Moment of Surrender
U2 Lyrics


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I tied myself with wire
To let the horses run free
Playing with the fire
Until the fire played with me

The stone was semi-precious
We were barely conscious
Two souls too smart to be
In the realm of certainty
Even on our wedding day

We set ourselves on fire
Oh God, do not deny her
It's not if I believe in love
If love believes in me
Oh, believe in me

At the moment of surrender
I folded to my knees
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me

I've been in every black hole
At the altar of the dark star
My body's now a begging bowl
That's begging to get back, begging to get back
To my heart
And to the rhythm of my soul
And to the rhythm of my unconsciousness
To the rhythm that yearns
To be released from control

I was punching in the numbers at the ATM machine
I could see in the reflection
A face staring back at me
At the moment of surrender
Of vision over visibility
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me

I was speeding on the subway
Through the stations of the cross
Every eye looking every other way
Counting down 'til the pentecost

At the moment of surrender
Of vision of over visibility
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh




Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to U2's song Moment of Surrender tell a story of a couple who are playing with the dangerous fire of passion, tied together by a wire. They are both intelligent and independent individuals, but their love for each other is consuming them. On their wedding day, they set themselves on fire, hoping to be consumed by the passion of their love for each other. The singer pleads with God not to deny his love for her because, to him, love is not something that he believes in. Instead, he believes that love believes in him.


The chorus marks a turning point in the song, as the singer describes the moment of surrender when he kneels down and realizes that he has been consumed by love. His soul has been hollowed out and he is begging to get it back. He laments that he has been in every black hole and has lost control of himself, begging to find again the rhythm of his soul and unconsciousness.


As the song comes to a close, the singer is literally speeding through life, in the subway, through the stations of the cross. He is unmindful of the passers-by, just as they are unaware of his presence. He is in the moment of surrender, where his vision takes over his visibility, and he is consumed by his love.


Overall, the lyrics to Moment of Surrender are a powerful evocation of love and its power to consume and transform. They describe the dangers involved in surrendering to love, but also the beauty that comes with fully embracing it. The song is a moving tribute to the transformative power of love.


Line by Line Meaning

I tied myself with wire
I put restraints on myself


To let the horses run free
So that I could unleash my desire and explore without limitations


Playing with the fire
Taking risks and living dangerously


Until the fire played with me
But eventually, the danger and risks got the best of me


The stone was semi-precious
The things we sought in life weren't extremely valuable, but we greatly desired them


We were barely conscious
We lacked awareness of our true selves and the world around us


Two souls too smart to be
We were intelligent individuals who thought we had everything figured out


In the realm of certainty
Living with the illusion that our lives were predictable and certain


Even on our wedding day
Even in the most significant moment of our lives, we weren't fully aware


We set ourselves on fire
We ignited our passion and pushed ourselves to the limit


Oh God, do not deny her
A plea for the divine to look upon someone we cherish


It's not if I believe in love
It's not a question of whether love exists


If love believes in me
But whether I truly feel and accept the love that's present around me


Oh, believe in me
A cry for someone/something to trust and believe in us


At the moment of surrender
The instant of admitting defeat and freeing oneself from control


I folded to my knees
I humbled myself and surrendered to a higher power


I did not notice the passers-by
During this moment, I was completely consumed by my inner thoughts


And they did not notice me
Those around me were unaware of my inner struggle


I've been in every black hole
I've experienced darkness and hardship


At the altar of the dark star
I've worshipped the darkest aspects of life


My body's now a begging bowl
I'm depleted and empty, looking for nourishment


That's begging to get back, begging to get back
Craving to return to a healthier state of being


To my heart
Reconnecting to the emotions and desires of the heart


And to the rhythm of my soul
Being at one with the deepest aspects of my being


And to the rhythm of my unconsciousness
Returning to a state of being that's intuitive and instinctual


To the rhythm that yearns
The desire to be free from constraint and to live authentically


To be released from control
To be free from limiting beliefs and societal pressure


I was punching in the numbers at the ATM machine
I was going through the motions of everyday life


I could see in the reflection
Looking at my own reflection, I saw my true self


A face staring back at me
The face that looked back at me revealed the truth of who I am


Of vision over visibility
Of focusing on my inner vision rather than the surface level of things


I was speeding on the subway
Going through life at a fast pace


Through the stations of the cross
Enduring pain and suffering in life's journey


Every eye looking every other way
Everyone around me was avoiding facing their own truth


Counting down 'til the pentecost
Looking forward to a time of celebration and renewal




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Adam Clayton, Dave Evans, Paul David Hewson, Larry Mullen, Daniel Roland Lanois, Brian Peter George Eno

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@cerclesvicieux

"Moment Of Surrender"

I tied myself with wire
To let the horses run free
Playing with the fire until the fire played with me
The stone was semi-precious
We were barely conscious
Two souls too smart to be in the realm of certainty
Even on our wedding day

We set ourselves on fire
Oh God, do not deny her
It's not if I believe in love
But if love believes in me
Oh, believe in me

At the moment of surrender
I folded to my knees
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me

I've been in every black hole
At the altar of the dark star
My body's now a begging bowl
That's begging to get back,
begging to get back
To my heart
To the rhythm of my soul
To the rhythm of my unconsciousness
To the rhythm that yearns
To be released from control

I was punching in the numbers
At the ATM machine
I could see in the reflection
A face staring back at me

At the moment of surrender
Of vision over visibility
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me

I was speeding on the subway
Through the stations of the cross
Every eye looking every other way
Counting down till the pain would stop

At the moment of surrender
Of vision over visibility
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me

U2, <i>No Line on the Horizon</i> (2009)



All comments from YouTube:

@Proud2BaPaddy

The instumental for this was just one take. Brian Eno was trying to fix a track that wasn't playing properly. Larry Mullin came into the studio and not knowing there was a problem with the track, started playing the drums along with what he was hearing. The Edge came in and joined in. Adam Clayton joined in, and the Brian Eno started playing the keyboard. They all just seemed to synchronise. All knowing where to change cords, beat, up or down. Then Bono joined them and stated singing chords. Everyone then just followed Bono's changing pitches. Brian Eno described this as the most incredible experience he has ever had in music. Afterwards Bono said that normally they try to find the music but this time the music found them as it happened so effortlessly and organically.

@luccaeyes

Thank you for sharing the story behind the song. Pure magic ❤

@biodiversidaddominicana5562

¡Santo Dios! 🙌

@philldag

This song deserves more credit than it's been given. I rate this as one of U2's top 3 ballads behind One and With Or Without You. Bono's passion in his voice brings up so many emotions for me.

@henrikijonkoping4694

This one is also up there https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQZoxlBXBXA

@anngulliver5964

Me too. I have placed it as my 5th favourite U2 song after With Or Without You, one, where the streets have no name and Every Breaking Wave

@yvonnemeza4903

😭😢😭😢😭U2 reminds of the great times My little sister & I spent together listening & singing to U2 😘😘❤️ Cancer took my best friend & baby sister

@a19523

Sending you so so much love.

@Didi78180x

I'm sorry ! LOVE !

@ramonarellano4988

I'm sorry for your loss, it is a very powerful experience to live through, I lost my little brother in 2015 to cirrhosis, he and me came a long way since childhood, we loved each other so much, when you lose someone that close the world is not the same anymore, we used to listen to many bands until late at night, U2 was our favorite band, along with The Beatles.

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