It is one of U2s greatest songs, certainly in their top 5 live and their most underated song among the general public. This is what I think about Gone (kick me if I am being stupid):
Gone is written by Bono the person, being Paul Hewson from Dublin who married his childhood sweetheart (referred to as I) and it describes the 3rd person Bono almost as the glam rock star (referred to as you / your). I kind of envisage Bono sitting alone at the top tier of a U2 concert watching himself prance about below.
You get to feel so guilty
Got so much for so little
Then you find that feeling
Just won't go away
(Bono feeling guilty about his success, and the guilt not abating over time)
You're holding on to every little thing so tightly
'Til there's nothing left for you anyway
(holding on to his family, his home, the little things from his past, these are the things that drive the rock star on, yet the nett result of that drive is that he is actually losing those very things he holds dear)
Goodbye...
You can keep this suit of lights
I'll be up with the sun
I'm not coming down
I'm not coming down
I'm not coming down
Looks down and says Bono the star can keep his suit of lights, he can keep his success, however I (Bono the person) will be up with the sun ? be a normal person (and not the rock star kind of sleep all day party all night). He is not going down to the level of the rock star, he is staying up with the sun ? perhaps up with the higher ground, maybe even the Lord.
You wanted to get somewhere so badly
You had to lose yourself along the way
You change your name, well that's okay, it's necessary
(A summary of all his life how Bono has desired the success of U2 ? and perhaps even a description of Paul Hewson v Bono)
And what you leave behind you don't miss anyway
(This is what the rock star leaves behind ? however, we should all know now that for Bono the person, it really is about what you can?t leave behind. I kind of think the themes for ATYCLB grew out of this feeling here in Gone ? basically Bono is saying goodbye to the element of excess and shallowness that was embraced (and exposed) by the Pop album. We should all have seen ATYCLB coming from Gone!)
These themes have been used in different ways since it was written - the michael hutchence aspect obviously but also to the American critics (re: mexico city) and their scornfulness of Pop and the popmart tour. Basically here U2 placed the critics with the glam rock star that they emulated and took the higher ground themselves.