The more you see the less you know
The less you find out as you grow
I knew much more then than I do now

Neon heart, day-glow eyes
The city lit by fireflies
They're advertising in the skies
And people like us

And I miss you when you're not around
I'm getting ready to leave the ground

Oh you look so beautiful tonight...in the city of blinding lights

Don't think before you laugh
Look ugly in a photograph
Flash bulbs, purple irises the camera can't see

I've seen you walk unafraid
I've seen you in the clothes you've made
Can you see the beauty inside of me?
What happened to the beauty I had inside of me?

And I miss you when you're not around
I'm getting ready to leave the ground

Oh you look so beautiful tonight...tonight
In the city of blinding lights

Time...time....time...won't leave me as I am
But time won't take the boy out of this man
Oh you look so beautiful tonight
Oh you look so beautiful tonight
Oh you look so beautiful tonight

The more you know, the less you feel
Some pray for , others steal
Blessings not just for the ones who kneel...luckily.



Lyrics submitted by Lyra

Track duration: 05:46

"City of Blinding Lights" as written by Pd Hewson L. Mullen

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


City of Blinding Lights song meanings
Add your thoughts

91 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment:It is a beautiful song about ecstasy feelings
    Flag greenheaveon March 18, 2013   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:City of Blinding lights is "The New Jerusalem" - or "Heaven".
    U2 is a Christian based band and a lot of their lyrics reflect biblical meanings...

    Someone is dying and ready to enter judgment and is soul searching, perhaps questioning whether they are going to enter the "City of Blinding Lights" where Jesus is the light so bright.

    "And I miss you when you're not around
    I'm getting ready to leave the ground"

    "Oh you look so beautiful tonight...in the city of blinding lights"
    ....That's Jesus!

    The story seems to be about someone who is a sinner and knows it but still feels blessed.
    Flag sdrothon February 19, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:seriously does know one know that the city of lights is PARIS? this is a simple love song in the city of lights and love! love paris love bono
    Flag birdmadgrlon January 29, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I don't think this is what Bono intended the song to mean but this is what it means to me: There's this girl that I like who doesn't like me back. She's going to New York soon and when she told me all I could think of was her surrounded by the lights of New York and this song came into my mind. The city of blinding lights is New York and she looks so beautiful
    Flag gday29on October 29, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:The more you see the less you know -sounds like beatle lyrics
    Flag captlafl69on October 29, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:this song is about a woman who has purple irises around her eyes, and is a rather special woman, (it's not Bono's wife) and how she looked lovely when she went out to watch fireworks in her city one night.
    hence 'purple irises the camera can't see', and 'in the City of Blinding Lights'.
    she has also made clothes before and done lots of other things.
    that's what this song is all about.
    Flag therealthingon October 11, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:bono is sooooo good looking!
    Flag u2rocksMAon April 16, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:this is a wonderful song!! i thought it was also about his wife because the line "i've seen you and the clothes you make" his wife is a fashion designer last i heard.
    Flag u2rocksMAon April 16, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"The more you know the less you feel"
    In my opinion, I think this means once you know of more tragedies and go through more experiences, the less you feel it. Once you go through multiple tragedies, or you know of them and know them to be a part of normal life, the less you feel about them, and they do not matter to you as much because you have already gone through it. For example in my history class, we talked about AIDS/HIV, and millions of people die of it every year, but people are used to hearing this by now, so they don't care as much. Swine flu is something new, so more people see it as a problem because they know less about it, so even though it is killing less people, people care about it more, and it is on the news more.
    Flag NicoleAlexandraon December 13, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Love the theme, that simple guitar cry.
    Maybe U2's best song ever, (It should be noted that I'm not a real fan)
    I am still suprised with the whole 'Time won't let me as I am'-section, but hey...

    Love the closing lyrics:
    'Blessings are not just for the ones who kneel', cold shivers, and then that final word that I commonly mishear as 'Look away', wich gives me even more cold shivers than 'Luckily', as the song is about looking at a city.
    Flag OldSkoolon August 05, 2009   Link

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!

Back to top
explain