I want to run
I want to hide
I want to tear down the walls
That hold me inside
I want to reach out
And touch the flame
Where the streets have no name

I want to feel, sunlight on my face
See that dust cloud disappear without a trace
I want to take shelter from the poison rain

Where the streets have no name
Where the streets have no name
Where the streets have no name

We're still building
Then burning down love, burning down love
And when I go there
I go there with you
(It's all I can do)

The cities a flood
And our love turns to rust
We're beaten and blown by the wind
Trampled into dust

I'll show you a place
High on the desert plain

Where the streets have no name
Where the streets have no name
Where the streets have no name

Still building
Then burning down love
Burning down love

And when I go there
I go there with you
(It's all I can do)



Lyrics submitted by spitfirek7

Track duration: 04:46

"Where the Streets Have No Name" as written by Bob/gaudio Crewe

Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Where The Streets Have No Name song meanings
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  • 0
    General Comment:I think this song’s mainly about poverty. Bono is an activist who frequently donates to charity organizations, performs at charity events, and actively participates in charity services. His dream is to eradicate poverty, and so he’s spent a lot of time in Africa doing what he could, and I think this song has a lot to do with his visit. My guess is that “the streets with no name” are streets in Africa so obscure and impoverished that they don’t even have signs to mark their existence. He compares our way of life to theirs and believes we keep “building” and “burning down love” like we’re too concerned about infrastructure and ignorantly underemphasize the importance of love to the extent that we “burn it down” to make room for “more important” things. And when he says “I go there with you, it’s all I can do” probably means all he can do is empathize for the poor and help them as best he can; that his impact alone is very small (maybe alluding to Bono’s idea that if we united over a cause like poverty we could abolish it) Idk. I think Bono yearns for simplicity, which is something he’d found in Africa and something he’s more or less deemed absent in Ireland, America, and other countries. He wants to “take shelter from the poison rain where the streets have no name.” I think this lyric depicts Bono’s disapproval of the culture he’s been exposed the most to (possibly Ireland’s or America’s). I interpreted “the poison rain” as the chemicals in fossil fuels contaminating the air and clouds, which then contaminate rainfall. This is disconcerting for Bono because he deeply cares about the environment and his health.
    Flag zacqon June 13, 2013   Link
  • 0
    Memory:When I was a teenager we'd had a dog for close on 16 years, she was born just after me. In the space of 2 weeks she just deterioted to the point where she couldn't even stand up. My Mum didn't want to but she had to take the dog to the vets for the final time. My Mum told me she was going and I happened to be listening to the this song. Now it always makes me cry when II hear it and I always think about Elsa our dog. The song is so full of hope and makes me hope that Elsa our dog maybe found happiness again.
    Flag fuzzypiggyon April 11, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:During a concert, Bono said that the song is about judgement. He and his wife travel on a mission trip to Ethiopia every year. In this country, your class determines the street you live on. So just by knowing the name of your street, someone is already prejudging you. "Where the Streets Have No Name," is a place that Bono longs for where people are not prejudged in this manner.
    Flag xU2ROCKSxon January 05, 2013   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation:It could also be a place of refuge-whether real an actual physical place,or in the mind. A place for salvation from the problems in a relationship or with dealing with everyday life.
    Flag redshiftdazzleron August 16, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i find it interesting that in this song track one he's filled with energy with his running to where the streets have no name. then, in track two he's more somber and reflects that he still hasn't found what he's looking for.
    Flag theamazingfeldon March 28, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I know this song was written in 1987, but it has alot of similarities to 9/11. Just pointing it out.
    Flag TOOLrule3on February 16, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:like a painting, a song can be looked at different angles... you can see many different things in the lyrics depending how u look at it, u decide what u see, it´s your interpretation...
    Flag HankSayson April 19, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:'Where The Streets Have No Name' is supposed to represent heaven.


    End of Story.

    Flag dcmarlowon April 10, 2011   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation:Although all signs point to this being wrong, it's how I've always interpereted it.

    I've always pictured this song as being told by an old Japanese person who was in Hiroshima.

    I wanna run
    I want to hide
    I wanna tear down the walls
    That hold me inside

    Running, hiding inside, being trapped inside.

    I wanna reach out
    And touch the flame

    The flame - or the 'unforgettable fire', which can refer to the bomb.

    Where the streets have no name - there are no streets now, no roadsigns. They've been flattened etc.

    I see the dust cloud disappear without a trace - self explanatory - cloud

    I wanna take shelter from the poison rain - after the explosion there was radioactive rain

    And when I go there
    I go there with you
    It's all I can do

    - this bit always made me think it's a man, singing to the wife he lost in the explosion.

    The city's a flood - not necessarily water. Panic, activity.
    And our love turns to rust - again, i see the narrator's wife/spouse/loved one having just died. Their love has turned to rust.
    We're beaten and blown by the wind - the terrible wind from the blast
    Trampled in dust - dust everywhere, from buildings, dirt, even people

    Like I said, it's not what U2 intended, but I think it fits in a lot of ways. Even if it's not intended, it's amazing that one song can contain a million stories. It depends on the listener.
    Flag bennishon December 21, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Heh...I was always told that it was about the state I live in, Utah, but I haven't been able to verify this anywhere and I'm now guessing it's completely untrue. I suppose I was a fool to believe it, but it does make a lot of sense:
    - Streets here are numbered and have no names, for the most part.
    - "High on a desert plain" fits almost perfectly...

    Oh well.
    Flag Goos0on October 30, 2010   Link

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