inspiration for With or Without You

[Giant Lemon]

Does anyone know the inspiration for "With or Without You"? It's my favorite U2 song, and I'd love to know the story behind it.

 

[BrownEyedBoy]

I've been wanting to know this for quite a while. What's he talking about?

 

[BVS]

Bono once said it's about the relationship between him and the audience.

 

[annie_vox]

^^I'd never herad it before it it makes perfect sense to me...

 

[nightninja56]

yeah thats interesting...because its obviously not between Bono and Ali, that wouldnt make sense...so yeah interesting

 

[bombergirl1978]

I thought it was just about a relationship. Not necessarily his relationship with Ali though. Just in general. *shrug*

 

[BrownEyedBoy]

I really wish Bono would just outright SAY what he was thinking of when he wrote a song.

I can find my own meaning to it but I hate it when I don´t know for sure.

 

[annie_vox]

I really wish Bono would just outright SAY what he was thinking of when he wrote a song.

I can find my own meaning to it but I hate it when I don´t know for sure.

I guess finding your own interpretations is the whole point in music. But I know what you mean... sometimes curiosity takes the best of me. But still I think that if he told us what he was thinking about, a lot of conversations and discussions about some songs would never take place, wich would be boring...

 

[CMIS]

Yeah I like making my own interpretations. But when I do wanna know what the teleprompter (I think this is one of the best Bono nicknames, no disrespect thought, kudos to whoever coined it) is thinking, I go to this great site. Just go to google and type Meaning of U2 lyrics.

 

[CMIS]

don't forget to press the search button or 'enter'

 

[doubleU]

teleprompter (I think this is one of the best Bono nicknames, no disrespect thought, kudos to whoever coined it)

Who calls him this?

 

[CMIS]

its just been recently started in some other threads, because he used a teleprompter in order to not forget lyrics (like it helps), but I assure you its all said in affection.

 

[U2DMfan]

It was a mysterious tortured love song, rather literal, and the meaning changed/evolved after 15 years and 500 performances to being more about the audience according to Bono during the Elevation era. He's talking about his angle, where he is singing from. I think the song will always be a love song that isn't exactly the 'ideal' situation.

Make no mistake in 1986, when he wrote it along with Luminous Times and Walk to the Water, that they all are basically a trilogy about mysterious romance. He stated that WOWY made no sense without the other two.

I think he probably wrote it (maybe all 3 songs) as an all out love song to Ali, then changed it to be a little more vague and dark because he was famous for saying at the time that he hated obvious love songs.

 

[BVS]

It was a mysterious tortured love song, rather literal, and the meaning changed/evolved after 15 years and 500 performances to being more about the audience according to Bono during the Elevation era.

I read the audience thing back in the Rattle and Hum days. Bono talked about how not everyone in the band may have understood the whole song but they all related to the line "and you give yourself away".

 

[DreamOutLoud13]

The song is oozing with religious imagery:

See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side
Both lines refer to the Apostle Paul. After being confronted by Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul's eyes were covered with scales, making him temporarily blind, this could be what the first line refers to.
Later Paul refers to Jesus as having placed a thorn in his side, to torment him and keep him from becoming conceited.

Slight of hand and twist of fate
On a bed of nails she makes me wait
The "slight of hand" is a bit ambiguous, and off the top of my head I can't think of a specific Biblical parallel for that one, although the entire line ("twist of fate" included) could probably refer to Judas' betrayal of Jesus.
The "bed of nails" could certainly refer to a crucifix.

Through the storm we reach the shore
You give it all, but I want more
This one's obvious. It refers to the rough storm on the Sea of Galilee, when Jesus first walked on the water, and then calmed the storm, so that the boat could reach the shore safely.
The second line refers to Jesus giving it all (his life), and yet so many still aren't satisfied.

My hands are tied
My body bruised
Before being crucified, Jesus was tied up and flogged (beaten) badly.

And you give yourself away
This, of course, refers to Jesus' sacrifice of his own life.


I've never looked at this song as being a traditional male-female romantic song at all (bittersweet or not), I've always seen it as being between the believer, and Jesus.

 

[annie_vox]

^^ I see your point... But I find strange that Bono choses this song to pick someone (a girl) from the audience...

 

[DreamOutLoud13]

^^ I see your point... But I find strange that Bono choses this song to pick someone (a girl) from the audience...

Well, on SNL in 2004, he gave a girl in the audience a lapdance during I Will Follow (which is about his mother), so sometimes with Bono, you just can't tell.

 

[annie_vox]

I know... and sometimes is during Mysterious Ways or even Bad... But still I always connect With Or Without You with the audience... But that's just an interpretation and I like yours anyway

 

[Babydoll]

The song is oozing with religious imagery:

See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side
Both lines refer to the Apostle Paul. After being confronted by Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul's eyes were covered with scales, making him temporarily blind, this could be what the first line refers to.
Later Paul refers to Jesus as having placed a thorn in his side, to torment him and keep him from becoming conceited.

Slight of hand and twist of fate
On a bed of nails she makes me wait
The "slight of hand" is a bit ambiguous, and off the top of my head I can't think of a specific Biblical parallel for that one, although the entire line ("twist of fate" included) could probably refer to Judas' betrayal of Jesus.
The "bed of nails" could certainly refer to a crucifix.

Through the storm we reach the shore
You give it all, but I want more
This one's obvious. It refers to the rough storm on the Sea of Galilee, when Jesus first walked on the water, and then calmed the storm, so that the boat could reach the shore safely.
The second line refers to Jesus giving it all (his life), and yet so many still aren't satisfied.

My hands are tied
My body bruised
Before being crucified, Jesus was tied up and flogged (beaten) badly.

And you give yourself away
This, of course, refers to Jesus' sacrifice of his own life.


I've never looked at this song as being a traditional male-female romantic song at all (bittersweet or not), I've always seen it as being between the believer, and Jesus.

this is really, really good. i think u are probably exactly right with this! it all makes sense.

 

[LyricalDrug]

It's a beautifully vague song: "you" can refer to a lover, to God, or even to the U2 audience.

 

[CMIS]

this is really, really good. i think u are probably exactly right with this! it all makes sense.

Yeah I aso thought that it was about the catch 22 relationship with god

 

[BrownEyedBoy]

Hmmm, well my take is a relationship where you constantly fight with the person yet love him/her too much to let go.

"See the thron twist in your side" could be about how the narrator feels that sometimes he annoys this person he loves so much.

"Sleight ...she makes me wait" How waiting for her is so cruel and how sometimes you don't even know how this person does some things and it almost feels like sleight of hand.

It's about love and frustration with loving this person so much and needing her and never being able to fulfill yourself, in a way that almost bothers the other person.