Bono's vague lyrics have led to many fan interpretations of the song's meaning, but Bono frequently told the story behind the song in concert: the song is about heroin—specifically, about a friend of Bono's "who was given on his 21st birthday enough heroin into his bloodstream to kill him."
BAD
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you tear yourself in two again
If I could, yes I would
If I could, I would
Let it go
Surrender
Dislocate
Leave this heart of clay
See you walk, walk away
Into the night
And through the rain
Into the half-light
And through the flame
If I could through myself
Set your spirit free, I'd lead your heart away
See you break, break away
Into the light
And to the day
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
To let it go
And so to fade away
To let it go
And so, fade away
Wide awake
I'm wide awake
Wide awake
I'm not sleeping
Oh, no, no, no
If you should ask then maybe they'd
Tell you what I would say
True colors fly in blue and black
Bruised silken sky and burning flag
Colors crash, collide in bloodshot eyes
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
If I could, you know I would, if I could, I would
Let it go
This desperation
Dislocation
Separation, condemnation
Revelation in temptation
Isolation, desolation
Let it go
And so fade away
To let it go
And so fade away
To let it go
Oh now, and so to fade away
I'm wide awake
I'm wide awake
Wide awake
I'm not sleeping
Oh, no, no, no
The song "Bad" by U2 is a deeply emotional and introspective piece about letting go of internal struggles, pain, and desperation. The lyrics are a plea to a loved one or friend to disassociate themselves from their current situation and let go of their troubles. The repeated "If I could, I would" line alludes to a desire to help and intervene but an inability to do so, leading to a sense of helplessness and despair.
The first two verses of the song describe a hypothetical scenario where the singer could break free from their problems and lead their loved ones away from their own pain. The lines "Into the half-light/ And through the flame" allude to the challenges that come with letting go and making a change. The chorus explicitly states the importance of surrender and dislocation to move on and ultimately let go of the pain that haunts the person.
The third verse delves deeper into the idea of desperation and the internal struggle of the singer. The mentioning of "True colors fly in blue and black/ Bruised silken sky and burning flag" could point towards them realizing the truth of their situation and the need to make a change. The last few lines of the song repeat the chorus, reinforcing the idea that letting go and moving on is the ultimate solution.
Overall, "Bad" is a powerful and emotional song about the importance of surrender and letting go of pain and suffering. It speaks to the universal struggles of human life, and its simple yet profound message has resonated with people for many years.
Line by Line Meaning
If you twist and turn away
If you try to avoid a situation or problem
If you tear yourself in two again
If you hurt yourself or cause internal conflict
If I could, yes I would
If there was something I could do to help, I would do it
If I could, I would
If there was a way for me to make things better, I would do it
Let it go
Release yourself from the issue or problem
Surrender
Give up control or resistance
Dislocate
Become disconnected or detached
If I could throw this lifeless lifeline to the wind
If there was a way for me to help you escape this difficult situation
Leave this heart of clay
Get away from my hardened heart that can't feel or empathize anymore
See you walk, walk away
Watch you go and leave this behind
Into the night
Disappearing into the darkness
And through the rain
Enduring obstacles or tough times
Into the half-light
Going into an uncertain future
And through the flame
Braving challenges and danger
If I could through myself
If I was capable of sacrificing myself for you
Set your spirit free, I'd lead your heart away
Allowing you to be free and find peace without me
See you break, break away
See you leave and move past the things holding you back
Into the light
Going towards something positive, hopeful
And to the day
Stepping into a brighter future
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Musical interlude
To let it go
To release ourselves from the problem
And so to fade away
And so to let it become a distant memory
Wide awake
Fully conscious and aware
I'm wide awake
Emphasizing my alertness and clarity
I'm not sleeping
I'm not ignoring the problem or turning a blind eye to it
If you should ask then maybe they'd
If you were to ask someone else, they might
Tell you what I would say
Explain what I would say or how I feel
True colors fly in blue and black
The true nature of things are revealed in sadness and mourning (blue and black)
Bruised silken sky and burning flag
The beautiful sky is marred by destruction, and the flag on fire represents the chaos of the situation
Colors crash, collide in bloodshot eyes
The overwhelming emotions and pain are reflected in the eyes of those involved
This desperation
The sense of hopelessness and despair
Dislocation
The feeling of being disconnected or out of place
Separation, condemnation
The act of being separated and judged harshly by others
Revelation in temptation
Realizing something important during a difficult experience or temptation
Isolation, desolation
Feeling disconnected and alone in a bleak situation
To let it go
To forget about the pain and move on
Oh now, and so to fade away
Now, I can let it become a distant memory
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adam Clayton, Dave Evans, Larry Mullen, Paul Hewson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
A me
on eleven o' clock tick tock
And girls can make children but not like this one...so will just have to walk around with a painted face then...
LMewdowlark
on One
Baby, baby, baby, I know I'm not alone
Ha, ha, ha
Oh, it's not a hill it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
You see, for me, I've been shouting
Let's shout into the darkness, squeeze out sparks of light
You know we're gonna go crazy, you know we'll go crazy
You know we'll go crazy, if we don't go crazy tonight
Oh, slowly
Oh
Hold me slow
Again, these are the wrong lyrics. They are not the lyrics for 'One' but a different song. I pasted the correct lyrics in my other comment.
LMewdowlark
on One
And there's a part of you that wants me to riot
Everybody needs to cry or needs to spit
Every sweet-tooth needs just a little hit
Every beauty needs to go out with an idiot
How can you stand next to the truth and not see it?
Oh, change of heart comes slow
It's not a hill, it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
Do you believe me or are you doubting?
We're gonna make it all the way to the light
But I know I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight
Every generation gets a chance to change the world
Pity the nation that won't listen to you boys and girls
Is the sweetest melody the one we haven't heard?
Is it true that perfect love drives out all fear?
The right to be ridiculous is something I hold dear
Oh, but change of heart comes slow
It's not a hill, it's a mountain
As you start out the climb
You see, for me, I've been shouting
But we're gonna make it all the way to the light
But I know I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy tonight
Is it getting better
Or do you feel the same?
Will it make it easier on you now
You got someone to blame?
You say, one love, one life
When it's one need in the night
One love, we get to share it
Leaves you, baby, if you don't care for it
Did I disappoint you
Or leave a bad taste in your mouth?
You act like you never had love
And you want me to go without
Well, it's too late tonight
To drag the past out into the light
We're one, but we're not the same
We get to carry each other, carry each other
One
Have you come here for forgiveness?
Have you come to raise the dead?
Have you come here to play Jesus?
To the lepers in your head
Did I ask too much? More than a lot
You gave me nothing, now it's all I got
We're one but we're not the same
Well, we hurt each other then we do it again
You say love is a temple, love a higher law
Love is a temple, love the higher law
You ask me to enter but then you make me crawl
And I can't be holdin' on to what you got
When all you got is hurt
One love, one blood
One life, you got to do what you should
One life with each other
Sisters, brothers
One life but we're not the same
We get to carry each other, carry each other
One
One