Pride just about Martin Luthur King, or Jesus as well

[edmerch1984]

I know in the lyrics its written "one man betrayed by a kiss", but the second verse seems to overshadow this point (shot rings out in the memphis sky), especially at concerts where Bono sings, for Rev MLK, sing....

 

[doubleU]

I think it's about Martys in general, with MLK being the main focus.

 

[Liesje]

What does the barbed wire fence refer to? The first thing that comes to mind is the Holocaust...

One man come on a barbed wire fence -?
One man he resist -MLK
One man washed on an empty beach -Ghandi
One man betrayed with a kiss -Jesus

 

[nbcrusader]

A reference to the Berlin Wall?

 

[SunBloc]

the crown of thorns

 

[yolland]

I'm pretty sure it's One man caught on a barbed wire fence, also a lot of sources say One man washed up on an empty beach--though I don't hear an "up" on the album version. I'm not aware of any well-known story involving Gandhi washing on an empty beach. I tend not to think of most of these lines as directly alluding to anyone in particular, though obviously a few do.

 

[Liesje]

I'm pretty sure it's One man caught on a barbed wire fence, also a lot of sources say One man washed up on an empty beach--though I don't hear an "up" on the album version. I'm not aware of any well-known story involving Gandhi washing on an empty beach. I tend not to think of most of these lines as directly alluding to anyone in particular, though obviously a few do.

Sorry, my bad! I think "caught" makes more sense too. I just copied and pasted from a lyrics site and didn't read carefully.

Here's the first thing you find if you Google beach Ghandi:

The first step in the national disobedience campaign was to oppose the Salt Laws, laws which made it illegal to prepare salt from sea-water because it would deny the British co lonial government its tax. The Congress passed a resolution giving Gandhi the power to organize the campaign. On 6 April 1930, Gandhi stepped on Dandi beach and evaporated sea water to obtain salt crystals, encouraging anyone willing to risk prosecution to do the same. There was also a national boycott of imports, specifically of British goods. Because the national press was forbidden to report news regarding government repression, the satyagrahis produced their own leaflets.

I could be wrong, but when I first learned Pride and first heard that lyric, I automatically assumed it referred to Ghandi's protest.

 

[yolland]

Yeah, I thought about the Salt March, but there were thousands of people on the beach with him, and he didn't "wash" there as far as I know.

 

[VertigoGal]

poetic license, yolland. poetic license.

i mean i think we've all established that MLK wasn't shot in the "early morning" either.

 

[nbcrusader]

I'm pretty sure it's One man caught on a barbed wire fence, also a lot of sources say One man washed up on an empty beach--though I don't hear an "up" on the album version. I'm not aware of any well-known story involving Gandhi washing on an empty beach. I tend not to think of most of these lines as directly alluding to anyone in particular, though obviously a few do.

The washed-up on an empty beach is a reference to Jonah.

 

[SunBloc]

That verse of Pride is very short, but is packed with huge visual images:

One man caught on a barbed wire fence
One man he resist
One man washed on an empty beach.
One man betrayed with a kiss

I fits that he would be talking about Jesus in the overall context of the song. Caught on a barbed wire fence is another way to describe the crown of thorns. One man he resist could mean the
temptation from Satan that Jesus through off. Washed on an empty beach could mean his baptism. The betrayal with a kiss - Judas' betrayal of Jesus marked with a kiss.

It is possible that Bono was writing about someone else (altogether or in addition to Jesus). I could see how Jonah would relate to the washed on an empty beach line, and this fits very well with the overall meaning of the song too.

 

[yolland]

The washed-up on an empty beach is a reference to Jonah.

Did Bono actually say this?

I've heard it explained as a reference to Jonah before too, which could make some sense if indeed "washed up" is the correct lyric (it is what U2.com has, though U2.com has been known to err on lyrics before). I'm just wary of prematurely nailing each and every line of a lyric to some specific direct reference or another.

 

[doubleU]

It's definately "washed up", it's pretty clear.