So I downloaded U2's latest album: No Line on the Horizon and found my new favourite song: 'Moment of Surrender.' Actually, the whole album is pretty phenomenal. It's got a really original experimental sound (if you want a sample, go to youtube.com and watch the video: 'Get Your Boots On;' it's really cute and funny and cool.) Anyways, I put the lyrics to the song with a few of my comments below:
The first part of the song is kind of weird and it was difficult for me to get into because I just don't get it, but I think it's talking about a focus on material things and the obvious stuff, like surviving and making it from one day to the next, paying the bills, and working at the job. When that's the focus, it's kind of like drifting through life, relationships happen accidentally and we don't pursue them or take the time to enjoy them. At least, that's kind of the feeling I got from it; I have to admit, it's kind of cryptic and symbolic.
'The Moment of Surrender' described in the chorus is, to me, the realization that, you know, "Wow, I've been missing all this awesome stuff that's been going on!" Stuff like a relationship with the spouse, with God, and a real appreciation for those things that bring value to life. Or simply a sudden realization of self. It's like that transcendental moment when everything else disappears and it's just a unique singleness or union.
The next part is kind of weird. It's like Ricky Martin meets ... I don't know. Anyways, to me it says, you can sacrifice yourself to just about everything this world's got. The world will suck everything out of you if you let it. And that's kind of what that's about, where the 'Moment of Surrender' is the realization that everything they try to tell us is important is empty and meaningless and that we've been cheated and emptied and we start looking to get filled. At this point we're beggars in need of Grace.
The ATM machine, that's kind of like money, right? It's one of those altars that you can sacrifice yourself at. Here the character is kind of, maybe worshiping at this altar, when he looks through it and in the screen of the ATM machine he sees himself. Here the 'Moment of Surrender' is that sudden realization of self. Like, "Hey... what do I amount to?" This is where I got into the song, I like the concrete image of the ATM machine and the imagery it brings to the lyrics.
I often catch myself playing at religion, you know. Like, nobody rides the subway for the enjoyment of riding the subway, we're on our way somewhere. So the mind is hardly ever on the experience of the subway ride, we're thinking about what we're going to do when we get where we're going--or something like that. Well, riding the subway through the stations of the cross is like playing at religion. We're not there for the experience, we're thinking about something else and just going through the motions and counting down until it's over and we can get back to whatever we were doing before. Here the 'Moment of Surrender' is when I catch myself and say, "Hey, whoa. Focus. This is important--it's not just a subway ride."
Anyways, I like this song.
I tied myself with wireTo me, this song is kind of about the sudden realization of just how important something is; how important love or faith is, or how significant a loved one is.
To let the horses roam free
Playing with the fire
Until the fire played with me
The stone was semi-precious
We were barely conscious
Two souls too smart to be
In the realm of certainty
Even on our wedding day
We set ourselves on fire
Oh God, do not deny her
It’s not if I believe in love
If love believes in me
Oh, believe in me
At the moment of surrender
I folded to my knees
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me
I’ve been in every black hole
At the altar of the dark star
My body’s now a begging bowl
That’s begging to get back, begging to get back
To my heart
To the rhythm of my soul
To the rhythm of my unconsciousness
To the rhythm that yearns
To be released from control
I was punching in the numbers at the ATM machine
I could see in the reflection
A face staring back at me
At the moment of surrender
Of vision over visibility
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me
I was speeding on the subway
Through the stations of the cross
Every eye looking every other way
Counting down ’til the train would stop
At the moment of surrender
Of vision of over visibility
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me
The first part of the song is kind of weird and it was difficult for me to get into because I just don't get it, but I think it's talking about a focus on material things and the obvious stuff, like surviving and making it from one day to the next, paying the bills, and working at the job. When that's the focus, it's kind of like drifting through life, relationships happen accidentally and we don't pursue them or take the time to enjoy them. At least, that's kind of the feeling I got from it; I have to admit, it's kind of cryptic and symbolic.
'The Moment of Surrender' described in the chorus is, to me, the realization that, you know, "Wow, I've been missing all this awesome stuff that's been going on!" Stuff like a relationship with the spouse, with God, and a real appreciation for those things that bring value to life. Or simply a sudden realization of self. It's like that transcendental moment when everything else disappears and it's just a unique singleness or union.
The next part is kind of weird. It's like Ricky Martin meets ... I don't know. Anyways, to me it says, you can sacrifice yourself to just about everything this world's got. The world will suck everything out of you if you let it. And that's kind of what that's about, where the 'Moment of Surrender' is the realization that everything they try to tell us is important is empty and meaningless and that we've been cheated and emptied and we start looking to get filled. At this point we're beggars in need of Grace.
The ATM machine, that's kind of like money, right? It's one of those altars that you can sacrifice yourself at. Here the character is kind of, maybe worshiping at this altar, when he looks through it and in the screen of the ATM machine he sees himself. Here the 'Moment of Surrender' is that sudden realization of self. Like, "Hey... what do I amount to?" This is where I got into the song, I like the concrete image of the ATM machine and the imagery it brings to the lyrics.
I often catch myself playing at religion, you know. Like, nobody rides the subway for the enjoyment of riding the subway, we're on our way somewhere. So the mind is hardly ever on the experience of the subway ride, we're thinking about what we're going to do when we get where we're going--or something like that. Well, riding the subway through the stations of the cross is like playing at religion. We're not there for the experience, we're thinking about something else and just going through the motions and counting down until it's over and we can get back to whatever we were doing before. Here the 'Moment of Surrender' is when I catch myself and say, "Hey, whoa. Focus. This is important--it's not just a subway ride."
Anyways, I like this song.
i love the last bit you wrote - about riding the subway. i think for me the biggest gestalt moment in this song came when i heard the lines "i did not notice the passersby / and they did not notice me."
ReplyDeleteone of the biggest hindrances in any area of my life is worrying about what people think. the best moments in my life happened when i stopped looking at myself, stopped thinking about other people looking at me ... and started looking at what God was showing me.
"at the altar of the dark star..." gives me the creeps.
ReplyDeleteI didn't really like the song - but maybe that's just because I was only reading the words and have never heard it sung.
ReplyDeleteBut I do love your bit about the subway ride. I think "religion" today lends itself to this "subway ride" very well. I think this North American culture makes us see only all things plastic and fake - unable to sink our teeth into the realities that are right in front of us! xo
one must need to consider what it's like to be on the subway... the conductor needs to know the intricate details of the function of the train in order to assure that you have a safe journey. the conductor is not concerned so much about what you do in the train as how he is going to get you to your destination safe and sound. but, as a traveller you sit there on your seat and you read the advertisement pasted on the walls. you choose to let yourself be influenced by the subliminal messages therein, either in a negative or a positive way. but the conductor only allows advertisement to make his business lucrative, he has no other motive. so, we as fellow sojourners have the choice to read all the advertisement pasted on the walls, the good, the bad, the ugly or we can just glance at them and quickly decipher what is bad and avert our eyes from such offensive material. we don't need to go further because at the end of our journey it is the conductor we need to thank for the ride and not so much what we saw along the way...
ReplyDelete