Yeah, lover I'm off the streets
Gonna go where the bright lights
And the big city meet
With a red guitar, on fire
Desire

She's the candle
Burning in my room
I'm like the needle
Needle and spoon
Over the counter
With a shotgun
Pretty soon, everybody got one
And the fever when I'm beside her
Desire, Desire

(Burning, Burning)

She's the dollars
She's my protection
She's the promise
In the year of election
Sister, I can't let you go
I'm like a preacher
Stealing hearts at a traveling show
For the love or money, money...?
Desire...



Lyrics submitted by archmastermind

Track duration: 02:59

"Desire" as written by David Edge, Paul Michael Nineham

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Desire song meanings
Add your thoughts

30 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    Lyric Correction:Unless there's a version that I haven't heard yet, I'm pretty sure some of these lyrics are wrong.

    For one, I believe the first line is "Lovers, out on the street". But that's minor.

    The last part, I believe, goes:

    She's a goddess,
    She's my possession.
    Yeah she's the promise
    In your collection.
    ....
    For love of money money money (etc)
    Yeah the Fever getting higher
    Desire.
    Flag TabbyFL55on May 24, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Very straightforward song, three verses describing three different people's experience of Desire -

    1st Verse is about a musician who's gonna try and hit the big time - 'Love I'm off the streets...red guitar on fire etc...

    2nd Verse is about a junkie, 'candle, needle spoon', and his Desire driving him to rob places 'over the counter with a shotgun'

    3rd Verse is about an electoral candidate 'she's my dollars, my protection ($ are his protection)' and then he likens his electoral campaign to that of a preach stealing hears for 'love or money'.

    In the 2nd and 3rd Verse, Desire is described as a female thing 'when I'm beside her' and 'she's my dollars', probably sounds better than saying 'when I'm beside it'

    The chorus and bridge link the verses together - 'And the fever getting higher'

    There we are, pretty straightforward stuff, three different verses, three perspectives.
    Flag pickanmeon June 17, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:this is my interpretation of the 2nd verse and what it means to me...
    ive always thought this what about the DESIRE to shoot up heroin, atleast in a addicts state of mind. why you ask?

    "She's a candle burning in my room
    Yeah, I'm like the needle, needle and spoon
    Over the counter with a shotgun
    Pretty soon, everybody got one
    And the fever, when I'm beside her"

    ingredients to heroin: candle (flame), needle, spoon, shotgun (something to shoot into your blood).
    the line "everybody got one" is like saying everyone is happy now that their high. whoever this song is for or about they've got the fever for someone and are going after them, hence DESIRE!!!
    Flagged mysteriosoon May 05, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The Mirror Ball Man from ZOOTV was born out of desire.
    A song about blind ambition and as all we know greed is good! Right?

    Flag HankSayson September 24, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I love when I'm out in public (grocery shopping, in a friends' car, etc.) and Edge's guitar rips the beginning chords. It feels like an old friend saying hello.

    I agree wholeheartedly with Keyser Sushi's post. Also, I think it goes in tandem with Hawkmoon 269.
    Flag U2mommaon July 19, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Fame, money, ambition... it has to be about someone who enjoys those things to the point where it is destroying them. Almost makes you think of Michael Jackson and how he became increasingly erratic when his albums were no longer breaking records.

    Some are so hooked on fame that they would go insane without it.
    Flag $p$on May 10, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Bono-"this is a song about blind ambition"
    whoever said that might on to something; after all....

    "Gonna go where the bright lights and the big city meet"
    "She's a candle burning in my room
    Yeah, I'm like the needle, needle and spoon"
    i find the fact that he said needle, spoon and candle terrifying since it refer to drugs, she is what help me get high, she is power, success. but i'm only a drug/power addict i'm just used to administer a dosage of another dream of power/success-or maybe just the awful truth that ambition without success leads in the end to drugs !

    "Over the counter with a shotgun. Pretty soon, everybody got one"
    dreams of success and wealth maybe faced with a discouraging reality that leads you to stealing...but it doesn't exactly end well ...
    Flag kamaryaon April 08, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:this song absolutely rocks - this is bono and the boys on true top form - class lyrics and altogether one of the best U2 songs
    Flag cartlidgeon October 14, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is about ambition
    Flag Jacob1on October 04, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"And the fever, when I'm beside her"

    I believe in some live performances Bono has changed "beside" to "inside". Not sure if he was told by the record company he couldn't have such a direct sexual reference on the album or what...
    Flag kierraon November 19, 2006   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