jimc
Babyface
Wondering if anyone has an interpretation of the lyrics for ABOY. I had heard that the song is about God or different people that make an impact on your life. This is one of my favorite songs-
jimc
jimc
All Because of You
- Thread starter jimc
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pattip2000
New Yorker
I've always heard it as about God
nbcrusader
Blue Crack Addict
You can interpret the refrain as:
All because of You, I AM!
With "I AM" being the name of God.
All because of You, I AM!
With "I AM" being the name of God.
U2Soar
War Child
I came across this one recently.
All Because Of You - Steve Trask
http://agaperevolution.wordpress.com/2006/03/18/all-because-of-you-i-am/
All Because Of You is a great new song on U2’s Vertigo album. When one listens to this song for the first time, one gets the impression that this is a love song, and this is an accurate impression. Bono passionately serenades his lover through this song. However, this begs the question, who is Bono’s lover? The natural assumption would be that it must be Ali Hewson, his one and only wife that he married decades ago. A close examination of the song reveals that this is not the case.
A close study of the lyrics reveals who Bono serenades. Bono repeats a line in the song a few times, which is “All because of you I am. . . I am.” Why is it that the lyrics repeat the words “I am” twice? In Exodus 3, God charges Moses with a mission to go and free the Israelites from their bondage under the Egyptians. The Bible says that the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses at the burning Bush. Some people believe that references to the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament are actually references to Jesus Christ. When Moses received his charge from the Angel of the Lord, he asked God what name he should use to refer to God, if the Israelites ask what God has sent him. “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’” (Exodus 3:14) In Mark, when the High priest asks Jesus if He is the Messiah, Jesus responds by saying, “I am.” (14:62) In John, Jesus says "before Abraham was born, I am!" (8:58) Therefore, there is a theme in the Bible of “I am” being a reference to God.
Who then is Bono serenading? Bono is serenading God or Jesus Christ more specifically. The use of the double “I am” in the song is a direct reference to God. Paul says in Ephesians, “‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.” (5:31-33) Paul describes the relationship between Christ and the church as being like that of a relationship between a husband and wife.
What does Bono serenade Jesus Christ about? First, Bono praises Jesus for creating him. In light of what I have already discussed, the word “I am” conveys a double meaning. It is saying both “All because of you I am” and “All because of you Jesus.” When one puts these two separate meanings together, one learns that he is thanking God for being the ground of his being. One can accurately translate “All because of you I am. . . I am” as “Jesus, I exist because of you.” Second, Bono thanks Jesus for his salvation. He says, “I was born a child of grace.” Jesus said in John that “no one can see the kingdom of God without being born again.” (3:3) Therefore, being born a child of grace is a reference to his rebirth into salvation. Third, Bono praises Jesus for his beauty by saying “[e]verything was ugly but your beautiful face.” Fourth, Bono praises God for his transcendence and immanence. He says “I saw you in the curve of the moon / In the shadow cast across my room.” He cannot see God because God is transcendent and wholly other. If a person were to see God in His complete glory, that person would die. On the other hand, he sees evidence that God is immanent in his life, which is what he conveys through his reference to the curve of the moon and the shadows. Fifth, he praises God for his omnipotence stating that he is “An intellectual tortoise / Racing with your [God’s] bullet train.”
This song is also a theological depiction of the process of salvation. He states at the beginning of the song that he was born a child of grace. This refers to the beginning of his walk with God where he places his faith in Jesus Christ and receives the justification and forgiveness of sins that comes through Christ’s death on the cross. However, justification is only the beginning of the Christian journey, which is why it is referred to in the first line of the song. After a person is justified, s/he begins an incremental process of becoming holy, but this is a process where there will be bumps in the road along the way since we are still creatures with a sin nature.
Bono talks about his personal selfishness. “I like the sound of my own voice / I didn’t give anyone else a choice / An intellectual tortoise / Racing with your bullet train / Some people get squashed crossing the tracks / Some people got high rises on their backs.” He is talking about how selfishness is part of the sin condition. People often have elevated views of themselves and they feel that they are better than other people and God, but we inevitably get into trouble (or squashed crossing the tracks) when we get into the mindset that we know better than God does. He then says “I’m not broke but you can see the cracks / You can make me perfect again.” In Matthew, Jesus tells us that the standard for human conduct is perfection when he commands us to “e perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (5:48) This is the goal that we as Christians must pursue with all of our being, but we inevitably fall short of this goal, and we get squashed crossing the tracks. However, God is always there with us in our faith journey, and he will make us perfect again.
All Because Of You - Steve Trask
http://agaperevolution.wordpress.com/2006/03/18/all-because-of-you-i-am/
All Because Of You is a great new song on U2’s Vertigo album. When one listens to this song for the first time, one gets the impression that this is a love song, and this is an accurate impression. Bono passionately serenades his lover through this song. However, this begs the question, who is Bono’s lover? The natural assumption would be that it must be Ali Hewson, his one and only wife that he married decades ago. A close examination of the song reveals that this is not the case.
A close study of the lyrics reveals who Bono serenades. Bono repeats a line in the song a few times, which is “All because of you I am. . . I am.” Why is it that the lyrics repeat the words “I am” twice? In Exodus 3, God charges Moses with a mission to go and free the Israelites from their bondage under the Egyptians. The Bible says that the Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses at the burning Bush. Some people believe that references to the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament are actually references to Jesus Christ. When Moses received his charge from the Angel of the Lord, he asked God what name he should use to refer to God, if the Israelites ask what God has sent him. “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’” (Exodus 3:14) In Mark, when the High priest asks Jesus if He is the Messiah, Jesus responds by saying, “I am.” (14:62) In John, Jesus says "before Abraham was born, I am!" (8:58) Therefore, there is a theme in the Bible of “I am” being a reference to God.
Who then is Bono serenading? Bono is serenading God or Jesus Christ more specifically. The use of the double “I am” in the song is a direct reference to God. Paul says in Ephesians, “‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.” (5:31-33) Paul describes the relationship between Christ and the church as being like that of a relationship between a husband and wife.
What does Bono serenade Jesus Christ about? First, Bono praises Jesus for creating him. In light of what I have already discussed, the word “I am” conveys a double meaning. It is saying both “All because of you I am” and “All because of you Jesus.” When one puts these two separate meanings together, one learns that he is thanking God for being the ground of his being. One can accurately translate “All because of you I am. . . I am” as “Jesus, I exist because of you.” Second, Bono thanks Jesus for his salvation. He says, “I was born a child of grace.” Jesus said in John that “no one can see the kingdom of God without being born again.” (3:3) Therefore, being born a child of grace is a reference to his rebirth into salvation. Third, Bono praises Jesus for his beauty by saying “[e]verything was ugly but your beautiful face.” Fourth, Bono praises God for his transcendence and immanence. He says “I saw you in the curve of the moon / In the shadow cast across my room.” He cannot see God because God is transcendent and wholly other. If a person were to see God in His complete glory, that person would die. On the other hand, he sees evidence that God is immanent in his life, which is what he conveys through his reference to the curve of the moon and the shadows. Fifth, he praises God for his omnipotence stating that he is “An intellectual tortoise / Racing with your [God’s] bullet train.”
This song is also a theological depiction of the process of salvation. He states at the beginning of the song that he was born a child of grace. This refers to the beginning of his walk with God where he places his faith in Jesus Christ and receives the justification and forgiveness of sins that comes through Christ’s death on the cross. However, justification is only the beginning of the Christian journey, which is why it is referred to in the first line of the song. After a person is justified, s/he begins an incremental process of becoming holy, but this is a process where there will be bumps in the road along the way since we are still creatures with a sin nature.
Bono talks about his personal selfishness. “I like the sound of my own voice / I didn’t give anyone else a choice / An intellectual tortoise / Racing with your bullet train / Some people get squashed crossing the tracks / Some people got high rises on their backs.” He is talking about how selfishness is part of the sin condition. People often have elevated views of themselves and they feel that they are better than other people and God, but we inevitably get into trouble (or squashed crossing the tracks) when we get into the mindset that we know better than God does. He then says “I’m not broke but you can see the cracks / You can make me perfect again.” In Matthew, Jesus tells us that the standard for human conduct is perfection when he commands us to “e perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (5:48) This is the goal that we as Christians must pursue with all of our being, but we inevitably fall short of this goal, and we get squashed crossing the tracks. However, God is always there with us in our faith journey, and he will make us perfect again.
U2Soar
War Child
And there's this one too.
All Because Of You - by “Eowyn” (a female U2 and posted on Wire [a Yahoo U2 online group] in Summer 2005)
I don't think I have anything incredibly insightful to add to the interpretation of All Because of You. To me at least, it is fairly obviously a song of praise to God. It also contains references to a journey from faith to fear and back again to faith. With maturity often comes cynicism and doubt. Through faith in God we can regain some of our youthful trust and security. So, life and maturity cause us to move from faith to fear. God moves us back from fear to faith.
I was born a child of grace (1)
Nothing else about the place
Everything was ugly but your beautiful face (2)
And it left me no illusions
I saw you in the curve of the moon (3)
In the shadow cast across my room
You heard me in my tune (4)
When I just heard confusion
When they were children, most people felt safe and secure. They did not have the burdens and worries that come with adulthood. (1) As an adult, one can be worn down by ugliness and insecurity, but God's presence can be felt and can be a source of hope and beauty even when everything else looks dismal. (2) As we all know, in U2 lyrical analysis the moon represents human desires not inspired by God. A shadow could represent the same symbolism. So, line (3) has a similar meaning to line (2): God can be found by looking beyond human greed and desires. It may sometimes seem as though all is confusion and that a clear path in life has been obscured, but we can find comfort in the fact that God will not lead us astray. Even when a situation looks hopelessly confused to us, God has a plan and will guide us to follow that plan. (4)
All because of you (5)
All because of you
All because of you
I am, I am
Literally, we exist because of God; He created us. More figuratively, only through God can we truly be happy and live life to its fullest.
I like the sound of my own voice (6)
I didn't give anyone else a choice
An intellectual tortoise (7)
Racing with your bullet train (8)
Some people get squashed crossing the tracks (9)
Some people got high rises on their backs (10)
I’m not broke but you can see the cracks (11)
You can make me perfect again
First, I have to say that voice-choice-tortoise is the greatest most creative rhyme ever! ;-) Now that I've said that I can go back to the interpretation. If you are only listening to your own voice, then God is included in the anyone else who you're not listening to. (6) Sometimes we become intellectual tortoises; trying to solve every problem and get through every situation using logic, intellectual reasoning and our own estimation of what is right instead of trying to think of what God would want us to do or bothering listen to what anyone else thinks. (7) We sometimes feel as though we already have all the answers and are
mature enough to make decisions without any help or input. We don't realize that it would show true maturity if we lifted our heads out of our shells and heard what other people and what God has to say. (6,7)
It would be to our benefit to open ourselves up to what God wants since by ourselves we can only crawl along at a turtle's pace while by trying to follow God's plan and collaborating with others we can race like a bullet train. (7,8) Attempting to go against God's plan for us often doesn't work out very well and can leave us feeling as though we have been squashed on the tracks. (9) When we refuse to ask God for help we end up carrying more weight and stress around than we need to. (10) The trials and disappointments we must face in life can wear us down. By turning to God though, we can regain faith that everything will work out. Through God we can learn to look past, or at
least live with, the cracks that threaten to tear us apart and regain a perfect perspective. (11)
I'm alive (12)
I'm being born
I just arrived
I'm at the door (13)
Of the place I started from
And I want back inside (14)
Through God we can essentially be born again as we regain faith and forget fear. (12, 13) It is quite sensible to want to go back to the feeling of trust and security that we had as children. (14) While it may be impossible to completely return to that state of mind as an adult, through God we can at least avoid feeling as though we are being squashed under the tracks or carrying high rises on our backs.
All Because Of You - by “Eowyn” (a female U2 and posted on Wire [a Yahoo U2 online group] in Summer 2005)
I don't think I have anything incredibly insightful to add to the interpretation of All Because of You. To me at least, it is fairly obviously a song of praise to God. It also contains references to a journey from faith to fear and back again to faith. With maturity often comes cynicism and doubt. Through faith in God we can regain some of our youthful trust and security. So, life and maturity cause us to move from faith to fear. God moves us back from fear to faith.
I was born a child of grace (1)
Nothing else about the place
Everything was ugly but your beautiful face (2)
And it left me no illusions
I saw you in the curve of the moon (3)
In the shadow cast across my room
You heard me in my tune (4)
When I just heard confusion
When they were children, most people felt safe and secure. They did not have the burdens and worries that come with adulthood. (1) As an adult, one can be worn down by ugliness and insecurity, but God's presence can be felt and can be a source of hope and beauty even when everything else looks dismal. (2) As we all know, in U2 lyrical analysis the moon represents human desires not inspired by God. A shadow could represent the same symbolism. So, line (3) has a similar meaning to line (2): God can be found by looking beyond human greed and desires. It may sometimes seem as though all is confusion and that a clear path in life has been obscured, but we can find comfort in the fact that God will not lead us astray. Even when a situation looks hopelessly confused to us, God has a plan and will guide us to follow that plan. (4)
All because of you (5)
All because of you
All because of you
I am, I am
Literally, we exist because of God; He created us. More figuratively, only through God can we truly be happy and live life to its fullest.
I like the sound of my own voice (6)
I didn't give anyone else a choice
An intellectual tortoise (7)
Racing with your bullet train (8)
Some people get squashed crossing the tracks (9)
Some people got high rises on their backs (10)
I’m not broke but you can see the cracks (11)
You can make me perfect again
First, I have to say that voice-choice-tortoise is the greatest most creative rhyme ever! ;-) Now that I've said that I can go back to the interpretation. If you are only listening to your own voice, then God is included in the anyone else who you're not listening to. (6) Sometimes we become intellectual tortoises; trying to solve every problem and get through every situation using logic, intellectual reasoning and our own estimation of what is right instead of trying to think of what God would want us to do or bothering listen to what anyone else thinks. (7) We sometimes feel as though we already have all the answers and are
mature enough to make decisions without any help or input. We don't realize that it would show true maturity if we lifted our heads out of our shells and heard what other people and what God has to say. (6,7)
It would be to our benefit to open ourselves up to what God wants since by ourselves we can only crawl along at a turtle's pace while by trying to follow God's plan and collaborating with others we can race like a bullet train. (7,8) Attempting to go against God's plan for us often doesn't work out very well and can leave us feeling as though we have been squashed on the tracks. (9) When we refuse to ask God for help we end up carrying more weight and stress around than we need to. (10) The trials and disappointments we must face in life can wear us down. By turning to God though, we can regain faith that everything will work out. Through God we can learn to look past, or at
least live with, the cracks that threaten to tear us apart and regain a perfect perspective. (11)
I'm alive (12)
I'm being born
I just arrived
I'm at the door (13)
Of the place I started from
And I want back inside (14)
Through God we can essentially be born again as we regain faith and forget fear. (12, 13) It is quite sensible to want to go back to the feeling of trust and security that we had as children. (14) While it may be impossible to completely return to that state of mind as an adult, through God we can at least avoid feeling as though we are being squashed under the tracks or carrying high rises on our backs.
coemgen
Rock n' Roll Doggie
It's not about mom, it's about being spiritually born again as a Christian.
Best worship song. Ever.
Best worship song. Ever.
ChildofGrace
Babyface
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2005
- Messages
- 16
If you look in the HTDAAB special edition book, one U2 member (I don't know which) writes, "All because of you, I AM." By using "I AM" instead of "I am" in the book, it is pretty reasonable to say this U2 song is about God.
I find the review that U2Soar posted profound and eye opening. After reading that, the song takes on new meaning for me. I have always thought that this song was written about Christ and life as a believer. I loved how the reviewer backed up some of the lyrics with Scripture. If Bono truely wrote the lyrics as the reviewer interpreted it, it has just been bumped up to one of my top U2 songs...or songs period. I think this song is also one of U2's most missunderstood on this album, which is why some don't seem to like it. Truely amazing.
Rachel D.
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
The thing in the special edition book was written in Bono's scribbly handwriting and even quotes part of the story of Moses and the burning bush. I didn't think that there was anything special about this song until I saw that drawing in the book. Then it hit me what it is really about. Now I know why they released this song as the second single in America and not in Europe. It's just that nobody understood it at first. (U2 knows that Europe isn't as spiritual as America and I've noticed instances, like this, where they purposely use more spritual content in the U.S. That would be a good topic for a thread.)
left behind
Babyface
Yeah i'd always hear ABOY as Bono talking to his mother...
I suppose you could find more rlrigious aspects of the song. But thats just how i hear it
I suppose you could find more rlrigious aspects of the song. But thats just how i hear it
tuwie
Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
great stuff, everyone. thanks for sharing, it was great to read<3
gamecockvic
Babyface
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2005
- Messages
- 19
Our band played that song at Church, and did a great job! Our worship leader was at the Atlanta show last November. He is a big fan and plays alot of U2. He told me "absolutely" that song is about God!
INDY500
Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
I wonder why musically they chose to make the song such a flat out, Pete Townshend style rocker. Don't get me wrong, I like it, but it certainly isn't a hymn or traditional gospel or even sonically uplifting like Walk On. I do appreciate it more now.
hcbiggs2002
Rock n' Roll Doggie FOB
I personally think that ABOY is one of most sonically uplifting songs U2 has ever done! Of course it's not like your "traditional hymn or gosbel" coz U2 are a rock n roll band!! 
And most "traditional hymns" instead of being uplifting usually make me cry! 
But I loved this song the first time I heard it, and makes me smile from ear to ear with joy! 
Which to my mind, is the very best sort of spiritual song there is! 
And most "traditional hymns" instead of being uplifting usually make me cry! But I loved this song the first time I heard it, and makes me smile from ear to ear with joy! Which to my mind, is the very best sort of spiritual song there is!
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gamecockvic
Babyface
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2005
- Messages
- 19
SunBloc said:
What a great church! Go Gamecocks!!!
It is a great church, going from 50 to over 5,000 in attendance each Sunday in 5 years! Creativity and being open to different types of music (it does have to make the point) are 2 reasons. The last two weeks, we had Sometimes You Can't Make It and I Will Follow! Great stuff!
U2isthebest
ONE love, blood, life
That's how I see it!! I love those explanations!! I'm sure that's how Bono sees it as well, seeing as he is so vocal about his faith. I love U2, duh, they're freakin' amazing!! Nice to be here, btw. this is my first post!
I love U2, duh, they're freakin' amazing!! Nice to be here, btw. this is my first post!Similar threads
