that the Spirit moves like a wind — no one knows where it’s come from or where it’s going. The Spirit is described in the Holy Scriptures as much more anarchic than any established religion credits."
Jul 28, 2015
"
Let her talk about the things you can't explain
This is a reference to Romans 8:26 - "And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words." -- talk about/pray about the things that you cannot explain.
Jul 28, 2015
Jul 28, 2015
"
spirit
This is in reference to the Holy Spirit, and how it moves in mysterious ways in our lives, as it is said in the bible. "No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God--his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began." in 1 Corinthians 2:7. The key word is the "mystery of god" -- mysterious ways.
Jul 28, 2015
"
She sees the man inside the child
This is a reference to Mary, Jesus' mother. In Luke 1:30-38, the angel Gabriel comes to Mary to tell her that she is pregnant with the son of God. "You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” Mary saw the man inside the child when Jesus was born -- she knew what he was going to become.
Jul 28, 2015
Jul 28, 2015
"
Johnny
The "Johnny" addressed in the song is a reference to John the Baptist, the man who baptized Jesus in the bible. Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." in Matthew 11:11. John the Baptist is described as being a recluse.