Lyric Analysis - August 27, 2000 - Beautiful Day

[Achtung Bubba]

John Siracusa has now posted the complete lyrics to "Beautiful Day" at the Lyrics Archive: http://www.interference.com/u2la/lyrics/albums/all-behind/beautiful-day.html

Since the lyrics are out, we should let the analysis begin. Please, post your thoughts on what the song means or could mean -- as taken from its lyrics* and possibly through musical cues. And if you want to reference other songs, books, and interviews, go right ahead.

* And I guess we'll all use the Lyrics Archive as canon unless you have a good reason to use another source.

We'll leave this thread open for at least a week -- probably longer if there's enough of a response to it, and it will eventually be archived with other analyses that this forum produces.

So, what do you think is behind the "Beautiful Day"?

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- Achtung Bubba

 

[riversteed]

In my mind, Beautiful Day has obvious references to Jubilee 2000.
One interpretation:

"The heart is a bloom,
Shoots up through the stony ground
There's no room,
No space to rent in this town"

This first verse refers to the fact that this heartfelt idea is too big to be contained by the constraints put on it by society. Something has to be done and unless someone tries to make a difference nothing well happen ... i.e. no space, stony ground etc...

"You're out of luck,
And the reason that you had to care
The traffic is stuck,
And you're not moving anywhere"

The second verse might mean that the idea is going nowhere right now, even though you care about it...change isn't being made and there is no forward gain. i.e. stuck, not moving, out of luck....

"You thought you found a friend,
To take you out of this place
Someone you can lend a hand to,
In return for grace"

This verse seems to indicate that support has been found ... this probably is not a self reference but refers to the rather powerful people Bono found that supported the cause ...financial experts, senators and so on.


"You're on the road,
But you got no destination
You're in the mud,
In the maze of her imagination"

This could be referencing the difficulty and the effort required to set such a large, complex idea into motion. It is a tough road that has no immediate known solution...there is not obvious destination, you just have to keep going. The "mud" would refer to the
bureaucracy and red tape whereas the "maze of her imagination" could refer to the complexity of the Jubilee concept. There is no clear path through this problem - you just have to keep going.

"Love is tough,
Even if that, doesn't ring true
You've been all over,
And it's been all over you"

This could be interpreted many ways..It might refer to the fact that love, being tough, will win the cause..and that the effort was undertaken with love at every point (you've been all over...been all over you) Or it could refer to the Jubilee itself...Bono travelled the globe and the concept of Jubilee was all over him. He seems to be playing it safe and coming from a third person point of view

"See the world in green and blue
See China right in front of you
See the canyons broken by cloud
See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out
See the beduin fires at night
See the oil fields at first light, and
See the bird with the leaf in her mouth
After the flood, all the colors came out"

Obvious references to Bono traveling and seeing the world while working on the Jubilee 2000 cause. The bird/dove could be a biblical reference to denote that the worst is over... The end of the flood/problem is at hand and governments/individuals/pope/etc. from all over are lending support...the colors after the flood.

"Touch me,
Take me to that other place
Reach me,
I know I'm not a hopeless case"

The jubilee concept obviously touched Bono and moved him to take action. He believes in this and doesn't think what he is doing is for naught.

And of course the "don't let it get away" line from the chorus is stating that we cannot miss this opportunity to make a change. We have all read the interviews with Bono where he comments on the fact that, here at the turn of the millennium, we need to make a difference...to make the event mean something.

I'll leave the last verse open because I am sick of typing

[This message has been edited by riversteed (edited 08-27-2000).]

 

[Achtung_Bebe]

Well, I suppose I'll give it a shot

I've actually given this quite a bit of thought.. U2 lyric analysis is something I really really enjoy.. so here goes:

First of all, I think this song is greatly influenced by Jubilee2000 -- by the places Bono had been to and his struggle to help provide for the poorest of the poor (and his observations along the way)..

"The heart is a bloom
Shoots up through the stony ground
There's no room
No space to rent in this town"


I think the 'stony ground' is a metaphor for society.. which tends to want to resist the 'heart'. "There's no room No space to rent in this town" could be a reference to society seeming occupied at times, without any room for compassion.

"You're out of luck
And the reason that you had to care
The traffic is stuck
And you're not moving anywhere"

Perhaps this is a personal feeling that Bono felt at times during the campaign.. as if there was no progress being made (or atleast not to a desired extent), and this could have caused for some frustration, which may have one doubt the actions at hand.

"You thought you'd found a friend
To take you out of this place
Someone you could lend a hand
In return for grace"

this seems to be an allusion to the support the campaign recieved from various individuals

"It's a beautiful day
Sky falls, you feel like
It's a beautiful day
Don't let it get away"

It's a beautiful day.. dont let it get away -- this is a new millennium, with new beginnings.. don't let the opportunities escape you..

"You're on the road
But you've got no destination
You're in the mud
In the maze of her imagination"

Perhaps 'you're on the road' means that you're progressing to brighter things.. but you're not sure where you will end up just yet.. I've been trying to figure out who "her" is. I know that Bono regards the Holy Spirit as female, and perhaps this is a reference to the spirit.. later on you will see that there is a biblical reference, so it does make some sense, but again I'm not sure.

"Your love is done
Even if that doesn't ring true
You've been all over
And it's been all over you"

Your love is done, even if that doesnt ring true -- a lot of love has gone into this, though it may not be reflected just yet in the way things are.. you've been all over is probably to be taken literally -- and then it's been all over you could refer to the high exposure to the jubilee campaign.

"Touch me
Take me to that other place
Teach me
I know I'm not a hopeless case"

this could be Bono asking to be 'touched' by a divine strength which would help take him to where he wants to go, and teach him how to go about reaching his goals.. i know i'm not a hopeless case shows self confidence in what he's doing.

"See the world in green and blue
See time move right in front of you
See the canyons broken by cloud
See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out
See the Bedouin fires at night
See the oil fields at first light
And see the bird with a leaf in her mouth
After the flood all the colors came out"

These are observations made along the way.. "see the bird with a leaf in her mouth after the flood all the colors came out" is obviously a biblical reference to Noah's ark.. after the flood a dove was sent out, and it returned with a leaf, which showed that the flood has passed and the earth was now ready for a new start so to speak..

"What you don't have you don't need it now
what you don't know you can feel it somehow..."

this could be speaking of inspiration.. anyone care to give this bit a go? I'm not entirely sure.. it seems the point of view has changed here -- there was a transition in the song at this point, which could lend itself to this theory..

Note that at the end Bono says "it WAS a beautiful day".. which shows past tense and reflection.. so I think that's saying that things have been successful.. they didn't let it get away and took advantage of the opportunities.

Anyway that's my sketch for now, and i'm sure things will become more clear once given more insight into the themes presented.. I know this analysis suggests heavy jubilee influence, but I actually think that's what it is.. Jubilee has been a large part of Bono's life in recent times, and it's shown up in his writing.. Everyone give your thoughts and thanks for sticking with me while I rambled on

 

[The Wanderer]

great assessments by Riversteed and Achtung Bebe, as far as those last few lines are concerned:

"What you don't have you don't need it now"

i think is in reference to the "drop the debt" campaign, Bono is saying "look, here's a chance to reach out and help the 'have-nots,' it's not much . . . you won't miss what you don't have anyway (it's debt that you are only using to keep people financially hostage with and you don't need the it)"


"What you don't know you can feel somehow"

Bono is trying to comfort himself and others who poured their hearts into this and want to be reassured that this actually was successful; and that you can somehow "feel" that this was the right thing to do and made a difference . . .


but I also think this song is ambiguoous and meant to be interpreted on many different levels:

I think it also is a spiritual ballad about someone, anyone, trying to make a difference and encountering resistance, but in attempting to make a difference that person achieves "grace" and has made a revelation about life and existence in the process . . . it is also directed at the cynical world that has given up on the idea that you can make a difference,

"don't let it get away" is intended to mean a great many things . . .

 

[Salome]

I'll keep this short:
I think the song is about the fact that people do tend to have their heart at the right place. And overall the will is there to follow ones heart and help each other out.

- The heart is a bloom
shoots up through the stony ground -

If you just give it a try and look past some little (or somewhat bigger) misfortunes and help others in their misfortunes, you can experience life as "a beautiful day".

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Salome
Shake it, shake it, shake it

 

[misterboo]

Just thought that I'd offer up an interpretation of a part of the lyrics:

"See the world in green and blue,
See China right in front of you,
See the canyons broken by clouds,
See the tuna fish clering the sea out,
See the Bedouin fires at night,
See the oil feilds at first light and,
See the bird with a leaf in her mouth,
After the flood all the colours came out."

In these lines could Bono be describing the view of the earth from space? It seems to fit with the line "See China right in front of you" Does anyone know if the other things that he describes would also be visible from space? AND if this interpretation is accurate, is this the "You" in these lines God, who is 'supposed' to be looking down on us (from space)?What does everyone think?

 

[Achtung_Bebe]

Interesting Misterboo, however John Siracusa over at the lyrics archives seems to think that line is actually "See time move right in front of you" which would actually make a bit more sense in my opinion.

I have another idea on the lyric:
"The heart is a bloom,
shoots up through the stony ground"

Well, bono always says how he can see a great deal of spirit alive in those who are indebted, and he says how this amazes him. Perhaps this line is saying that he can see through to their heart, even though they're being swamped with troubles. I saw a documentary on television today about Ethiopia and the troubles they are enduring over there -- and the host of this show also said that the spirit alive in these people is inspiring. I just want to add that I think these lyrics also have a broader meaning, which can be applied to many situations where things may be looking down.. this song offers hope for those tough times.

 

[Achtung_Bebe]

I just listened to the lyric in question, and I could've sworn he said "see CHINA right in front of you.."

 

[sulawesigirl4]

More indepth analysis to follow

But, I would swear it's "see China right in front of you..." There's no ending sound on that vowel. no "v". hehe. It makes sense to me...because it sounds like a quick tour of the globe. But I may be totally off.

off to listen to BD for about the 100th time.
-sulawesigirl

 

[zoomerang II]

I agree with you guys about jubilee / drop the debt influences, however, in addition call me mud but I am coming around to the fact that as with nearly everything U2 has done their is a personal side involving U2's irishness.
All that you can't leave behind is no exception - Bono has an irish soul and no matter where he goes, he can't change that.

Peace in Ireland forever = Beautiful day

"You're out of luck,
And the reason that you had to care
The traffic is stuck,
And you're not moving anywhere"
- The stalling of the peace process

"You thought you found a friend,
To take you out of this place
Someone you can lend a hand to,
In return for grace"
- Remember the concert in belfast with Hume and Trimble? and the symbolism of holding hands

"You're on the road,
But you got no destination
You're in the mud,
In the maze of her imagination"
- Political prisoners being released from the Maze prison?

"Love is tough,
Even if that, doesn't ring true
You've been all over,
And it's been all over you"
- Lyrical sequel to "Please"

See the world ...
...Take me to that other place
Reach me,
I know I'm not a hopeless case"
Bono wants the world to embrace northern Ireland (that was previously described as a hopeless case). He wants the world for his country, and he knows it's almost there, that day being a beautiful day.

 

[misterboo]

Okay- i want everyone to take this seriously, so please don't laugh at what i'm about to say. At about 2:46 into 'Beautiful Day', just before Bono sings "It was a beautiful day", in the background i think i can hear Edge or Bono singing what sounds like "Terrible night". Listen very closely to the backing vocals and you might pick it up. I'm sure it's there!

 

[zoomerang II]

"What you don't have you don't need it now"

Could this refer to Irish reunification?
Ireland is not unified, however perhaps it doesn't really matter anymore - instead think about the beautiful day when all irish citizens can live in peace (I could be going way over the top on this one...)
Could this song be about a dream Bono is having in the future?
Also misterboo there certainly is something that sounds like terrible night in there...

 

[misterboo]

Thankyou zoomerang II- i knew i wasn't hearing things! It's there people! Beautiful Day... Terrible night. Ha!

 

[Achtung_Bebe]

haha U2 and their contradictions -- I love it!!

 

[Slapnutz]

I wanna throw in a few suggestions but I have a work deadline. Damn deadlines.
While I'm here though, does anybody else hear 'You love this town' not 'Love is tough' ?


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"It's the lemon right? Chicks love the lemon." - Bono

[This message has been edited by Slapnutz (edited 09-01-2000).]

 

[Spectre]

Apparently your right,slapnutz. In the lyrics section on this website, the lyrics have been changed from "love is tough" to "you love this town".

[This message has been edited by Spectre (edited 09-01-2000).]

 

[AchtungSteve]

Bono seems to alernate the "see..." lines with good and bad.

"See the world in green and blue,
See China right in front of you,"

The beautiful, natural world
China getting ready to take it over (Taiwan)

"See the canyons broken by clouds,
See the tuna fish clering the sea out,"

Beautiful canyons - more of how beautiful the world is.
Then a sight of a fleet of boats taking all the fish out of the ocean.

"See the Bedouin fires at night,
See the oil feilds at first light and,"

Nomadic fires covering the black ground at night,
Only to see giant oil drills in the morning."

The rest tells me that even though we are destroying the world much like the Great Flood (only, this time it is our own hands)
God will still love us.

"See the bird with a leaf in her mouth,
After the flood all the colours came out."

 

[Achtung Bubba]

Just to let you guys know, I'm thinking of closing and archiving this thread sometime next week... so if you haven't given your two cents about "Beautiful Day", don't let it get away.

(And I'll erase this post later, so just ignore it.)

------------------
- Achtung Bubba

 

[Achtung Bubba]

Now that I think about it, I'll close this thread after the release of the album.

So if you have thoughts about the meaning behind the new single, let's hear 'em!

------------------
- Achtung Bubba