Hi Michael ? I was thinking about your interpretation of the last verses of Stay further evidencing the scenario of a man in love with a woman who is stuck in an violent relationship and I thought of the lyrics of a few other U2 songs from the same time period. I started to imagine a possible fictional story between these two characters. I see - let?s call him - Tom who is out of town on a project for work. He staying at a hotel and he spends his evenings down in the bar drinking and recalling how is marriage remains in shambles (the story continued from Achtung Baby). There is a woman named Suzanne who is a frequent customer at the hotel bar. She comes there to escape from the world for a little bit at the end of her long day. She has a drink or two in order to recover somewhat after a gig of doing a private strip show. She is secretly stashing money away in hopes of one day being able to put together a down payment on the family restaurant back in Miami that her abusive husband had to sell in order to pay for his mother's medical bills. Suzanne believes that once he?s back doing what he loves he?ll treat her better. All the abuse will stop. He will change like night and day. She has somehow convinced her husband that she?s taking night classes. One night feeling particularly lonely and in need of conversation she introduces herself to Tom. She listens to his story (Two Shots Of Happy One Shot Of Sad). Afterwards Tom listens to her story (Conversation On A Bar Stool). They begin meeting each other for drinks each time that she comes in and a friendship between them grows. One evening Tom asks her dance and they get so lost in it that they lose track of time (Slow Dancing). As time goes by they begin to fall in love. There comes a point when Tom begs her to leave her abusive husband (Stay [Faraway So Close]). Suzanne starts to cry. Part of her wants to stay with Tom. Another part of her wants to stay with the dream of changing her husband once they?re back in Miami. She runs out of the bar. When she arrives back home her husband confronts her. He has been following her for the last week. He flies into rage as he recalls seeing her in Tom?s arms dancing together. He starts throwing her around the apartment. A glass shelf holding framed family photographs shatters. He yells at her accusing her of sleeping with Tom. Suzanne holds up her bleeding hands and arms as she pleads with him to stop. ?I have never slept with him? she screams and it slips out ?or with any of the men I do exotic dancing for. You see ? Honey ? I?m saving up money for us to move back to Miami and buy back the restaurant. We?re almost there.? All he hears is other ?men? and he explodes ? punching her so hard that she falls backwards and as she comes down she hits her head on the base of the coat rack stand. Blood pours out of the side of her mouth. Suzanne slips into a coma. Three o'clock in the morning - It's quiet and there's no one around - Just the bang and the clatter - As an angel runs to ground - Just the bang - And the clatter - As an angel - Hits the ground. Night after night passes back at the Hotel and Tom sees no sign of Suzanne. His work project comes to end. He leaves his work phone number with the bar tender for her.
TWO SHOTS OF HAPPY ONE SHOT OF SAD
Two shots of happy, one shot of sad
You think I'm no good, well I know I've been bad
Took you to a place, now you can't get back
Two shots of happy, one shot of sad
Walked together down a dead end street
We were mixing the bitter with the sweet
Don't try to figure out what we might of had
Just two shots of happy, one shot of sad
I'm just a singer, some say a sinner
Rolling the dice, not always a winner
You say I've been lucky, well hell I've made my own
Not part of the crowd, but not feeling alone
Under pressure, but not bent out of shape
Surrounded, we always found an escape
Drove me to drink, but hey that's not all bad
Two shots of happy, one shot of sad
Guess I've been greedy, all of my life
Greedy with my children, my lovers, my wife
Greedy for the good things as well as the bad
Two shots of happy, one shot of sad
Maybe it's just talk, saloon singing
The chairs are all stacked, the swinging's stopped swinging
You say I hurt you, you put the finger on yourself
Then after you did it, you came crying for my help
Two shots of happy, one shot of sad
I'm not complaining, baby I'm glad
You call it a compromise, well what's that
Two shots of happy, one shot of sad
Two shots of happy, one shot of sad
CONVERSATION ON A BARSTOOL
I'm tired, so tired I can hardly stand
I can't breath in the air in this city tonight
It's taken everything I had to give
And now, I just want to get out of here
But I won't be sorry if you won't be
And I don't want your pity or sympathy
But for forty five dollars I can make it
You wait and see
(He came from Miami to start out again
I hear that he's back with his mother ill
He told me he loved me and he wanted my child
But you know people change their minds) *
But I won't sorry if you won't be
And I don't want your pity or sympathy
But with forty five dollars I can make it
You wait and see
But I won't sorry if you won't be
And I don't want your pity or your sympathy
But with forty five dollars I can make it
You wait and see
It isn't as if I was just anybody
On Broadway I danced for that Senator
They know me in London and they know me in Paris
I'm only talking because you look like you needed a friend
But I won't sorry if you won't be
And I don't want your pity or your sympathy
But with forty five dollars I'm halfway
To Miami
*(Lyrics not included on her version but I believe they are included on Annie Ross? version)
SLOW DANCING
My love is cruel as the night
She steals the sun, and shuts out the light
All of my colors, they turn to blue
Win or lose
She does it slow dancing
Slow dancing
She does it slow dancing
All night long
Scarlet eyes and a see-through heart
She saw me coming right from the start
She picked me up, but had me down on my knees
Just a begging her, begging her please
Take me slow dancing
Slow dancing
She took me slow dancing
All night long
And I don't know why a man
Search for himself in his lovers eyes
No I don't know why a man
Sees the truth but needs the lies
My love is restless as the wind
She moves like a shadow across my skin
She left with my conscience, I don't want it back
It just gets in the way
If you wanna go slow dancing
Slow dancing
She took me slow dancing
All night long
Slow dancing
Slow dancing
Slow...
STAY (FARAWAY SO CLOSE!)
Green light, Seven Eleven
You stop in for a pack of cigarettes
You don't smoke, don't even want to
Hey now, check your change
Dressed up like a car crash
Your wheels are turning but you're upside down
You say when he hits you, you don't mind
Because when he hurts you, you feel alive
Oh now, is that what it is?
Red lights, gray morning
You stumble out of a hole in the ground
A vampire or a victim
It depends on who's around
You used to stay in to watch the adverts
You could lip synch to the talk show hosts
And if you look, you look through me
And when you talk, you talk at me
And when I touch you, you don't feel a thing
If I could stay... then the night would give you up
Stay... and the day would keep its trust
Stay... and the night would be enough
Faraway, so close
Up with the static and the radio
With satellite television
You can go anywhere
Miami, New Orleans
London, Belfast and Berlin
And if you listen I can't call
And if you jump, you just might fall
And if you shout, I'll only hear you
If I could stay... then the night would give you up
Stay... then the day would keep its trust
Stay... with the demons you drowned
Stay... with the spirit (that) I've found
Stay... and the night would be enough
Three o'clock in the morning
It's quiet and there's no one around
Just the bang and the clatter
As an angel runs to ground
Just the bang
And the clatter
As an angel
Hits the ground
Two Shots Of Happy One Shot Of Sad ? written: Bono ? Music: Bono & The Edge ? originally written for Frank Sinatra ? We first see this song being created by Bono and The Edge in Chicago during the ZOO TV Tour during Bill Clinton?s visit with U2 in Flanagan?s book - If God Will Send His Angels single (4:12)
Conversation On A Bar Stool ? written: Bono & The Edge ? originally for Marianne Faithful who recorded it on her 1998 A Perfect Stranger double album (4:15) ? also recorded by Hazel O?Connor on her 1995 Private Wars album (?) - first recorded by Annie Ross on the Short Cuts Soundtrack in 1993 (5:45)
Slow Dancing ? originally written for Willie Nelson - Stay (Faraway So Close) single (3:20)