In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Midnight, our sons and daughters
Cut down, taken from us
Hear their heartbeat
We hear their heartbeat
In the wind we hear their laughter
In the rain we see their tears
Hear their heartbeat
We hear their heartbeat
Night hangs like a prisoner
Stretched over black and blue
Hear their heartbeat
We hear their heartbeat
In the trees our sons stand naked
Through the walls our daughters cry
See their tears in the rainfall
Cut down, taken from us
Hear their heartbeat
We hear their heartbeat
In the wind we hear their laughter
In the rain we see their tears
Hear their heartbeat
We hear their heartbeat
Night hangs like a prisoner
Stretched over black and blue
Hear their heartbeat
We hear their heartbeat
In the trees our sons stand naked
Through the walls our daughters cry
See their tears in the rainfall
Lyrics submitted by yuri_sucupira
Mothers of the Disappeared 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
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
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.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
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.
it has little to do with chile, as x__maggie says is about the madres of plaza de mayo. Tha mothers of more than 30,000 people hat dissapeared during the military regimen (1976-1983) in Argentina. This amazin women were brave and confronted the regime and started searching ther sons and daughters and also their sons and daughters that were kidnapped too. There is, actually, another organization called Grandmothers of plaza de mayo that search the grandchilds. Chile suffered a military regime(Pinochet) too, but it is not known for the braveness of the mothers that loose their children, neither has chile an organization such as mothers of plaza de mayo.
Also i recomend the movie"la historia oficial" that won an oscar as Best Foreign Language Film if anyone is interested by the theme.
This song is most definitely focused on the prisoners of the Dirty War in Argentina- not about the Chilean Regime. It is an incredible song (what on the Joshua Tree isn't?). The rhythym and everything is just perfect, and Bono's singing and the instrumental just hits home.
Its actually about the Guerra Sucia in Argentina from 1976-1983. The dictator, I think his name was Vidal, took the children of the people who disagreed with him, killed their fathers, and beat the women. The "Mothers of the Disappeared" refers to the Madres/Abuelas de la Plaza Mayo.
if you want to watch more on the topic, there's a really good movie called 'la historia official' and its worth watching. we watched it in spanish class and it's about a teacher coming to grips with the reality of what is happening.
and i saw u2 today at the clinton libray opening and even though i was freezing cold and wet i thought bono was amazing.
to rossclark: it's true, pinochet's regime was NOT communist. But that doesn't make his regime any better. You make it sound like it was the dissapeared's own fault that they were kidnapped, tortured and murdered by the government. Let me tell you what: Salvador Allende was the one that made sure every single child in the country would be provided milk. He may as well have ended poverty in Chile if the whole thing hadn't happened. The capitalist world may have decided pinochet was the best thing that could happen to the country, but why don't you tell the mothers of the disappeared that? I know so many people that lost relatives to the military government - why don't you tell them how right it was that pinochet took over and made our country suffer? huh? My uncle was arrested, my parents went through a lot thanks to the curfew - maybe it would have been a lot better if Allende's government had prevailed.
and to vschtyle: what the hell?
You guys got it all wrong. It doesn't talk about Chile. It's about Argentina and the Mothers of Plaza the Mayo, whose children were taken from them, tortured and killed. Babies were also taken from their families and given to those who suported the military regimen. These mothers still want justice for what was done to their families, to their children. Yet justice is still not being done, and it's now 30 years since the military took charge here in Argentina.This is what the song is about, there is no doubt about it. Plus, I went to the show U2 made here in Buenos Aires, Argentina in March and at the end, he thanked the Mothers of Plaza the Mayo he had invited for attending.
For more information about the song, go here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothers_of_the_Disappeared
I always wondered about the story behind this song...very sad set of events, but I have to hand it U2 for putting something like this together...even though it's sad...it symbolizes that those souls aren't forgotten.
I think that it is because of this song that Sting was able to write "They Dance Alone" and put it on Nothing Like the Sun. Same topic.
Muffinorwak, I think that probably vschtyle's interpretation is not as important as the political message but if you can read it both ways, then good. It's always important to acknowledge that people have different ways of reading things, some political, some personal. It's up to you to decide when to use the word 'wrong' about an interpretation but I hope you won't have to use it too often.
I never said the interpretation was wrong, I found it a very unusual way to look at this song. I think if you read the rest of my last post you can deduce I was extremely pissed off at that time. and anyway, what I meant was, that's a different way to look at it, I hadn't thought of that at all.