I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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 into 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 into 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 yuri_sucupira
When I Look at the World Lyrics as written by Dave Evans Adam Clayton
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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As opposed to many people here, I view the narrator of the song being the pessimist with a jaded view of the world, and more importantly, wishing they could be the optimist like the person the narrator is talking to: "When you look at the world / What is it that you see? / People find all kinds of things / That bring them to their knees."
The narrator wants to be like the person they're talking to. To be able to change the atmosphere in a room just by walking into it: "I see an expression / So clear and so true / That changes the atmosphere / When you walk into the room", and to be able to look at people who are facing terrible conditions or events and find a way to find a positive in those conditions or events so they can handle such conditions without shame or heartbreak: "When there's all kinds of chaos / And everyone is walking lame / You don't even blink now do you? / Don't even look away."
The chorus, however, seems to indicate more romantic indications with the use of "without you it's no use", almost as if the narrator can be the optimist like the person they're talking to, but only when that person is around: "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 agree with the obvious religious overtones with the last verse, especially the Pope John Paul II ideas, since that so strongly fits Bono's persona and writing style. That said, I don't think that "I think of you and your holy book" must refer to the Bible or any religious book in general. I rather look at it as referring to a mindset, or a coping mechanism, one might fall back on when things get rough, to be able to see the worst of the world, whether that be nature, humans or whatever else and still find the best of the world around you.
I find that view really makes the lament at the end of "Tell me, tell me / What do you see? / Tell me, tell me / What's wrong with me?" extremely sad. The narrator wants so badly to understand how this person can be so positive and have such a great effect on everyone they're around, they think there's something wrong with them because they just can't. They can't shake their pessimistic thoughts that "are too expensive to keep", and it's becoming too much to bear.
@Leafsdude Beautiful thought! Hope you kept a positive view in this troubled period!