Was that a new song?

[Liesje]

I don't understand how this song went from being something that the Gateway group sings with Bono to expectations of it being U2's next hit single......

When they sang it on Sunday, the way he jokingly introduced it, I thought it was just something they'd thrown together for the DATA presentation....maybe I've missed something....

 

[ultraviolet353]

is there another link for this--I can't seem to get the Iowa link to work or find it on U2Guatemala...

 

[U2SJ]

is there another link for this--I can't seem to get the Iowa link to work or find it on U2Guatemala...

The links aren't working for me either!

I think the lyrics work very well with what Bono is trying to do in America and his project. They posted the lyrics on USA Today along with a pic of Bono at a high school, and there was a very nice article about him too! Just thought I would post the lyrics here too

"This is the time to finish what you started.
This is no time to dream.
This is the room. We can turn off the dark tonight.
Maybe then we might see.

This is my American Prayer, American Prayer.

This is the land.
The land that keeps your feet from getting wet.
And this is the sky over our head.
Remember that what you see depends on where you stand.
And how you jump will tell you where you're gonna land.

This is my American Prayer, American Prayer.

My oh my, let's not get tired.
Let's not kick at the darkness.
Let's make the light brighter.

These are the hands
What are we going to build with them?
This is a church you can't see.

Give me your tired and poor and huddled masses.
You know they're yearning to breathe free."

 

[mug222]

Words I never, ever want to hear in a U2 song again:

dream
dark
tonight
see
American
prayer
land
sky
darkness
light
brighter
hands
build

 

[The_acrobat]

Words I never, ever want to hear in a U2 song again:

dream
dark
tonight
see
American
prayer
land
sky
darkness
light
brighter
hands
build

Can't help but agree with you. Also, streets, night, and the phrase Dream out loud. So far, it was used in Acrobat, Zooropa and Always. Get some new shit!

 

[U2FReAk]

Words I never, ever want to hear in a U2 song again:

dream
dark
tonight
see
American
prayer
land
sky
darkness
light
brighter
hands
build

 

[Saracene]

Funny, nowhere have I read Bono saying, "this song is gonna be on our next album." Or, "this is our next single." Or, "this song represents our new direction." What's the use of leaping to conclusions, really?

I also think that they're seriously overusing following words: me, you, are, is, it, for, not, to, in, at, from, and especially the. I hope to never see them again in any future U2 song.

 

[Liesje]

Funny, nowhere have I read Bono saying, "this song is gonna be on our next album." Or, "this is our next single." Or, "this song represents our new direction." What's the use of leaping to conclusions, really?

EXACTLY!!!! I'm so flaming confused!!! When was this considered U2's "new song"?!?! I was there in Nebraska and he never said ANYTHING that made me think that they would even consider developing this song for an album or single. Is there some news article I missed that says this?

 

[elevatedmole]

Let's not kick at the darkness.

Hmmm.. seem familiar, anyone?

 

[ultraviolet353]

has anyone has found a working link yet?

 

[Kristie]

What Lies (LuvLuvandBootlegMusic) said
I saw him in Indianapolis last night. I would recommend you don't judge the song until you SEE it, not just hear it... Bono performing it with the gateway group was the most powerful thing I have ever seen, I started crying in the middle of it. It was fucking amazing.

now that I think back on it, I should have had David (the guy who was with me) call my answering machine on his cell phone and record it.

ah well If that song is released I'd imagine it would be as a charity single, as someone said, hopefully recorded with the gateway group.

 

[camiloj]

Originally posted by elevatedmole


Let's not kick at the darkness

Hmmm.. seem familiar, anyone?

lets definitely not kick at it til it BLEEDS DAYLIGHT

Oh and a big fat frickin PULLLEEEEZZEE to people and their lists of "words" they NEVER want to hear in a U2 song again.

LOL you gotta love the internet!

 

[Zoomerang96]

"This is the time to finish what you started.
This is no time to dream.
This is the room. We can turn off the dark tonight.
Maybe then we might see.

This is my American Prayer, American Prayer.

This is the land.
The land that keeps your feet from getting wet.
And this is the sky over our head.
Remember that what you see depends on where you stand.
And how you jump will tell you where you're gonna land.

This is my American Prayer, American Prayer.

My oh my, let's not get tired.
Let's not kick at the darkness.
Let's make the light brighter.

These are the hands
What are we going to build with them?
This is a church you can't see.

Give me your tired and poor and huddled masses.
You know they're yearning to breathe free."

:S

uh.

anyway. its good people pointed out that this is probably just a DATA song or something and not a single or a future album track.

"lets not kick at the darkness.
lets make the light brighter."



did he even write this? this cant be from the same guy who gave us so cruel, one, bad, please or running to stand still?

 

[Salome]

did he even write this? this cant be from the same guy who gave us so cruel, one, bad, please or running to stand still?

that's what I thought when I read the lyrics of "If God Will Send His Angels"

but some people would say I'm wrong there

 

[U2SJ]

USA Today sais "American Prayer" by Bono and Dave Stewart so maybe Dave wrote most of the words

 

[Michael Griffiths]

that's what I thought when I read the lyrics of "If God Will Send His Angels"

but some people would say I'm wrong there

Nobody else here baby
No one here to blame
No one to point the finger
It's just you and me...and the rain

One of the finest opening couplets in a U2 song, ever - especially the way he sings it. Kind of comes out of nowhere.

 

[mug222]

Oh and a big fat frickin PULLLEEEEZZEE to people and their lists of "words" they NEVER want to hear in a U2 song again.

I'd hope that you'd understand that it was partly tongue in cheek, and partly sincere--if these are the type of lyrics Bono has been reduced to, it is a crying shame and a shameful waste of talent. He is reusing cliched themes that he has used for 20 years, and I'm a bit tired of it.

Bono once said that the first two lines of "Where the Streets Have No Name" were no better than high school poetry. If that's true, then his latest output is straight out of elementary school.

 

[Zoomerang96]

mug222, i commend you on your honest words.

this cant be bonos doing. i mean, really, that is piss poor.

 

[ishkash]

"This is the time to finish what you started.
This is no time to dream.
This is the room. We can turn off the dark tonight.
Maybe then we might see.

This is my American Prayer, American Prayer.

This is the land.
The land that keeps your feet from getting wet.
And this is the sky over our head.
Remember that what you see depends on where you stand.
And how you jump will tell you where you're gonna land.

This is my American Prayer, American Prayer.

My oh my, let's not get tired.
Let's not kick at the darkness.
Let's make the light brighter.

These are the hands
What are we going to build with them?
This is a church you can't see.

Give me your tired and poor and huddled masses.
You know they're yearning to breathe free."

I know Bono has ability to make weak words sound powerful, but "This is my American Prayer". Terrible, absolutely terrible.

 

[ultraviolet353]

anybody find a working link to this yet?

 

[Zoomerang96]

this thread bothers me. everyone who posted those lyrics should be forced to delete them.

this is BONO. where did it all go wrong?!

 

[anitram]

These are the hands
What are we going to build with them?

*shudder*

I'm sorry, but the lyrics are utter crap.

 

[Liesje]

These are the hands
What are we going to build with them?

*shudder*

I'm sorry, but the lyrics are utter crap.

I'm still shaking my head at this thread.....

The point is that he was singing this song with kids, a FOUR year old. It didn't need to be all poetic and whatever to get the point across. After hearing the song live again, I still think it's beautiful. I don't understand why you guys are persistantly ripping apart something you've yet to hear.....

Honestly, I'm glad there is no mp3 available, it defeats the purpose entirely. The song was meant for their presentation, and it worked just fine there. It wasn't too deep or too technically challenging, the kids sang along, everyone could participate. It's not something I'd want to listen to over and over again on my headphones, it was too powerful for that.

 

[Salome]

It wasn't too deep or too technically challenging, the kids sang along, everyone could participate.

some people only think of something as art when the lyrics tears up their soul and the music is one sonic experiment after the other

personally I think it's beautiful they threw something together for this event
they didn't have to
they have got soul though

 

[Liesje]

some people only think of something as art when the lyrics tears up their soul and the music is one sonic experiment after the other

personally I think it's beautiful they threw something together for this event
they didn't have to
they have got soul though

Thank you! The point of the presentation was NOT the song! That was just a great way to end with everyone on stage. The words don't have to "tear up one's soul" - the statistics and stories and pictures of the baby with AIDS were enough.

 

[zoocarolina]

I think it's pretty clear that this tune was strictly for the Heartland Tour and nothing more, so let's leave it to what it is and I seriously doubt it will show up anywhere else, especially on the new album bc it just wouldn't fit.

 

[I Move in Mysterious Ways]

"This is the time to finish what you started.
This is no time to dream.
This is the room. We can turn off the dark tonight.
Maybe then we might see.

This is my American Prayer, American Prayer.

This is the land.
The land that keeps your feet from getting wet.
And this is the sky over our head.
Remember that what you see depends on where you stand.
And how you jump will tell you where you're gonna land.

This is my American Prayer, American Prayer.

My oh my, let's not get tired.
Let's not kick at the darkness.
Let's make the light brighter.

These are the hands
What are we going to build with them?
This is a church you can't see.

Give me your tired and poor and huddled masses.
You know they're yearning to breathe free."


Couple extra lines. . .

"If you get to the top of the mountain
Will tell me what you see?

If you get to the top of the mountain
Remember me.

Remember me."

 

[bonosloveslave]

Woohoo

Didja all hear? Bono and the Gateway ambassadors have been working in studio to record American Prayer - looking like it might be a fundraiser thingy:

U2 lead singer, Bono, right, pauses while recording a song titled 'American Prayer' with The Gateway Ambasadors, a choir made up of children from Ghana Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2002 in New York. The song has been part of the Heart of America: Aids (news - web sites) in Africa tour. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

 

[david]

God damn, you guys sound like you drink a lot of Hatorade.

You're dissecting, critiquing, over analyzing lyrics written by a man who wanted to express what he felt in his own words. You're basically saying his work is "shit" just because the words don't measure up to some lyrical expectations you have. And you need to stop comparing new to old.

 

[mug222]

You're dissecting, critiquing, over analyzing lyrics written by a man who wanted to express what he felt in his own words.

Unfortunately that is the very essence of the problem: these are not "his own words." They are the words and phrases of others, strung together into a song that seems to me entirely incapable of expressing Bono's true emotions--for I know that his emotions are true and are generous and are intelligent. The song simply does not do justice to them.

Since when are we not allowed to criticize a song that was put into the public eye? I have no doubt that Bono's intentions are very good, but that doesn't negate the fact that I find the song to be unlistenable.