Lyrics for With or Without You as interpreted by Novartza

With or Without You Lyrics
See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side
I wait for you

Sleight of hand and twist of fate
On a bed of nails she makes me wait
And I wait without you

With or without you
With or without you

Through the storm we reach the shore
You give it all but I want more
And I'm waiting for you

With or without you
With or without you
I can't live
With or without you

And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give
And you give
And you give yourself away

My hands are tied
My body bruised, she's got me with
Nothing to win and
Nothing left to lose

And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give
And you give
And you give yourself away

With or without you
With or without you
I can't live
With or without you

With or without you
With or without you
I can't live
With or without you
With or without you

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bradleyb
01-02-2005

Rated 0 
Ok, so yes, Bono uses Biblical references,
I don't think the intent of the song is strictly Biblical, though.

The song is very obvious. I won't go into detail, but I will simply say this:
For anyone that has been in a tumultuous relationship, where love was involved, this song speaks volumes.

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FightingLee
01-03-2005

Rated 0 
the song is very obvious for anyone who does not look for any depth bradleyb. Bono himself has said it is not a love song. He wrote the song bradleyb, he would know. The great thing is, I guess you can see it however you want.

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Sp3ratus
01-11-2005

Rated 0 
FigthningLee:
Very good post, hovewer can you explain this: "On a bed of nails she makes me wait", the "she" in the sentence?

Don't see this as an attack, I think your interpretion is very good.

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junners
01-11-2005

Rated 0 
in light of what you have said, fightinglee what do you make of the line

"i can't live
with or without you"

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wwbd
01-13-2005

Rated 0 
junners: Could it be one saying to the other that "I can't live 'With-or-without-you' " ? In other words, it can't be both ways I don't want you sometimes, and not other times. Just my 2 cents. This is the first song I learned on the bass guitar and its one of the top 5 on my list.

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bradleyb
01-17-2005

Rated 0 
No need to be snooty, FightingLee.

Ask the average listener or U2 fan what this song means to them, and I doubt they'll go into a big analyisation regarding Jesus. It's obvious you've given this song a lot of thought, but that does not mean that you are now qualified for internet-snobbery.

I like the song because it relates to a relationship I was in and the lyrics, to me, are not strictly and boldly religious. And I know i'm not the only one, in fact, no matter how correct you think you are (and very may well be, ultimately) -- I think you're in the minority. Most people see this as a sad love song, and the lyrics do back up that interpretation as well.

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Mindy87
01-17-2005

Rated 0 
I believe ultimatly it is about being with someone that is impossible it doesn't matter what you do they just keep messing it up and as much as you want to leave because as much as you can't live with them anymore you can't live without them

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winker
01-22-2005

Rated 0 
Short of being priviledged enough to enter Bono's mind (omg, can you imagine!?) we have to accept that only he really knows. All these interpretations are interesting and just the fact that so many people can find solace or whatever in this one song is a tribute to Bono's abitlity to speak to the masses.

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flo
01-23-2005

Rated 0 
"My hands are tied
My body bruised, she's got me with
Nothing to win and
Nothing left to lose "

Exactly what happened to me. I fell in love with my dorm neighbour who is the girlfriend of my best friend (and neighbour too). She also fell in love with me, but was too afraid to go through with it. So now there's nothing I can do. I can't win and I have nothing left to lose.

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mawk
01-27-2005

Rated 0 
another masterpiece

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The_Translator
01-29-2005

Rated 0 
Best U2 song of all-time. Way better than One, which I think is overrated.

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learn2kneel
02-03-2005

Rated 0 
This song jumped about 5 up my top songs list while reading this forum... i love all the different interpreations and especially the religous imagery that is so blatant to me now. I also remember either Adam or Larry saying that they couldnt imagine this song being played at a wedding, and that it would be more appropriate for a church service. This confused me at the time because i thought it was the convential girl/guy relationship but now i can accept that as a part of the meaning but filled with a longing for God and a spritual emptiness we all fill at times. If anything I think that this song would have to do with God's intervention in a guy/girl relationship as if Bono is putting aside romantic love to make way for a deeper spiritual love for God. Awesome stuff.

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FightingLee
02-08-2005

Rated 0 
I just thought that I would get back to some of the comments here.

bradleyb, sorry for being "snooty". I am jsut tired of hearing lame interpretations. I don't want to hear your love life or how the song fit what happened to you and some girl. I guess I just can't figure out why Bono says, "this is a song about overcoming drug addiction" and so many people still keep offering lame love girl interpretations. I am just asking that you delve a little deeper considering U2 sees it as a spiritual songs (sees learn2kneel's post)

Sp3ratus - I have no idea what the bed of nails means. I wish I had something there. Someone up above gave a good interpretation of the song having to do with God's intervention on a drug addiction. The comment said that "she" reffered to the drug addiction and "you" is God. But I don't know. I feel that he is reffering to addiction at times and God at others, but who knows.

I am not really sure about the "with or without you" either. I always felt like it was just him being torn in two. There is this thing that is tearing him apart and this part of him that wants the spiritual side of life.

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FightingLee
02-08-2005

Rated 0 
I did have one other possible meaning to the song, although it is probably not right and just interesting to note. Just as "Until the end of the world" was written about the relationship of Christ and Judas, you could go so far as to speculate if this song is not the relationship of Peter to Jesus.

I have already noted the line connected to the calming of the sea and Peter's desire for more. Peter also watched as the Christ was hung, "see the stone set in your eyes, see the thorn twist in your side." You really can listen to the words and imagine Peter saying them to the Christ, and they make sense. The “she” throughout the song could be lucifer, or temptation and evilness in general, that very presence that is tempting and tearing at Peter (the bed a symbol of temptation and nails the trap of Satan). "You give yourself away", could refer to when Peter draws his sword and cuts off the ear of Christ's captors, only to have the Lord heal the man and go with them willingly. As for the “with or without you”, after Christ has been captured, Peter is recognized by a man as a follower of the Christ. Peter rejects the Lord three times, and weeps. The rest of his life he is hunted by those anti-followers as he attempts to lead Christ’s church. The common consensus is that Peter was eventually captured and crucified also, though he requested that he be crucified upside down, as he did not feel that he merited the same death as his Savior. Anyway, you could say that Peter could not physically live as long as he followed Christ, yet without him he would give into spiritual death. This probably is not at all right, but here it is anyway.

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bradleyb
02-17-2005

Rated 0 
FightingLee,
You still come off very snooty. Why are you so offended by people offering the boy/girl interpretation?
I never once dismissed your comments and interpretations, so please be far to the others here and don't dismiss ours.
We're not Bible scholars, and even if the song was to the letter about the Bible, a lot of us would still relate it to a relationship situation... because, guess what, IT FITS and makes sense to us on an emotional level.
Do you even concede that thing song can be interpreted as a song about broken hearts?

You come across as a dismissive know-it-all, and although your interpretations are interesting and insightful, you really need to lighten up and let other's think what they want. I'm starting to get the feeling you're some evangelical fundamentalist that looks down on people who don't behave exactly how you believe they should, in your opinion. Some of the beauty of humanity is that we're all very different. The discussion over this song is a good example.

Don't be rude, and don't be dismissive.

I still think this song works more as a doomed love song. And it relates to me on a very deep level. I'm not the only one.

Deal with it.

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HvNLyFaTHr
02-24-2005

Rated 0 
Hi all...

I just wanted to say Hi =Ž And I think the debate is good...but lets be understanding towards each other's views! I myself have already posted my interpretation of the song late last year, but am very open to many other interpretations! That's the great thing about U2...they can open a song up to the whole world!!!

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SmileStruck4Luv
02-25-2005

Rated 0 
To me, it is a song about somebody that drives you absolutely positively head over heels INSANE!!Hence the title... u cant live with them, but oh golly gee... you are just as lost without them....

I have been able to relate... and that is why this is one of my all time fav songs!

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MaxwellPower
02-28-2005

Rated 0 
In a sense I re-discovered this song and now it holds a special place in my heart b/c it describes a very difficult time in my life.

I "discovered" not long ago, that my wife is an alcoholic. She hid it from me, from everyone, even from herself. It took a late night drive to the ER for the truth to come out.

From there the storm started.

I did my best to help her, to cure her. I felt guilty for maybe causing it - I got emotionally beat up.

As she relapsed and relapsed, I could see her "give herself away" - physically, emotionally, spiritually. She wanted to quit, but just couldn't figure out how to do it.

In turn, I found that I was also losing myself. My focus was completely on her and I followed her down the spiral of obsession - I was obsessed in trying to stop her, to cure her. There was seemingly no way out for me.

I was fortunate enough to meet people in the same situation and came to realize that I created a lot of my own mess. I woke up and realized that my development, emotionally and spiritually, had regressed.

In time I learned that I had my own issues to work on. We had to follow our own separate paths for awhile and were able to come out on the other side - for now at least ;)

I really like the additional lyrics at the end of the song because after a lot of emotion it gives hope that love will endure.

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abbym
03-08-2005

Rated 0 
all I say I say is it makes me cry, I think it would be wrong of me to even try and explain this song its mind blowing un-explainable...its just so wow lol...this is one of my favourite songs ever..I could listen to it over and over I want this song at every special occasion I have I want it a my wedding funeral my 18th...it means so much to me lol ok well know I'm done lol

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Acrobat
04-02-2005

Rated 0 
FightingLee is very accurate in his reading of the song from the religious perspective, but that doesn't render the love interpretation wrong. In fact, if you look at how the Christian religions teach loving marriages should be, you'll note that they say Christ's relationship with us is how we should model our relationship with those we love. So the self-sacrifice suggested is very easily turned into a human love relationship...

But one thing I haven't seen discussed is the religious-spirtual context of the chorus "With or without you, I can't live with or without you."

Many have hit on the application to a love relationship but these lyrics also have a dual application from a religious interpretation. First, there is the difficulty many of us have in living a Godly life, but yet we strive to do so. We fail to live as Christ taught, yet we can't stop ourselves from trying... Then there is the conflict many of us have between our spirtual belief (in God, Christ, etc.) and the teachings of organized religion. Despite our deep belief in God and Christ, we struggle to make sense of the "laws" of organized religion. We can live with God, and God's laws, but (Catholics in particular) struggle to fit the laws of the Church into their real beliefs about God...

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hyper_skittles
04-04-2005

Rated 0 
this song will always make me think of the episode in friends were ross and rachel have broken up and theyre both staring outside into the rain- its such an emotional moment which is soon wrecked by the radio announcer. still thats always wat i think of first. this is such a beautiful song off an incredible album

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Tyler2004durden
04-07-2005

Rated 0 
This is what happend to my girlfriend and I. Our love had faded, but we couldn't live without one another. It's very chrange and sad when that happens. And this song captures that feeling beautifully.

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tezzagamer
06-06-2005

Rated 0 
K, lets add a new twist to this...I think hes hinting at God all the way through this song.

"I cant live with or without you"

You cant live forever if you dont know God, but if you DO know God, then you cant live a life of sin... for example

"On a bed of nails she makes me wait, and I wait without you"

So he can go on and live life with whores and sleep with anyone but without God.

"You give yourself away"

Talks of Jesus giving himself to be killed...

Meh, jus my thoughts on this song

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ohwhocares
06-13-2005

Rated 0 
"With or Without You" reminds me of something I saw on Ogrish. A guy shoots himself in the head in the lobby of his apartment building. There was a security camera that caught it all. Whoever put this tape on the internet dubbed it with "With or Without You". I guess they were trying to be funny...

The video shows the guy hugging his girlfriend. They kiss; she wipes her tears and gets in the elevator, leaving him standing there. You can clearly see how upset she is. The elevator closes and starts to go up, seconds later he pulls out the gun and shoots himself.

I'm not a big U2 fan, I only know some of their more "popular" songs. "One" was always the most moving for me. Now that I have seen that sick video set to this song, "With or Without" you is definitely the most touching because I can't help but think of that suicidal guy.

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absent124
06-22-2005

Rated 0 
i think this song is about growing up homeless on the tough streets of chicago.... and always wanting to see the cubs play but dying before you get the chance... it is really hard to imagine such a tough life..........

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