Breathe lyrics meaning?
- Thread starter Abbi
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
MrsSpringsteen
Blue Crack Addict
Cockatoo actually has some deep meaning? I thought he randomly threw that in there for fun...
pukebreath
The Fly
16th of June is the day James Joyce "Ulysses" takes place. This album is his rough trip through a day, or night into day, in Dublin, like the book. The songs are chronological, often referencing times...
I wanna know who the "JuJu man" is?
I wanna know who the "JuJu man" is?
last unicorn
Blue Crack Addict
JuJu is the Nigerian word for a "voodoo doctor".
I thought so too, but apparently cockatoo is slang, ie "I wasn't going to buy just anyone's shit".
Does anyone have any explanation for the last verse
16th of June, Chinese stocks are going up
And I’m coming down with some new Asian virus
Ju Ju man, Ju Ju man
Doc says you’re fine, or dying
Please
Nine o nine, St John Divine, on the line, my pulse is fine
But I’m running down the road like loose electricity
While the band in my head plays a striptease
Given 16th of June and "nine o nine" this is the follow up from the first verse where the salesman/fake "evangelist" comes in. Who of these two characters is "running down the road" and "coming down with a virus" ? And what does "st John divine on the line" mean ?
popacrobat
Rock n' Roll Doggie FOB
St. John Divine, fwiw, was/is the author of the book of revelations. him being on the line, i figure that means he's on the phone talking to the narrator...but the narrator's "pulse is fine." however since st john divine is on the line, and the narrator is "fine or dying" he's freaking out running down the road like loose electricity/ like a nut?. well, that's what i get out of it anyway. hope that helps?
theFly51
New Yorker
What does he mean by "The roar that lies on the other side of silence
The forest fire that is fear so deny it"
The forest fire that is fear so deny it"
UAME
The Fly
Here's how I interpret those lines:
"The roar that lies on the other side of silence" and "the forest fire" both bad things (potentially) on the horizon being anticipated in the mind. "..on the other side" meaning something yet to come. In silence now, but cannot enjoy it for the dread of what will bring it to an end.
Then, "that is fear, so deny it" - those thoughts are founded in fear. Deny it's hold on your life, denounce fear's power to cripple you in this moment. Stop being paralyzed. "Walk out, into the street. Sing your heart out..."
last unicorn
Blue Crack Addict
^ This might just be my favourite part of the song, that's poetry, I love it.
rihannsu
Refugee
There was a thread about that first line that shows it could be a literary reference. Check it out here: http://www.u2interference.com/forum...lies-on-the-other-side-of-silence-193872.html
Dana
theFly51
New Yorker
^thanks 
Marien
Refugee
I'm still working out my own interpretation of this song and your opinions are helping me quite a lot. I think this song is Bono's most personal in the album, he explains lots of things about his own life and feelings. It's a beautiful theme, beautifully written.
From my point of view the salesman at the front door is representing the establishment within religion (I don't know if I'm using the correct word, but I hope you understand what I mean), formal religion, the people that think they're more enlightened than the others, that they are the only ones to Know God and to interpret Him, they tell us how to get saved, they judge people and sometimes use the power they acquire from this to control people. The narrator says "these times I'm wiser and I know I don't need you to get saved, no, I'm not going to buy what you have, cause I know I only need to know God". "Three", I love this word within the song, it comes as a mystery, like the Trinity. The author knows he can make mistakes, but he knows he can recover from them: "every day I die again, and again I'm reborn".
This man, the narrator, is starting his own Odyssey, a journey of self discovery and dicovery of Divinity, thus the 16th of June reference, it's a difficult journey, that's why he has to find the courage to run into the streets and offer himself to the others, he can be rejected, he can be misunderstood, but he has a love that nobody's can defeat, God's.
I explain the lines "16th of June, Chinese stocks are going up ..... my pulse is fine" as examples of today's state of confussion, this kind of journalistic approach Bono sometimes likes to introduce in the songs to get them in context, in this way he portraits himself running in the street like loose electricity, and the band uncovering their intimacies, like their religious feelings, to everyone who wants to listen (playing striptease).
There are bad things, big problems "the roar that lies on the other side of silence (injustice, poverty, for example) the forest fire (religious intolerance, for example)" but the way to deal with them is not to deny they exist, one has to go out into the street, say what one thinks, and do what one thinks is right, the voices won't get drown. He feels he's got a gift, his music, and this gift carries a responsibility, that's why he wears it like a crown.
At the end he comes back to the main theme in the song: Grace, he found Grace inside a sound, only Grace, not all these restrictions he finds in formal religion, and thus he can breathe, breathe free.
The are some references in the song like the 9:09 and St. John Divine I'm still wondering about, the first one I suppose is a Bible reference and the second one I have the feeling he's talking about a hospital or something like that, but I can't explain why. The image of the juju man I think it's about someone who says he's a doctor, but in fact knows nothing about medicine, but in the context of the song it can also be applied to economists, for example.
From my point of view the salesman at the front door is representing the establishment within religion (I don't know if I'm using the correct word, but I hope you understand what I mean), formal religion, the people that think they're more enlightened than the others, that they are the only ones to Know God and to interpret Him, they tell us how to get saved, they judge people and sometimes use the power they acquire from this to control people. The narrator says "these times I'm wiser and I know I don't need you to get saved, no, I'm not going to buy what you have, cause I know I only need to know God". "Three", I love this word within the song, it comes as a mystery, like the Trinity. The author knows he can make mistakes, but he knows he can recover from them: "every day I die again, and again I'm reborn".
This man, the narrator, is starting his own Odyssey, a journey of self discovery and dicovery of Divinity, thus the 16th of June reference, it's a difficult journey, that's why he has to find the courage to run into the streets and offer himself to the others, he can be rejected, he can be misunderstood, but he has a love that nobody's can defeat, God's.
I explain the lines "16th of June, Chinese stocks are going up ..... my pulse is fine" as examples of today's state of confussion, this kind of journalistic approach Bono sometimes likes to introduce in the songs to get them in context, in this way he portraits himself running in the street like loose electricity, and the band uncovering their intimacies, like their religious feelings, to everyone who wants to listen (playing striptease).
There are bad things, big problems "the roar that lies on the other side of silence (injustice, poverty, for example) the forest fire (religious intolerance, for example)" but the way to deal with them is not to deny they exist, one has to go out into the street, say what one thinks, and do what one thinks is right, the voices won't get drown. He feels he's got a gift, his music, and this gift carries a responsibility, that's why he wears it like a crown.
At the end he comes back to the main theme in the song: Grace, he found Grace inside a sound, only Grace, not all these restrictions he finds in formal religion, and thus he can breathe, breathe free.
The are some references in the song like the 9:09 and St. John Divine I'm still wondering about, the first one I suppose is a Bible reference and the second one I have the feeling he's talking about a hospital or something like that, but I can't explain why. The image of the juju man I think it's about someone who says he's a doctor, but in fact knows nothing about medicine, but in the context of the song it can also be applied to economists, for example.
There's another post down there dealing with Breathe lyrics meaning. I bring here what I wrote there
I think it's about someone who suffers a heart attack, or any kind of stroke, and gets to that moment where you are about to die but you finally don't "long line" "my mother's side"
Man at the door comes with an ambulance
He is taken to the hospital, it only takes 4 minutes!! electricity (using a defibrillator or something like that) "Doc says you re fine or diyng" "my pulse is fine" ...
Then finally reborn every day day and reborn ...
Then "walk out in the streets" is like "I'm ready to sing I'm glad to be alive"
I found one St John's hospital, specialised among others in cardiovascular surgery
St. John's Rehab Hospital - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
St. John's Rehab Hospital - About Us: Sisterhood of St. John the Divine
But I really don't know
I think it's about someone who suffers a heart attack, or any kind of stroke, and gets to that moment where you are about to die but you finally don't "long line" "my mother's side"
Man at the door comes with an ambulance
He is taken to the hospital, it only takes 4 minutes!! electricity (using a defibrillator or something like that) "Doc says you re fine or diyng" "my pulse is fine" ...
Then finally reborn every day day and reborn ...
Then "walk out in the streets" is like "I'm ready to sing I'm glad to be alive"
I found one St John's hospital, specialised among others in cardiovascular surgery
St. John's Rehab Hospital - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
St. John's Rehab Hospital - About Us: Sisterhood of St. John the Divine
But I really don't know
Greg Gregson
Babyface
The "Sixteenth of June" as the Irish refer to it, is a National Holiday in Ireland, also known as "Bloomsday". (Its a particularly big celebration in Dublin)
Bloomsday celebrates the life of Irish writer James Joyce and relives the events in his novel Ulysses, all of which took place on "the sixteenth of June"
Last edited:
Sullivan99
Babyface
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2012
- Messages
- 1
Band calls leaders to Action - breathe love, life
I enjoyed the reading on this song, as I have enjoyed it a great deal with the strong vocal and the calling I hear. With the comments here about Ulysses, I have some reading to do to learn of the literary ties.
But when I listed to the song, I hear the band calling the leaders among us to action. The man with the cockatoo and the Chinese stock volatility are visuals to bring on the pressures of our international security, financial, and social demands. And the band's intense and urgent musical background brings me to attention, to hear bono call out for us to lead in the clear thinking and strong corrective forces, to improve the environment. "These days are better than that, these days are better than that..."
The song is a call to me to fight through the confusion, often brought on by those who may know better, and find independent strength to bring a better good for those who need it. Tell those who are not joining that effort, "There's nothing you have that I need" and breathe fresh life into all within your reach. I hear Bono calling out to U2s strong fans, to push aside those who try to get fear-based reactions from others to serve their cause, and fight an independent fight where needed. Breate love, and fight against "The war that lies on the other side of silence, the forest fire that is fierce and denying - Walk out into the street sing your heart out"
I enjoyed the reading on this song, as I have enjoyed it a great deal with the strong vocal and the calling I hear. With the comments here about Ulysses, I have some reading to do to learn of the literary ties.
But when I listed to the song, I hear the band calling the leaders among us to action. The man with the cockatoo and the Chinese stock volatility are visuals to bring on the pressures of our international security, financial, and social demands. And the band's intense and urgent musical background brings me to attention, to hear bono call out for us to lead in the clear thinking and strong corrective forces, to improve the environment. "These days are better than that, these days are better than that..."
The song is a call to me to fight through the confusion, often brought on by those who may know better, and find independent strength to bring a better good for those who need it. Tell those who are not joining that effort, "There's nothing you have that I need" and breathe fresh life into all within your reach. I hear Bono calling out to U2s strong fans, to push aside those who try to get fear-based reactions from others to serve their cause, and fight an independent fight where needed. Breate love, and fight against "The war that lies on the other side of silence, the forest fire that is fierce and denying - Walk out into the street sing your heart out"
Rachel D.
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
This is a very interesting thread. Breathe has really grown on me and there is a lot going on in this song, even if it sounds like "word salad," as one reviewer called it.
To me, this song is about having peace in a world of uncertainty and confusion. There's a guy at the door trying to sell him some crap, Chinese stocks are going up, the doctor doesn't know anything, he thinks he's got a virus, he's running down the road, there's a band in his head. But Bono doesn't need any of that because it doesn't really matter, because he's found grace, and he can breathe.
Bono leads a very busy life, and he probably feels surrounded by chaos at times (I would if I were him!), but he's got a solid foundation to stand on, so he's not shaken. I think in Bono In Conversation he said something about having an inner calm that comes from his faith, or something like that. In the live version on Edge's Picks, Bono sings "Spirit, breathe..." towards the end.
To me, this song is about having peace in a world of uncertainty and confusion. There's a guy at the door trying to sell him some crap, Chinese stocks are going up, the doctor doesn't know anything, he thinks he's got a virus, he's running down the road, there's a band in his head. But Bono doesn't need any of that because it doesn't really matter, because he's found grace, and he can breathe.
Bono leads a very busy life, and he probably feels surrounded by chaos at times (I would if I were him!), but he's got a solid foundation to stand on, so he's not shaken. I think in Bono In Conversation he said something about having an inner calm that comes from his faith, or something like that. In the live version on Edge's Picks, Bono sings "Spirit, breathe..." towards the end.
Similar threads
