Uno, dos, tres, catorce
Turn it up loud, captain

Lights go down it's dark
The jungle is your head, can't rule your heart
A feeling's so much stronger than a thought
Your eyes are wide
And though your soul it can't be bought
Your mind can wander

Hello, hello
(Hola!)
I'm at a place called Vertigo
(Dónde está!)
It's everything I wish I didn't know
Except you give me something
I can feel, feel!

The night is full of holes
'Cause bullets rip the sky
Of ink with gold
They twinkle
As the boys play rock and roll
They know that they can't dance
At least they know
I can't stand the beat
I'm asking for the check
Girl with crimson nails
Has Jesus around her neck
Swinging to the music
Swinging to the music
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa

Hello, hello
(Hola!)
I'm at a place called Vertigo
(Dónde está!)
It's everything I wish I didn't know
But you give me something
I can feel, feel!

All of this
All of this can be yours
All of this
All of this can be yours
All of this
All of this can be yours
Just give me what I want and no one gets hurt

Hello, hello
(Hola!)
We're at a place called Vertigo
(Dónde está!)
Lights go down, and all I know
Is that you give me something
I can feel your love teaching me how
Your love is teaching me how
How to kneel
Kneel!

Yeah [x15]



Lyrics submitted by Lyra

Track duration: 03:10

"Vertigo" as written by David Wyndorf

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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Vertigo song meanings
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264 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:Its about being in a bad place, but
    making it through.
    Flag skulptFireon March 27, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:One of the dumbest intro's ever!!! but anyway a great song!
    Flag Maverick2099on September 28, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Vertigo the condition is a horrible thing. "It's everything I wish I didn't know"
    Flag MartyHon November 16, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I'm sorry Bodester, but the intro isn't Italian at all, fourteen would be quattordici ;)

    As a spanish I must say I'm pretty sure Bono says:

    "Unos" (mispronouncing, though, who knows why?) wich would stand for "One".
    Dos = Two, as simple as that, and the same for the next: Tres = Three.
    About the next one: Catorce (not "quatorce" as someone said) wich stands for "Fourteen", actually, I have no idea if it's his 14th album or, as I've read somewhere else, it's a biblical reference, as a matter of fact.

    The first time I heard that intro it was quite weird, because no one expected to hear "catorce" after a countdown like that, instead of "cuatro" (four), but so it is, lyrics...
    Flag georgon September 22, 2010   Link
  • +3
    General Comment:Don't know why people think these lyrics aren't deep or meaningful. It's about stepping into a seedy club in Mexico called Vertigo, nearly being overwhelmed with temptation, and resisting with faith and love in God.

    Here, I'll break it down for you:

    Unos dos tres catorce! ("1, 2, 3, 14" -- Stepping inside and feeling immediately out of your depth and overwhelmed)

    Lights go down, it's dark (The lights go down in the club)
    The jungle is your head, (Your thoughts are going mad)
    Can't rule your heart, (Your innocent heart is still in control)
    A feeling so much stronger than a thought (A spiritual feeling is more powerful than a carnal thought)
    Your eyes are wide (Your eyes are wide with innocence and drinking in the temptations)
    And though your soul It can't be bought, (You're not selling out to the temptation...)
    Your mind can wander (...but man, you're tempted)

    Hello hello (Calling out to God for help)
    I'm at a place called Vertigo (I'm in a club called Vertigo)
    It's everything I wish I didn't know (It's full of all these temptations that I wish I didn't have to know about)
    Except you give me something I can feel, feel (but you, God, give me something I can feel, and like I said a minute ago, a feeling is more powerful than a tempting thought)

    The night is full of holes (I'm surrounded with things that are wrong)
    As bullets rip the sky (Chaos)
    Of ink with gold (Money)
    They twinkle as (Bling)
    the Boys play rock and roll (Rock and roll music)
    They know that they can't dance (The rockers can't dance)
    At least they know (But it's okay, because they don't try)

    I can't stand the heat (It's hot in here)
    I'm asking for the check (I'm asking to get the check so I can pay and leave)
    The girl with crimson nails (Sexy girl)
    Has Jesus round her neck (has a necklace with a crucifix on it)
    Swinging to the music (The girl is dancing)
    Swinging to the music (The crucifix is swinging)
    Oh oh oh oh (I'm getting mixed signals from the symbol -- carnal lust and spiritual love)

    Hello hello (Calling out to God for help)
    I'm at a place called Vertigo (I'm in a club called Vertigo)
    It's everything I wish I didn't know (It's full of all these temptations that I wish I didn't have to know about)
    But you give me something I can feel, feel (but you, God, give me something I can feel, and like I said a minute ago, a feeling is more powerful than a tempting thought)

    Check mated (Voices from hell)
    Oh yeah (tempting me)
    Hours of fun (to sin)

    All of this, all of this can be yours (Satan tempting)
    All of this, all of this can be yours (Satan tempting)

    All of this, all of this can be yours (Satan tempting)
    Just give me what I want and no-one gets hurt (Satan tempting)

    Hello hello (Calling out to God for help)
    We're at a place called Vertigo (We're all metaphorically in this hellish, tempting club called Vertigo)
    Lights go down and all I know (When the lights go down, the thing I can rely on)
    Is that you give me something (Is that you, God, give me something)
    I can feel your love teaching me how (real that I can feel. Your love is teaching me how)
    Your love is teaching me how, how to kneel (Your love is teaching me how to bow down to the true master)
    Yeah yeah yeah yeah (Yes, God, Yes, God, Yes, God, Yes)
    Flag PencilNeckedGeekon May 28, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:hey guys (and gurlz, lol) i thing that this song is abourt ummm… ol tbh im noyt really sur but I think its About freedom bc bono iz agianst war and sh** and dats y he is my hero he knoews wjhat the warld is leik asnd he is try to make it better so he sing sings abouit no war I like piunk but I thing that this song is very gooj bc it makes you THING not jst live liek the man wants or the govertmwent but lie a indevidule FIGHT THE POWR
    Flag xxpunkprincessblackxxon October 07, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment: I never liked this song when i first heard it i thought it was crap. but it didn,t stop me from buying the album. I thought original of the species was the best track. I didn't think they would release it. then one day i was watching TRL on mtv and the videeo to species made its debut. and bono talked about the song and video he had alot to say about it.
    Flag unchainedmelody8717on September 27, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:No No No my sheeps this song has a deep message from from Bono by the glory of God, this vertigo is what u feel when u recieve Jesus in u, that's what happens in Christian churches, remember Bono is Christian.
    Flag JesusMindon May 06, 2009   Link
  • +2
    General Comment:Uno, dos, tres, catorce (1, 2, 3, 14) does not refer to U2's albums. You have to remember they do make biblical references ... and I think it's far from a coincidence that
    the 1st testament
    the 2nd book
    the 3rd chapter, and
    the 14th verse happens to be, "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."
    Flag ascribe2thelordon March 27, 2009   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:The Same Pretentious Shit U2's been Doing Since They Got Popular In the Late 80s. Fuck U2. I Hate Boner...err, Bono. The Edge reuses Riffs Shamelessly. Most of them are the same, tweaked.
    Flag IcelandSnow1on March 05, 2009   Link

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