It originates from the band recording "live" jam performances in the studio during the Zooropa sessions on the band's break in the Zoo TV Tour. The song was written about a character who leaves his family and returns years later to meet the son he abandoned. Many of the lyrics are taken from phrases that Bono's father, Bob Hewson, would use, including "I don't know you and you don't know the half of it", "No blood is thicker than ink", "Nothing's as simple as you think", and "It won't last kissing time." The title was inspired by another phrase Bono's father would use, "it's a dirty day".
The lyrics "these days, days, days run away like horses over the hill", repeated over the outro to the song, are quoted by Bono in tribute to Charles Bukowski.
"Dirty Day" made its Zoo TV Tour debut on November 12, 1993, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and it became part of the main setlist of the Zoomerang/New Zooland tour leg. With the Zoo TV effects, blue and yellow appeared in the background, and during the upbeat parts of the song, the stage was lit primarily by strobe lights. It was played a total of ten times and was not played again until the Experience and Innocence tour, as featured in Berlin from the video from of that tour.
In its live performances, the song includes a solo by The Edge which was not originally on the album. Larry Mullen's drum beat for the first verse is also slightly altered from the album version. The Edge played the song both with his Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul in the live setting. This performance can be seen on the video release Zoo TV: Live from Sydney.
Dirty Day
U2 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you don't know the half of it
I had a starring role
I was the bad guy who walked out
They said be careful where you aim
'Cause where you aim you just might hit
You can hold onto something so tight
You've already lost it
Dragging me down
That's not the way it used to be
You can't even remember
What I'm trying to forget
It was a dirty day
Dirty day
You're looking for explanations
I don't even understand
If you need someone to blame
Throw a rock in the air
You'll hit someone guilty
From father to son
In one life has begun
A work that's never done
Father to son
Get it right
There's no blood thicker than ink
Hear what I say
Nothing's as simple as you think
Wake up
Some things you can't get around
I'm in you
More so when they put me in the ground
These days, days, days run away like horses over the hill
These days, days, days run away like horses over the hill
These days, days, days run away like horses over the hill
These days, days, days run away like horses over the hill
These days, days, days run away like horses over the hill
These days, days, days run away like horses over the hill
These days, days, days run away like horses over the hill
"Dirty Day" by U2 is a song that explores the complexity of relationships, specifically the breakdown of a relationship that was once strong. The opening line, "I don't know you, and you don't know the half of it," sets the tone for the rest of the song. It's a confession that the person being addressed does not truly know who the singer is, nor what they've been through. The singer then describes themselves as a "bad guy" who walked out, suggesting that they played a destructive role in the relationship.
The chorus, "It was a dirty day," refers to the day that the relationship fell apart. The second verse takes a more philosophical tone, stating that some things can never be understood or explained. The line, "If you need someone to blame, throw a rock in the air, you'll hit someone guilty," suggests that everyone shares responsibility for the relationship's failure.
The bridge, "From father to son, in one life has begun, a work that's never done, father to son," speaks to the idea that our experiences and relationships are passed down from one generation to the next. The song ends with a repetition of the line, "These days, days, days run away like horses over the hill," suggesting the fleeting nature of time and the inevitability of change.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know you
I have no familiarity with you
And you don't know the half of it
You lack a comprehensive understanding of the situation
I had a starring role
I played a prominent part
I was the bad guy who walked out
I am the antagonist who left
They said be careful where you aim
They warned to choose targets wisely
'Cause where you aim you just might hit
It is possible to unintentionally hit unintended targets
You can hold onto something so tight
It is possible to grasp something too tightly
You've already lost it
The thing you held too tightly is already lost
Dragging me down
You are making me feel worse
That's not the way it used to be
This is not how things were before
You can't even remember
You have forgotten
What I'm trying to forget
I am attempting to forget something
It was a dirty day
It was an unpleasant day
Dirty day
Unpleasant day
You're looking for explanations
You are seeking reasons
I don't even understand
I have no comprehension
If you need someone to blame
If you want to assign fault to someone
Throw a rock in the air
Randomly select someone to blame
You'll hit someone guilty
The person you choose will likely be at fault for something
From father to son
Passing from one generation to the next
In one life has begun
A new work has started
A work that's never done
This work will never be completed
Father to son
Passed down from one generation to the next
Get it right
Do it correctly
There's no blood thicker than ink
Relationships forged through work are just as strong as blood connections
Hear what I say
Listen to my advice
Nothing's as simple as you think
Things are not always straightforward
Wake up
Become aware
Some things you can't get around
Certain things are unavoidable
I'm in you
I am a part of you
More so when they put me in the ground
I will be even more a part of you when I die
These days, days, days run away like horses over the hill
Time passes too quickly
These days, days, days run away like horses over the hill
Time passes too quickly
These days, days, days run away like horses over the hill
Time passes too quickly
These days, days, days run away like horses over the hill
Time passes too quickly
These days, days, days run away like horses over the hill
Time passes too quickly
These days, days, days run away like horses over the hill
Time passes too quickly
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adam Clayton, Dave Evans, Larry Mullen, Paul David 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