Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
If you twist and turn away
If you tear yourself in two again
If I could, yes I would
If I could, I would
Let it go
Surrender
Dislocate
If I could throw this lifeless lifeline to the wind
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
If you tear yourself in two again
If I could, yes I would
If I could, I would
Let it go
Surrender
Dislocate
If I could throw this lifeless lifeline to the wind
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
Lyrics submitted by yuri_sucupira, edited by RainCty420, RoomeySphere
Bad Lyrics as written by Dave Evans Adam Clayton
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Step
Ministry
Ministry
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
the full quote is as follows, Little_Baby_Nothing: Bono: "This is...this is a song about the city we grew up in. A song about Dublin city. And a song about a drug called heroin that's tearing our city in two...that's tearing the...the heart out of the city of Dublin...tearing the heart out of the city of Chicago. Rich people stuff dollars in the back of their pocket while poor men lie in gutters with needles stuck in their arms. Screw them, I say. This is a song about a friend of mine who was given on his 21st birthday enough heroin into his bloodstream to kill him. This is a song called Bad." and it clear that thats what the song is about- "True colors fly in blue and black" just b/c he changed the order of black and blue to blue and black, shouldn't make it that much harder to understand
Some of these lyrics mean a lot to me. When at school I was very shy and I think I had like a split personality. When with friends I would be pretty loud but if even one other person was there that i did not like I would stay mostly always quiet. The line "If you should ask then maybe they'd Tell you what I would say " rings a bell. I remember some people asking how I had done in an exam, but they did not ask me, they asked my friend standing next to me. The lines "I'm wide awake, Wide awake, I'm not sleeping, Oh, no, no, no", I can relate to. Being some one who is shy and quiet around nearly all people, I do want people to know that I don't want to be like this . To some I could be like I was asleep or in a daze, but really Im wide awake on the inside,im wide awake, wide awake, im not sleeping, oh,no,no,no.
At LiveAid, Bono did a huge speech over The Edge's opening riff. He said he the song was about "a friend of mine in Dublin who, on his 21st birthday, was given enough heroin to kill him." So the song is kinda sung in regret to how Bono, his friend, could let something like this happen.
My friend just died two days ago of an overdose. My very good friend who I loved very, very much. It had been two weeks since the last time we'd spoken when I found out he died. I miss him so much already.
I was looking up songs about dying from addiction, and this was one of the first ones that came up in my search. As a recovering alcoholic/addict myself, it was pretty obvious from looking at the lyrics that this song is about the agony of addiction from an outsider's perspective. It still worked for me, though, because I had found recovery and my friend never quite got it.
I'm not a big U2 fan, but I've seen at least one person in these comments mention that this is their best song, and based on what I know of their music, I agree. I think this is probably the best song ever written about what it's like to lose a friend to addiction. At least it's the best well-known song on the subject. Thanks to the band for writing it. It's helping me get through this.
The lyrics are not easy to figure out,but this song is flat out the greatest piece of live rock and roll ever committed to vinyl!
I haven't the slightest clue what the song means. It could possibly be about someone that is willing to do ANYTHING to like kinda save another person, or release them from their sorrows. I don't know. Whatever it means is still a mystery to me... but it's a good song though...
"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 And so to fade away
This song was always about dealing with molestation and rape to me.. The memory coming back like it was actually happening again .. Deep down, I always knew that there was no point in letting one or two bad days keep me down, but not knowing how to get away from the pain.. .. I never knew it was suipposed to be about drugs.. To me, I always took strength from this song.. Bono's words were so comforting, "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 "
Always made me feel like there was this larger than life rock star singing comfort for all the tortured souls out in the world. His voice is so angelic, and the guitars hum so sweetly.. It's just a great soul-medicinal song...
About the rampant heroin use that characterized the 1980s for so many twentysomethings. Also Bono's social commentary against the rich and powerful who watched this happen and did nothing to stop it.
I really like this song but does anybody know why it's called Bad?
Well, at live aid 1986 they played this song and into'd it by announcing that the city they're from (Dublin) has its good, and it bad. "This song is called BAD."
A huge part of the beauty of U2's lyrics are the mystery... Bono may have, in fact, been thinking of a specific instance or example when writing this song, but he writes it so wonderfully vague so that it can apply to so many more experiences that fans and listeners go through. "Bad" has been an anthem for me in getting over an obsessive relationship with a close friend and love interest of mine... that may seem trite to others who see it clearly as a song about the ever widening gap between the impoverished and the wealthy.