The First Time Lyrics
This song to me is related to the holy trinity, a very beautiful song. Lover=Holy Spirit, Brother=Jesus, Father=Holy Father. It's just a beautiful way of reflecting on the trinity, with the different gifts of the different members of it, and the final reminder of what the Father is trying to give and how apt we are to refuse it.
I am pretty sure that I have read that Bono, while being an extremely spiritual person, is not a big believer in organized religion. I felt like last stanza was more about the trappings of the Roman Catholic church. Priests wear rich man's cloaks, gave me a cup of gold referring to communion, many mansions are all the gold filled cathedrals scattered throughout the world, keys to kingdom coming are the strict teachings of the church and the dangled carrot of salvation, and so he chooses to walk away from the control the church has on his life, and chooses to keep his spirituality, the Holy Spirit, expressed in the first two stanzas, but on his own terms. This song is a song of rebellion against the church, and the first time, is the first time he gets to feel true liberated love (in the christian sense) without someone telling him how it's supposed to be.
Good call Leonni, that's exactly what I thought. That's a direct quote from the bible - "In my house there are many mansions". I love the imagery of someone running away from everything and Christ running right behind them.
Yes, Leonni is right.
But there´s one point you haven´t touched. When he says "I left by the back door and I threw away the keys" means that God has opened Heaven to him... but he has refused it... he still can´t accept... he still haven´t saved his soul.. he still haven´t found what he´s looking for...
@FelipeVox I think throwing away the keys is a reference to the typical, human feeling that we can never be worthy of what God offers us, and have a hard time forgiving ourselves for our sins.
@FelipeVox I think throwing away the keys is a reference to the typical, human feeling that we can never be worthy of what God offers us, and have a hard time forgiving ourselves for our sins.
To me this song is about a family where the parents (father) cares more about money then providing love for his family. So the child looks for love in other places the brother...the lover...and finally feels love. And when the father offers the child, his life, he decides he rather have a life with love than money.
I don't think that it is debatable whether this song is about God. In the CD booklet, 'His' is capatalized and 'kingdom coming' can't be used in any other context.
But what does the title and repeating line mean? Why does he feel love for the first time after he threw away the key?
maybe it means that he doesnt need as though he needs to "stay in the house" - for the first time he feels supported/loved (whatever way you want to say it) cos he knows now that jesus/god is there for him no matter what. so he doesnt need to hide away locked in a house, he can face whatever it is he has to face (a common sign in people who have a strong faith)....did that make any sense?
He feels loved by the darkness.
One of the things that i get out of this song is how you can be loved even when you think you dont deserve it. I think Sempre, that he doesnt "feel loved by the darkness," but that he feels love even when he is the darkness.
This song reminds me of 'The Teacher of Wisdom', a beautiful prose poem by Oscar Wilde. I don't think they were inspired by it when they wrote the song, but it's another way of putting it. Really, it makes sense...if you think deeply about it.