unos, dos, tres, catorce reference to Exodus 3:14?

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Lemonator said:
I remember hearing that this is their 14th album (including everything), so maybe 'catorce' is a reference to that. Also, Yahweh is hebrew for Jehovah, which is God's name.

Actually, Yahweh and Jehovah are both very much speculative. They're both interpretations of the tetragrammatron, YHWH. :)
 
Um, I've been speaking Spanish for eight years now and teaching it for two and I cannot think of one instance in which "unos" means "about." If anybody would like to prove me wrong I will rip up my BA in Spanish and my MA in Lat. Am. Lit when I get it in April. (But I won't rip up my PhD when I get it. That goes on the wall.) And if you are wrong, well...you could send me a box of Twinkies.

However, "unos" can be used like "algunos" (some) as in, "Tengo unos amigos que fuman." (I have some friends that smoke.)

Ah, I'm glad somebody brought in the DaVinci Code because all of this "let's find hidden meanings in Bono's numerical references" is fun and entertaining. I just don't put a whole lot of creedence into it.

I think the Spanish / punk influence is there. Remember "Anarchy in the USA" in Spanish on the Million Dollar soundtrack? I've mentioned this in other threads but I think the uno, dos, tres, catorce thing is more akin to The Clash repeating the lyrics of "Should I Stay or Should I Go" in Spanish.

Regarding the Jo Wiley interview, Bono was playing around. He knows perfectly well that catorce is not cuatro. But maybe he doesn't. What he tried to pass off as Spanish wasn't anything close.

Okay, enough. I have to get back to my paper on Rosario Castellanos. And since this is the third post I've made on Bono's Spanish, I'm done.
 
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I am certainly no expert on Spanish but a quick google search found the following:
from http://spanish.about.com/library/beginning/bl-beg-adjectives-plural_indefinite_articles.htm

Plural Indefinite Articles: Unos and Unas

Spanish for Beginners


You're probably familiar with the very common Spanish words un and una, which are used before nouns and are the equivalent of "a" or "an" in English. These words are known as singular indefinite articles.
In Spanish, these words can also exist in the plural form; unos and unas are known as the plural indefinite articles. Although they don't have an exact English equivalent, they are usually translated as "some" or "a few"; if one is used before a number, it usually means "about" or "approximately." Like adjectives, the article must agree with the noun in number and gender. See examples of the plural indefinite article in these sample sentences:

Compré unas manzanas. I bought a few apples.
Unos alumnos salieron. Some students left.
Tengo unos casetes nuevos. I have some new cassettes.
La película duró unos noventa minutos. The film lasted about 90 minutes.
Tomamos unos refrescos. We had some soft drinks.
Necesité unas horas para leer el libro. I needed a few hours to read the book.
 
UnforgettableLemon said:


Actually, Yahweh and Jehovah are both very much speculative. They're both interpretations of the tetragrammatron, YHWH. :)

Well then centuries of biblical scholars are doing a heck of alot of speculating..

Yhwh / Jhvh

Didnt that language not use vowels?

So the vowels a, o, e are used in order for us in English to make some sort of pronunciation..

like Bvlgari

we call it bUlgari so we can pronounce it...is that speculative? maybe, but at least we can say it now

I think thats the point of attempting to translate God's name - so we can call him something in our own language - works for me.

BTW - really nice theory on the countdown...I like it and it certainly meshes with the rest of the album...
 
shootme.gif
 
I'm tellin' y'all:
The freaking spaniards that leaked those leaks 6 months ago tricked Bono that four is catorce in spanish.

Then Bono played along, recording this in the track, and then playing it aloud from the studio so the spaniards could record it.
:wink:

Edge:It's some spaniards out there...again!
B:It is? Don't they ever get tired of hanging outside our studio all the time?
I tell you what:
I'll go ask them about the spanish count-in for Vertigo or something. I'm pretty sure it's unos, dos, tres, catorce.
E:No! It's Uno, Dos, Tres, Cuatro!
B: We'll see abot that.

Goes outside HQ:

B:Hi! Since you're spaniards, you can count in spanish right?
Spaniards: Yeah sure.Why do you ask?
B:We're recording this track, where we need an intro in spanish and Edge and I are betting.
Edge keeps saying "It's Uno, Dos, Tres, Cuatro!"
I don't think so. I think it's actually Uno, Dos, Tres, Catorce.
Am I right or what?
S: Yeah you are!(keeping themselves from laughing...)

Goes back inside

B:I told you so, you have to pay for my beer 'night!
(And that's also the meaning of "I'll follow you anywhere Edge" from the IWF preformance on SNL...not)
(Vertigo begins)
Uno, Dos, Tres, Catorce!
Turn it up loud captain...
etc
 
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The_Edge89 said:
I'm tellin' y'all:
The freaking spaniards that leaked those leaks 6 months ago tricked Bono that four is catorce in spanish.

Then Bono played along, recording this in the track, and then playing it aloud from the studio so the spaniards could record it.
:wink:

Edge:It's some spaniards out there...again!
B:It is? Don't they ever get tired of hanging outside our studio all the time?
I tell you what:
I'll go ask them about the spanish count-in for Vertigo or something. I'm pretty sure it's unos, dos, tres, catorce.
E:No! It's Uno, Dos, Tres, Cuatro!
B: We'll see abot that.

Goes outside HQ:

B:Hi! Since you're spaniards, you can count in spanish right?
Spaniards: Yeah sure.Why do you ask?
B:We're recording this track, where we need an intro in spanish and Edge and I are betting.
Edge keeps saying "It's Uno, Dos, Tres, Cuatro!"
I don't think so. I think it's actually Uno, Dos, Tres, Catorce.
Am I right or what?
S: Yeah you are!(keeping themselves from laughing...)

Goes back inside

B:I told you so, you have to pay for my beer 'night!
(And that's also the meaning of "I'll follow you anywhere Edge" from the IWF preformance on SNL...not)
(Vertigo begins)
Uno, Dos, Tres, Catorce!
Turn it up loud captain...
etc

:lol:

I also think that the spaniard beach bums have a lot more to do with this album than meets the eye.

Edge 89: Kan du svenska?
 
I believe using the Exodus reference the "turn it up loud cap'n" culd just mean to speak up w/ the I AM stuff and tell it like it is, or sumthing like that.

And that the running theme of the album could b Bono talking to God/Jehovah/Yahweh and he's frustrated he can't get any love, peace, or a miracle drug, or be able to make it on his own. After he gets frustrated enough he goes on his own journey away from God to find himself and the answers he needs.

-Vertigo
the speaker is all confused, nowhere to go, no one to go too, and nothing to do, and is feeling the effects of vertigo. He then finds his love in god "your love is teaching me how to kneel".
-Miracle Drug
the speaker has a friend w/ a terminal illness that he know he can't help, and asks god to help his friend. God has his plan and knows how itz gonna work and says no. The speaker than becomes very angry and has to see his friend pass on.
-SYCMIOYO
This is god telling the speaker he knows what he's doing. Also that he wants to help the speaker with his problems and the speaker won't accept the help. Now the speaker is starting he question his love in god.
-Love and Peace on Earth
God basically goes, "all right, what do u want to do, and I'll let ya do it" to the speaker. The speaker desperately wants to get away and goes to a war-torn area of sum place (possibly the middle east). He then discovers it was wrong to question himself and god.
-City on Blinding Lights
The speaker realizes this is his last chance to stay w/ god, and stay in the light. So he frantically rushes to find god and ends up in a large city and believes itz too late and duzn't find god right away.
-All Because of You
The speaker prays to find god again, and be under his guiding light. He goes to saying, w/o u, im nothing. He then finds the love and light he needs, "I'm alive, I'm being born I just arrived, from the place I started out from and I want back inside"...

idk how to do the last songs cuz im pretty braindrained right now, and idk if this'll make ne sense wutsoever...
 
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For the record, my Mom's a fluent Spanish speaker. And when she saw the Vertigo, she asked me "Why does Bono say 'one, two, three, fourteen?". And that's with the 'unos' part, so yeah.
 
you know why bono says unos dos tres catorce?

to get people to remember the intro to the song. why not? i hear kids at school when counting anything nowadays just go uno, dos, tres, catorce -- even if they dont like the song. its just something to get in our heads.
 
learn to kneel, nice job.... I also saw a reference to the bible on Edge shirt. Any one catch that?
 
Yahweh, there I said it. I'm not jewish but Its been kind of hard for me to sing along to the song ever since I heard its not allowed in other religions...why I'm saying this in this thread I have no idea.


:wink:
 
Indiana Jones said:
Bono said they were drunk and mucking around and "unos dos tres catorce" stuck. Sorry to pop your bubble, but there are no deep hidden meanings here folks.

When did Bono say this?
 
Well, he was drunk at the time he said it ... :drool:

Radio interview or magazine. I forget which, they all meld into one these days ... but it is true. Bono said a good deal of alcohol was involved during a recording session of Vertigo and, even though he did it in jest, everyone loved the "Unos dos tres catorce!" countdown. End of story.
 
There was a post on a U2 site, I cant recall which one that had a link to a 1980's tv show where a comedian did the unos dos tres catorce thing but I cant find the post :scream:

Does anyone know where it is? Its possibly here, atu2.com, u2.com, u2.log. I didnt click on it at the time cause I was busy and I havent been able to locate it since.

Thanks for any assistance.
 
the EXODUS thing is great but...

it wasn't because of the Steve Lillywhite producing thing?... that he produced their 1st (Boy), 2nd (October), 3rd (War) and 14th album (HTDAAB)?

that...

but if it's the exodus thing, he's a genius
 
Drunk or not - God works through them with a purpose. The only reason U2 has gotten where they are is because of this & him/her.

Their faith and unapologetic attitude towards it is rewarded.
 
beli said:
There was a post on a U2 site, I cant recall which one that had a link to a 1980's tv show where a comedian did the unos dos tres catorce thing but I cant find the post :scream:

Does anyone know where it is? Its possibly here, atu2.com, u2.com, u2.log. I didnt click on it at the time cause I was busy and I havent been able to locate it since.

Thanks for any assistance.

I saw it... It was said on Three's Company -- i really think this was just a coincidence cuz its real obscure, on the show someone says catorce instead of quatro on an intercom (laughs follow)... really doubt Bono is quoting this

and also about the "bono was drunk" thing... i don't think this means it doesn't have any meaning, i think bono was just straying away from the question... also "crumbs" was written while bono was drunk and we don't say that has no meaning... i think it has a meaning, and it's open to interpretation -- the Exodus thing really sounds good now that i know that the word Yahweh is in that verse also (in the Bible's original language)
 
It's the same reason Bono doesn't give the real answer behind the titles of '40' and 'Hawkmoon 269'. I mean come on - do you think in an interview with some celebrity interviewer he's going to reveal such deep Christian roots? Bono and the boys have always tried to stay away from being labeled a 'Christian band.' If Bono just busted out, 'Actually Chris, funny you should ask - it's a reference to the Book of Exodus, chapter 3, verse 14. Let me tell you a little about God, tonight.' it would be a little odd. Bono has always been a bit of a jokester and has been known to stretch the truth/alter the truth to serve his storytelling. What Bono says is not necessarily what he means.

-Miggy D
 
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