Please

okay, I'm not going to lie, I'm just making it look like there's more posts on this song so I can hear other peoples opinions :>(

i think you pretty right there blackwell, i don't really buy into too literal interpretations (looking at you ProudesterMonkey), but yeah this has to be about the 'troubles'. one thing i wanted to comment on is the "September... streets capsizing..." bit. I hadn't listened to this album for a while but this part had such a scary relation to 9/11 i was shocked. This is probly a good example for any of you U2 fans who think Bono is the messiah. Noel Gallagher once said of Bone "he's close to God that fucker" so you never know..

I'm going to start this post with the same way everyone starts every first post: "HOLY SHIT! I CAAAAANNNNN'TTTT believe NOone has POSTED about this SONG yet!" Phew, with that done, this is probably my fav. song on "Pop". Last summer, I just put it on repeat, such a great song to fall asleep to on those hott summer nights.

That said, I've never really pondered all that hard about what it means. I guess to me, this is a song about an over-confident Catholic wench who thinks she is a better person than everyone just because she was blessed to be born into a Christian family, and so she talks down to people. Also, it's a song about how you (especially Catholic wench) never know what you have until it's gone.
I think this girl may have abused and used (bono?) but at the same time, neither of them really know what love is yet.
Still one of my favorite songs by U2 ever, even tho I listen to it so much that I should be sick of it by now.

Hey there PMonkey - good to see a comment on this song - it's also one of my favorites from Pop (right after Velvet Dress - my wife likes to get it on to that song.) Anyway, I like your interpretation of Please - some of the early lyrics are pretty cryptic, but I think the song is referencing the "Troubles" in Northern Ireland. They wrote the song around the time the cease-fire was falling apart - your catholic blues your convent shoes your stick-on tattoos now they're making the news your holy war (the IRA's war against the Brits) your northern star (Northern Ireland) your sermon on the mount from the boot of your car (this is a reference to car bombs - "boot" meaning "trunk" in the UK -- the "sermon" being the act of setting off the bomb itself.)

September... streets capsizing... spilling over, down the drain ... shards of glass splinters like rain but you could only feel your own pain... october... talking getting nowhere... november... decemeber... remember... are we just starting again... ?

Reference to the collapse of the cease fire in Sept., "glass splinters like rain" - the glass shards from the explosions; "october, talk getting nowhere" - reference to the fact that attempts to start up cease-fire talks weren't getting anywhere; "are we just starting again" - once the IRA started up their bombing campaign again, everything went back to square one.

in any case, there's a lot of pain in this song, and you can hear it in Bono's voice. The Troubles obviously weigh heavy on his mind.

I always think this song has something to do with the devil. Maybe its Bono's voice and how it sounds. I mean it sounds like the devil telling someone all the things they did wrong in their life. Not that the devil would ever use the word "please" but I think he's saying to someone that all the good things in life that person wanted werent so worth it after all. The phrase "get up off your knees" refers to the devil saying to the person "look, its not worth it. stop praying, it wont do any good. get up off your knees"

Just my personal (and probably weird) interpretation

What really confused me was the video. In the video everything is fine as long as everyone stays on their knees. Once they get up off their knees everything is falling apart. In the song he sings please get up off you knees - which could easily be intepreted as think for yourself and don't just rely on the tradition/religion. It's just that it doesnt match with the video.

Can anyone explain?

"I think its about the riots in Russia in 1905".....sorry i couldnt resist yep its about the troubles, it makes a lot more sense if you're actually from here(belfast), basically they're trying to say that every side over here is self righteous and uses their religion as an excuse to fight, that we're all brought up thinking its us against them and hey if you every visit northern ireland on holiday you may notice a few wee riots during the summer then the aftermath september october etc etc and then back to the start again, making the "call" "flying colours".. i dont think i need to explain -anyway really good song..

I love this song, and frankly, I think the critics were crazy to bash this album! And why do they accuse this album of being to experimental, and then worship the ground Zooropa stands on? Critics ruined U2! AAAA!

I think you have it backwards, 2861U2...

The song is easily about the violence between the IRA and Britain. The "Devil" in this case, is the deeds being perpetuated on both sides, by people who act in the name of God (they're on their knees). "Get up off your knees" is a plea for people to reach out beyond their religion, to recognize the human bonds that exist beyond religion.

This line sums it up perfectly:

"love is hard and love is tough but love is not what you're thinking of"

All those who fight this struggle believe they are doing it for God, making a tough battle that is needs to be fought. But regardless of what they think, this is not a fight for the Love of God.

Good interpretation blackwell, knowing the historical background in Ireland might have helped. Thanks for calling me out, dando.

I don't really see how the last verse fits in well, though. If he is still speaking to the culprits of this holy war, why does he refer to them as "my love"?