A popular number among fans, the song had its origins in a kite-flying outing on Killiney Hill overlooking Dublin Bay that Bono attempted with his daughters.[1] The outing went quickly awry when the kite crashed and one of the girls asked to go home and play with a video game.[2] So the song was at first written with Bono's daughters in mind, or more generally, about a kite as a metaphor for someone or something escaping one's realm of control; the song is, more or less, about Bono realizing a day will come when his daughters will "no longer need him." The Edge helped out on the words, and felt that the lyric was actually aimed in the opposite direction, about Bono's emotionally-reserved father: "He couldn't see it, but I could." Then while singing it, Bono recalled a similarly ill-fated kite-flying outing in his own childhood with his father in the County Dublin seaside towns of Skerries or Rush.[2] In any case, during early promotional appearances Bono emphasized the song could be about letting go of any kind of relationship.[3]
The music to "Kite" was equally evocative, with the chorus featuring an emphatic wail from Bono set against The Edge's churning guitar lines. During the band's Elevation Tour, "Kite" was played to a set of swirling images projected against a scrim above the stage, furthering the song's central theme. The song concludes with an odd coda in reference to the new media. In concert the coda is sometimes repeated, with almost all instrumentation dropped out; Bono later said the coda was intended to pinpoint the narrative by "just setting it in time, saying that's the moment, and then leaving it behind you."[2]
As is often the case with U2 songs, listeners heard various things from "Kite". Rolling Stone magazine saw it describing "the plight of a fraying couple; when Bono glimpses 'the shadow behind your eyes,' his lyric evokes the music's slanted conversations of melody and rhythm and guitar figures."[4] The New York Times entitled their review of an Elevation Tour concert "Like a Kite, Grounded But Soaring To the Skies", and said the song was "music made after the fall," merging idealism with experience.[5] A United Methodist Pastor in McGregor, Texas took the song's lines "I'm not afraid to die / I'm not afraid to live" and related it to his belief that Christians should not think of God as a stern judge and should not be afraid to live to the fullest, [6] while a London memorial service honoring The Door magazine founder and religious figure Mike Yaconelli used it as the spiritual pivot of the service.[7] Author Višnja Cogan partially echoed Edge's interpretation, seeing the duality of Bono's role as both father and son embodied in the song's interior climax "I'm a man, I'm not a child...."[8]
"Kite" took on an additional meaning later in 2001 on the tour, when Bono's father, Bob Hewson, died after a long bout with cancer.[9][1] Bono would alter the line "The last of the rock stars" to "The last of the opera stars", a reference to Bob's past as an amateur opera singer. Bono paid tribute to him with a tearful rendition of this song on the live release, U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle. Prior to the song, he fondly recalls his father and The Edge's father, Garvin Evans, walking down Madison Avenue late-night in New York City drunk together and singing.
"Kite" was played for the first time on the Vertigo Tour on 7 November 2006 in Brisbane, Australia, when the tour resumed after a long hiatus. It was also the first time that "Kite" has closed a concert, and was the regular closer on the Australian leg of the tour, while it also closed the first show in Auckland, New Zealand. A live version of the song from the Vertigo Tour, recorded in Sydney's Telstra Stadium on 11 November 2006, was released as a B-side to "Window in the Skies" on 1 January 2007. The live Australian version featured the use of didgeridoo (especially audible toward the end).
Kite
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can feel it coming
I think I know what it means
I'm not afraid to die
I'm not afraid to live
And when I'm flat on my back
I hope to feel like I did
You need some protection
The thinner the skin
I want you to know
That you don't need me anymore
I want you to know
You don't need anyone or anything at all
Who's to say where the wind will take you
Who's to say what it is will break you
I don't know which way the wind will blow
Who's to know when the time's come around
Don't want to see you cry
I know that this is not goodbye
In summer I can taste the salt in the sea
There's a kite blowing out of control on a breeze
I wonder what's gonna happen to you
You wonder what has happened to me
I'm a man, I'm not a child
A man who sees
The shadow behind your eyes
Who's to say where the wind will take you
Who's to say what it is will break you
I don't know where the wind will blow
Who's to know when the time's come around
Don't want to see you cry
I know that this is not goodbye
Did I waste it?
Not so much I couldn't taste it
Life should be fragrant
Roof top to the basement
The last of the rockstars
When hip-hop drove the big cars
In the time when new media
Was the big idea
That was the big idea
The song "Kite" by U2 is a poignant and introspective ballad about life, death, and the passage of time. The opening lines speak of a sensation of impending change, a feeling that "something is about to give" and the singer "can feel it coming." Despite this sense of uncertainty, however, there is a quiet strength and acceptance in the lyrics: the singer is "not afraid to die" or to live, and hopes to face whatever comes with the same sense of inner peace and acceptance.
Throughout the song, there are recurring images of flight and movement that symbolize the transitory nature of life. The singer muses on the kite blowing out of control on the breeze, wondering "what's gonna happen to you" and observing that "who's to say where the wind will take you." These lines highlight the fleeting and unpredictable nature of existence, and perhaps the futility of trying to control one's own destiny.
The song's final verses touch on themes of regret and nostalgia, as the singer wonders "did I waste it?" - a poignant reflection on the ways in which time and opportunity can slip away from us. Despite this sense of loss, though, there is still a sense of hopefulness in the lyrics. The singer acknowledges the pain of parting, but reassures the listener that "this is not goodbye" - suggesting that even in the face of death and change, there is always the possibility of connection and renewal.
Line by Line Meaning
Something is about to give
The singer is sensing an impending change or shift in their life.
I can feel it coming
The singer has a strong intuition about the changes that are on the horizon.
I think I know what it means
The singer believes they have a good understanding of what the change will entail.
I'm not afraid to die
The artist is at peace with the idea of death.
I'm not afraid to live
The artist is not afraid to experience and embrace life, even with its challenges.
And when I'm flat on my back
I hope to feel like I did
The singer wants to experience a sense of contentment and peace, even in difficult moments.
And hardness, it sets in
You need some protection
The thinner the skin
The singer acknowledges that life can be tough, which requires a level of strength and resilience to protect oneself.
I want you to know
That you don't need me anymore
The artist wants the person they are addressing to know that they are capable and independent without them.
I want you to know
You don't need anyone or anything at all
The artist believes that the person they are speaking to is capable of standing on their own and doesn't need any external validation or support.
Who's to say where the wind will take you
Who's to say what it is will break you
I don't know which way the wind will blow
Who's to know when the time's come around
Don't want to see you cry
I know that this is not goodbye
The artist acknowledges that life is unpredictable, and we cannot predict or control what will happen. They reassure the person they are addressing that they will be there for them, even in difficult times.
In summer I can taste the salt in the sea
There's a kite blowing out of control on a breeze
I wonder what's gonna happen to you
You wonder what has happened to me
The singer remembers a specific time and place where they had a sensory experience that triggered memories and thoughts about the well-being of themselves and the person they are thinking of.
I'm a man, I'm not a child
A man who sees
The shadow behind your eyes
The artist sees themselves as mature and experienced, able to recognize the pain or struggles of the person they are addressing.
Did I waste it?
Not so much I couldn't taste it
Life should be fragrant
Roof top to the basement
The last of the rockstars
When hip-hop drove the big cars
In the time when new media
Was the big idea
That was the big idea
The singer is reflecting on life and if they have wasted it, but still believes that life should be full of variety and excitement. They reference a time when music styles and media were changing rapidly, indicating that life was full of excitement and possibility.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adam Clayton, Dave Evans, Larry Mullen, Paul Hewson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mhughesuk1
One of U2’s hidden classics. The performance is flawless, up there with one of their best ever live moments. Bono’s singing is as good as it gets.
@JamesGore1547
This song surely must be one of U2's hidden treasures.
@ErdoBoyPats52
Ironically I ha have had a passion for kites since being a child. And literally first time I heard this I fell in love with it.
@romanrodriguez5100
It is
@bryankemp9801
Amongst many hidden gems some of which didn't even make it to an album or a "B" side
@brettscott8288
Grace too❤
@forgodsakethisthing
My dad died suddenly of a heart attack just a few days ago. We were incredibly close and this was our song. Hearing it brings me both immense pain but also comfort.
I’ll see you soon Dad, and we’ll share a Guinness in the sky.
@elizabetharmstrong3205
I hope you feel better now
@rkellermusic
Bono's lyrics of life, pain and searching for meaning have carried so many of us at one time or another.. Im sorry for your loss.
@seanplummer5779
Tough deal. I hope you find comfort in your fathers passing. I probably said that wrongly. First time I heard this song, I told my wife, that is our departure song.