In a little while

[thankyou]

In the song, Bono is referring to Ali (girl with spanish eyes) ? Or someone else? Can anyone explain the lyric part where he states when he first saw her in a pram? Or is he referring to one of his daughters? Bono met Ali only in high school, so she wasn't a "little girl".

any interpretations or ideas?


In A Little While

That girl, that girl she’s mine
Well I’ve known her since,
Since she was

A little girl with Spanish eyes
When I saw her first in a pram they pushed her by
Oh my, my how you've grown
Well it's been, it’s been... a little while

 

[biff]

He's making a little joke by exaggerating how long he's known her. She was so young, she was still in her pram! (He was in fact 13 and she was 12 when they first met.) He has a similar line in Wild Honey: "Did I know you, did I know you even then/ Before the clocks kept time, before the world was made?"

It's not meant to be taken literally. I find it amusing in a wry way.

 

[silvrlvr]

I've always assumed it to be Ali and I think it's endearing.

 

[bgmckinney]

I always thought the lyrics were a combination of two ideas - Ali but also his daughters. Bono does this sort of things sometimes. I think the pram part refers to his daughters - the new father seeing his child in hospital for the first time.

 

[pentax]

Maybe he was having a drunken moment. On a bender recalling the first time he saw Ali and maybe she was with friends sitting in a pram being pushed around. There has been many a time when i used to go to Ireland with my family and my brothers, sisters and me used to play with our friends and being pushed around in a pram was all part of the fun. Ah, memories!

 

[DreamOutLoud13]

From U2 By U2 (page 299):

'In a Little While' is clearly addressed to the Mrs. A little girl with Spanish eyes, when I saw her in a pram they pushed by / Oh my, my how you've grown. They used to call me a baby-snatcher in the mall at school for dating a girl from the year below. They say a year is a lot in showbusiness. In high school, it's a lifetime.

 

[thankyou]

Quote:

'In a Little While' is clearly addressed to the Mrs. A little girl with Spanish eyes, when I saw her in a pram they pushed by / Oh my, my how you've grown. They used to call me a baby-snatcher in the mall at school for dating a girl from the year below. They say a year is a lot in showbusiness. In high school, it's a lifetime.

thankyou! I haven't gotten to that part of the book yet, ( - but i'm close - ) but that explains it very clearly what it meant to Bono.

Interesting that they think one year difference in age makes him a "baby snatcher". Of course, considering Bono's likely level of maturity at that time, it probably was a life-time of differences between the mature Ali and our cute hyperactive impulsive Bono boy.

DreamOutLoud, your answer is in quote form. Did you get this from another thread that discusses the same song? I'd love to read more about it.

 

[DreamOutLoud13]

DreamOutLoud, your answer is in quote form. Did you get this from another thread that discusses the same song? I'd love to read more about it.

No, I typed it out of the book, but put it in the quote form myself, I usually do that when I'm quoting someone else, be it a book or whatever

 

[lady luck]

I've always thought he was "mixing" together Ali & Jordan

 

[partygirl43]

He has a similar line in Wild Honey: "Did I know you, did I know you even then/ Before the clocks kept time, before the world was made?"

It's not meant to be taken literally. I find it amusing in a wry way.

I always took it in a quasi-spirtual way...God knew they'd be together even before they were born.