The First Time: Lost Faith or Found Faith?

[tkmacdon]

I wrote this in "The Goal is Soul" forum, but it is equally applicable here (and more people visit this forum).

I do not think this song glorifies losing faith; in fact, I think it is one of the most religious songs I have ever heard.

In one interpretation, the three people mentioned represent the Trinity, but they could simultaneously be interpreted literally. In either case, the song is about finally discovering the love that is right before your eyes. The speaker had lived in ignorance, since he threw away the key, but he now sees the error of his ways.

Moreover, when he sings "I threw away the key", each repetition sounds progressively more regretful. In the last, his voice is straining (on the verge of tears), with the melancholy piano in the background. He had walked out on God, yet he now feels all the love God has given him. That is where grace steps in; God loves him despite his departure from the heavenly mansion. This accounts for the huge shift in tone between "I threw away the key" and "For the first time, I feel loved"; grace bridges the huge gap between God and His faithless children (this is why Bono explicitly mentions grace in live versions). Therefore, this song is so religious because it celebrates major types of love (romantic, filial, parental, religious) while emphasizing grace, the crux of Christianity.

What do you think? Is the song about losing faith, finding it, or both?

 

[Marien]

I've always thought the song is based on The Prodigal Son parable , Lc 15:11-32, (I hope these are the words in English, as I read the Bible in my own language), it tells us about a son who receives his part from his father's heritage while the father is still alive and instead of using it well, he wastes it all among sinners and living a very sinnful life, one day he realises his error and returns to his father telling him how bad he has acted and that he doesn't deserve to be considered his son anymore, but he begs his father to admit him as a servant instead, the father hugs him and prepares a big party to celebrate the return of his lost child. His other son asks his father why he is giving a party for his sinnful son and he has never done it for him and the father explains that while he's always been with him and they share everything, he is much happier now because this other child was dead and now he has returned to life.
In the song it is the sinnful son who is speaking, he is portrayed at the very moment of realising his error, he remembers how much loved he felt, how many things were just gifted to him due to this love and how he has lost them all, just because of his selfish, brainless actions, that's why Bono's voice is on the verge of tears and I agree with you considering the shift in tone in the next sentence "For the first time, I feel loved" recognising God's grace, the father, God, loves him even more than before. I also agree with you interpreting the three characters as the Trinity. Something has always taken my attention when listening to this song: the sentence "For the first time I feel love" appears for three times and it is always in Present while the rest of the son is in the Past, my interpretation is that God's love for His sons is eternal and never changes.
An now answering your question, at last, I don't think the son is about losing or finding faith, it is about returning, returning to God, the son knew He was there, but first, he was having a good time without thinking and then, he was too ashamed of his behaviour to return, God was always there, but he didn't think it possible to be forgiven, but he is, because God's love is greater than anything we can think, in other words I think the song is about Grace.
When I listen to it, even if it is a sad son, I feel such a great calm I feel comforted in very deep way, it comes into my soul directly like a balm, so I don't mind if this interpretation is not "the good one" it works for me.

 

[tkmacdon]

I've always thought the song is based on The Prodigal Son parable , Lc 15:11-32, (I hope these are the words in English, as I read the Bible in my own language), it tells us about a son who receives his part from his father's heritage while the father is still alive and instead of using it well, he wastes it all among sinners and living a very sinnful life, one day he realises his error and returns to his father telling him how bad he has acted and that he doesn't deserve to be considered his son anymore, but he begs his father to admit him as a servant instead, the father hugs him and prepares a big party to celebrate the return of his lost child. His other son asks his father why he is giving a party for his sinnful son and he has never done it for him and the father explains that while he's always been with him and they share everything, he is much happier now because this other child was dead and now he has returned to life.
In the song it is the sinnful son who is speaking, he is portrayed at the very moment of realising his error, he remembers how much loved he felt, how many things were just gifted to him due to this love and how he has lost them all, just because of his selfish, brainless actions, that's why Bono's voice is on the verge of tears and I agree with you considering the shift in tone in the next sentence "For the first time, I feel loved" recognising God's grace, the father, God, loves him even more than before. I also agree with you interpreting the three characters as the Trinity. Something has always taken my attention when listening to this song: the sentence "For the first time I feel love" appears for three times and it is always in Present while the rest of the son is in the Past, my interpretation is that God's love for His sons is eternal and never changes.
An now answering your question, at last, I don't think the son is about losing or finding faith, it is about returning, returning to God, the son knew He was there, but first, he was having a good time without thinking and then, he was too ashamed of his behaviour to return, God was always there, but he didn't think it possible to be forgiven, but he is, because God's love is greater than anything we can think, in other words I think the song is about Grace.
When I listen to it, even if it is a sad son, I feel such a great calm I feel comforted in very deep way, it comes into my soul directly like a balm, so I don't mind if this interpretation is not "the good one" it works for me.

That is a beautiful interpretation, Marien! I agree that the song is about the moment the Prodigal Son spends his inheritance and realizes his sin.

The point you make about the tenses is also vital. The speaker explains his sin in the past tense, but he describes the people's love for him in the present tense. This shows that his lover and his family (or the Trinity) continue to love him despite his sin. Such love is characteristic of grace, the defining idea in Christianity.

Interestingly, the very next song on Zooropa, "Dirty Day", seems designed to act as a contrast with "The First Time". The father in "Dirty Day" walks out on his children, whereas the Father in "The First Time" brings His family back together through love. This contrast reveals how extraordinary God's grace is compared to typical human behavior. I think the contrast must have been intentional, since the songs are back-to-back.

Many songs on Zooropa deal with father issues: "Daddy's Gonna Pay for Your Crashed Car" (in which the father is the Devil), "The First Time" (in which the father is God), "Dirty Day", and "The Wanderer".

 

[julesz]

Thank you very much babyface!

Hi I'd just really like to say a big thank you to both you and the other post on this song. I've always felt confused and a bit frustrated listening to this beautiful track when so many people wrote about it as lost faith. I have just played the song late at night and it really, really moves me and clicks with your interpretation. Thanks a million - jules