Thoughts about U2 - Always

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Skeksis

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I have been trying to decipher the lyrics to and thus the meaning behind U2 - Always. We all know this can be incredibly difficult with Bono! So here goes, unsure parts are in italics...

U2 - Always
Here today and gone tomorrow
Crack the bone and get to the marrow
To be with you and the flower
Before the sweetness turns to sorrow

For you have the golden key ... Always
What we've lost we don't need ... Always
And if your cat won't let you sleep ... Always

Be the album and the target
Put your head over the parapet
Be uncool - yes be awkward
Don't look in any,the obvious place
The soul needs beautiful ?????

Get down off your holy cloud ... Always
God will not deal with the proud ... Always
And,But if you dream then dream out loud ... Always
It's a ??? of yours ... Always

I want you
I want you
I want you

??? touch me now ??? side ???[/]
I wanted to be in love
I wanted to come ????

You say come be know yourself ... Always
But youfind yourself in someone else ... Always
And always wear a safety belt ... Always
Wait for me I'm running late ... Always
This is the moment that we share ... For Always
Turn each song into a prayer ... For Always
Now I am forever ???? ... For Always
For Always ...
For Always ...

Okay - Some interesting stuff here... I won't go into a full analysis yet, because a lot of the lyrics are still undecipherable which, I think could change the entire perception of the song. I'll follow that up later.

But anyway, the first impression I get is that U2 are masterfully capturing the emotion, reasoning, logic, and fallacies of the infinite and finite. How one is contained in the other, how the bounded carries the boundless, and the inseperability of the two. U2 seems to be consumed with someone or something here that is seperate yet inseperable from the self.. my wager: the holy spirit.

When I first heard the song, I was floored. Something about it spoke to me immediately. Someone here said that Always and BD are brothers/sisters. They couldn't be more right. Both clearly have some of the same core musical elements, but were developed in two distinct directions which end up complimenting and carrying each other. It is of no coincidence that Always was chosen as a B-Side to the BD Single!

Namaste'
Mystic of urSkeks


------------------
Sade dit moi pourquoi le sang pour le plaisir ?
Le plaisir sans l'amour.
N'y a t'il plus de sentiment dans le culte de l'homme ?
 
I was just about to post my version when i saw yours
wink.gif
here's what i could make out of it, maybe between us we can get most of it.

i'm nearly positive about the
'what we have we're gonna keep'
and
'be the arrow, and the target'
lines.. at least that's what i hear
clearly from it, the world may never
know since singles don't usually
have lyric sheets!

here today, and gone tommorrow
crack the bone, get to the marrow
to be the bleak, and the flattered
before the sweetness turns too sour

what we have we're gonna keep
always
what we've lost we don't need
always
what is it that won't let you sleep?
always

be the arrow, and the target
put your head over the parapet
be uncool, yes, be awkward
and don't look in the obvious place
the song something? (no clue!)

get down off your holy cloud
always
god will not deal with the proud
always
well if you dream then dream out loud
always
eternally yours,
always

i want you
i want you
i want you
touching ???
i wanted to be your man?
i wanted to call ????

you say come to know yourself
always
don't find yourself in someone else
always
and always wear a safety belt
always
wait for me i'm running there
always
this is the moment that we share
for always
turn each song into a prayer
always

now and forever
for always
for always
for always
for always
 
My thoughts on the lyrics:

I think "to be the bleak and the flattered" is actually "to be the bee and the flower"

And this is what I hear before the bridge...

and don't look in the obvious place
the song is beautiful, wrestle me?


So I could be wrong about the "bee and the flower" line.
smile.gif



...and I think it's clear why this song's a b-side.

The bassline is basically a sped-up "With or Without You" with a little "Beutiful Day".

"Dream out loud" is lifted from "Acrobat" and "Zooropa".

And "find yourself in someone else" is lifted from "Love Comes Tumbling" from Wide Awake In America.

That said, the song still rocks.
smile.gif


------------------
- Achtung Bubba
 
I agree with Bubba about the "bee and flower" line

as for the other:

"don't look in the obvious place,
the soul needs as beautiful a soul mate"


I think Always is an alternate version of Beautiful Day . . . there are a lot of similarities in how thes two songs sound, they may have done this originally and it mutated into Beautiful Day, or it could have been something they put together quickly with BD in mind as they searched for b-sides




[This message has been edited by The Wanderer (edited 09-23-2000).]
 
The bee and flower line is correct.

Although the "clean" version is still poor quality, the lyrics are so much easier to understand.

The link to the "clean" version of Summer Rain was a dead link when I tried. Does anyone know where I can find it?

Regardless of the "B"-side reasoning, this song is good enough to be on most bands' "A"-side.
 
A good song always has more than one interpretation. But my take is that "Always" is about eternal life. "What we have we're going to keep ... for always." And, of course, the part that says "eternally yours." BD could be interpreted in a similar way, especially the end where it says "what you don't have you don't need it now." That's just a different way of saying "what we've lost we don't need."
I suspect eternal life will be a common thread on the whole album. "What you can't leave behind," ie, what you take with you when you make that biggest trip of all. And remember that line from Kite (here comes a spoiler!) "Who's to know when you're time will come 'round, but I know this is not good-bye."
Just my rambling opinion.
 
Sorry Mark! Know one else had told me the Summer Rain link was dead. Well, the good news is that I think I have an even better one that one and will post it when it's ready (probably Sunday).
 
I think it goes like this (but we won't know for sure until we hear it on CD):

?Always?

here today, gone tomorrow
crack the bone, get to the marrow
to be the bee, and the flower . . .
before the sweetness turns too sour

what we have we're gonna keep
always
what we've lost we don't need
always
what is it that won't let you sleep?
always

be the arrow, and the target
put your head over the parapet
be uncool, yes, be awkward
and don't look in the obvious place
the soul needs as beautiful a soul mate

get down off your holy cloud
always
god will not deal with the proud
always
well if you dream then dream out loud
always
eternally yours
always

I want you
I want you
I want you

Touching the other side of love
I wanted to meet you there
I wanted to call . . .

you say come to know yourself
always
don't find yourself in someone else
always
and always wear a safety belt
always
wait for me i'm running there
always
this is the moment that we share
for always
turn each song into a prayer
always

now and forever!
for always
for always
for always
for always
 
Someone mentioned Always lyrics in "It's a Musical Journey". This thread should probably be moved here, so I moved it and kept a copy there to point you here.

So, just continue this thread as you usually would.

smile.gif


------------------
- Achtung Bubba

[This message has been edited by Achtung Bubba (edited 09-25-2000).]
 
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