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When you look at the world
What is it that you see
People find all kinds of things
That bring them to their knees
I see an expression
So clear and so true
That it changes the atmosphere
When you walk (in)to the room
So I try to be like you
Try to feel it like you do
But without you it's no use
I can't see what you see
When I look at the world
When the night is someone else's
And you're trying to get some sleep
When your thoughts are too expensive
To ever want to keep
When there's all kinds of chaos
And everyone is walking lame
You don't even blink now do you
Or even look away
So I try to be like you
Try to feel it like you do
But without you it's no use
I can't see what you see
When I look at the world
I can't wait any longer
I can't wait 'til I'm stronger
Can't wait any longer
To see what you see
When I look at the world
I'm in the waiting room
I can't see for the smoke
I think of you and your holy book
When the rest of us choke
Tell me, tell me
What do you see
Tell me, tell me
What's wrong with me
What is it that you see
People find all kinds of things
That bring them to their knees
I see an expression
So clear and so true
That it changes the atmosphere
When you walk (in)to the room
So I try to be like you
Try to feel it like you do
But without you it's no use
I can't see what you see
When I look at the world
When the night is someone else's
And you're trying to get some sleep
When your thoughts are too expensive
To ever want to keep
When there's all kinds of chaos
And everyone is walking lame
You don't even blink now do you
Or even look away
So I try to be like you
Try to feel it like you do
But without you it's no use
I can't see what you see
When I look at the world
I can't wait any longer
I can't wait 'til I'm stronger
Can't wait any longer
To see what you see
When I look at the world
I'm in the waiting room
I can't see for the smoke
I think of you and your holy book
When the rest of us choke
Tell me, tell me
What do you see
Tell me, tell me
What's wrong with me
Lyrics submitted by archmastermind
Track duration: 04:17
"When I Look at the World" as written by Larry Mullen Paul Hewson
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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What convinced me was this part
"I'm in the waiting room
I can't see for the smoke
I think of you and your holy book
When the rest of us choke "
It sounds for me like Bono was waiting to meet the pope at some point, and maybe JPII was performing a mass or something. The 'smoke' JackRuby is talking about is quite intense and it can acctually make you cough - maybe it seems to literal but its quite accurate for me.
The rest also adds up.
Bono envies pope's positive attitude to the world despite the awfulness. He never looks away when somethings bad is happening, and Bono is not always as strong to do the same. At least in his opinion:)
The person the singer is trying to be lie is someone who's seen the whole world and is hardened to it, no longer pained by the awful sights of the suffering going on around him or her. The singer tries to shut it out like this person, but can't help noticing and wanting to do something about it. Very sad, IMO. The music cnveys a sense of helplessness, especially in these lines-
"I can't wait any longer. I can't ait till I'm strnger."
Then there are these lines. I'm sure most people have felt like this at least once in their lives-
"When the night is someone ese's, and you're trying to get some sleep... when your thoughts are too expensive to ever want to keep..."
eminds me of waking up in a hot summer night, bursting full of ideas but unable to get out of bed to write them down. Or the genera feeling of trying to shut your brain off before going to sleep- all those thoughts tumbling through.
i think its about Ali, or someone Bono looks up to
"So, I try to be like you
Try to feel it like you do
But without you, it's no use
I can't see what you see
When I look at the world"
like a hero, you want to be like them but it doesnt work like that.
this song reminds me of the best guy in my life and how much i want to be a great person like him
The song IS about God; Bono even alluded to this by hanging a crucifix from his mike before he sang this song at a concert I attended.
Bono is simply making a statement -- a rhetorical question, if you will -- when he mentions "You don't even blink, now do you?" It is a statement of reassurance of that fact, to himself and to the listeners of this song. It is a statement made in awe -- not a question he expects God to answer.
And as to the other verse that starts, "When the night is someone else's, and you're trying to get some sleep/When your thoughts are too expensive to ever want to keep", the "YOU" in these lines is a general, non-specific "you," meaning anyone. Then in the subsequent lines, the "you" shifts to mean God. So what Bono is saying is that when your thoughts weigh heavy on your mind and you can't sleep because you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, and all of these troubling thoughts and problems are taking their toll in negative ways (COSTING you -- "too expensive to keep"), then comfort yourself to know that God is there watching, and he never blinks or looks away.
peace!
respect to you my friend
Peace
BTW, I liked this song. FOR it's apparent pessimism, the effect of the song is a calming one.
Peace
If this is a song about God, then why does Bono say, "You don't even blink now do you?/ Or even look away"? We all know that God is always with us and that He's always watching what we do. Bono wouldn't ask God such senseless questions.
Moreover, if this is a song about God, then why does Bono say, "When the night is someone else's/ And your trying to get some sleep . . ."? We all know that God doesn't crawl into bed and sleep at night. Again, Bono would not make such senseless statements.
It's obvious that Bono's not singing to God, but to a human being--namely the Pope. Of course, you can interpret the song however you want. Stockham probably didn't like the Pope interpretation because he's not Catholic. However, Bono most likely did have the Pope in mind while writting the song, dispite how the individual might interpret it.
Anyway. . .
I have hear Bono imply that he wrote this song after meeting with the pope, and that the song is actually about the pope. The lyrics make much more sense when you interpret them this way.
Consider the last verse, for example: "I'm in the waiting room/ Can't see for the smoke. . . " I think it's obvious that Bono's making a reference to purgatory. He's saying that although his faith in Christ has earned him salvation, he must first purge himself of his sins in order to become Christ-like and ready for heaven.
Bono's basically asking the pope for help, and he's expressing his gratitude.
But I always thought (I have done no research) that this was Bono's view of Priests.
With all the evil in the world, they always seem to stay positive and motivated to keep teaching their flock, while the rest of us who care can easily be disheartened by all the evil we see (poverty, AIDS, terrorism, tsunamis, etc.).
I came up with that idea purely from the second-to-last stanza when he mentions the "holy book, when the rest of us choke."
Very interested in others views of my conjecture?