This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Inside the doors are sealed to love
Inside my heart is sleeping
Inside the fingers of my glove
Inside the bones of my right hand
Inside it's colder than the stars
Inside the dogs are weeping
Inside the circus of the wind
Inside the clocks are filled with sand
Inside she'll never hurt me
Inside the winter's creeping
Inside the compass of the night
Inside the folding of the land
Outside the stars are turning
Outside the world's still burning
Inside my head's a box of stars I never dared to open
Inside the wounded hide their scars, inside this lonesome sparrow's fall
Inside the songs of our defeat, they sing of treaties broken
Inside this army's in retreat, we hide beneath the thunder's call
Outside the rain keeps falling
Outside the drums are calling
Outside the flood won't wait
Outside they're hammering down the gate
Love is the child of an endless war
Love is an open wound still raw
Love is a shameless banner unfurled
Love's an explosion,
Love is the fire of the world
Love is a violent star
A tide of destruction
Love is an angry scar
A violation, a mutilation, capitulation, love is annihilation.
Inside the failures of the light, the night is wrapped around me
Inside my eyes deny their sight, you'd never find me in this place
Inside we're hidden from the moonlight, we shift between the shadows
Inside the compass of the night, inside the memory of your face
Outside the walls are shaking
Inside the dogs are waking
Outside the hurricane won't wait
Inside they're howling down the gate
Love is the child of an endless war
Love is an open wound still raw
Love is a shameless banner unfurled
Love's an explosion,
Love is the fire at the end of the world
Love is a violent star
A tide of destruction
Love is an angry scar
The pain of instruction
Love is a violation, a mutilation, capitulation,
Love is annihilation.
I climb this tower inside my head
A spiral stair above my bed
I dream the stairs don't ask me why,
I throw myself into the sky
Love me like a baby, love me like an only child
Love me like an ocean; love me like a mother mild
Love me like a father, love me like a prodigal son
Love me like a sister, love me like the world has just begun
Love me like a prodigy, love me like an idiot boy,
Love me like an innocent, love me like your favorite toy
Love me like a virgin, love me like a courtesan,
Love me like a sinner, love me like a dying man.
Annihilate me, infiltrate me,
Incinerate me, accelerate me,
Mutilate me, inundate me,
Violate me, implicate me,
Vindicate me, devastate me
Love me like a parasite, love me like a dying sun
Love me like a criminal, love me like a man on the run
Radiate me, subjugate me,
Incubate me, recreate me,
Demarcate me, educate me,
Punctuate me, evaluate me,
Conjugate me, impregnate me,
Designate me, humiliate me,
Segregate me, opiate me,
Calibrate me, replicate me
Inside my heart is sleeping
Inside the fingers of my glove
Inside the bones of my right hand
Inside it's colder than the stars
Inside the dogs are weeping
Inside the circus of the wind
Inside the clocks are filled with sand
Inside she'll never hurt me
Inside the winter's creeping
Inside the compass of the night
Inside the folding of the land
Outside the stars are turning
Outside the world's still burning
Inside my head's a box of stars I never dared to open
Inside the wounded hide their scars, inside this lonesome sparrow's fall
Inside the songs of our defeat, they sing of treaties broken
Inside this army's in retreat, we hide beneath the thunder's call
Outside the rain keeps falling
Outside the drums are calling
Outside the flood won't wait
Outside they're hammering down the gate
Love is the child of an endless war
Love is an open wound still raw
Love is a shameless banner unfurled
Love's an explosion,
Love is the fire of the world
Love is a violent star
A tide of destruction
Love is an angry scar
A violation, a mutilation, capitulation, love is annihilation.
Inside the failures of the light, the night is wrapped around me
Inside my eyes deny their sight, you'd never find me in this place
Inside we're hidden from the moonlight, we shift between the shadows
Inside the compass of the night, inside the memory of your face
Outside the walls are shaking
Inside the dogs are waking
Outside the hurricane won't wait
Inside they're howling down the gate
Love is the child of an endless war
Love is an open wound still raw
Love is a shameless banner unfurled
Love's an explosion,
Love is the fire at the end of the world
Love is a violent star
A tide of destruction
Love is an angry scar
The pain of instruction
Love is a violation, a mutilation, capitulation,
Love is annihilation.
I climb this tower inside my head
A spiral stair above my bed
I dream the stairs don't ask me why,
I throw myself into the sky
Love me like a baby, love me like an only child
Love me like an ocean; love me like a mother mild
Love me like a father, love me like a prodigal son
Love me like a sister, love me like the world has just begun
Love me like a prodigy, love me like an idiot boy,
Love me like an innocent, love me like your favorite toy
Love me like a virgin, love me like a courtesan,
Love me like a sinner, love me like a dying man.
Annihilate me, infiltrate me,
Incinerate me, accelerate me,
Mutilate me, inundate me,
Violate me, implicate me,
Vindicate me, devastate me
Love me like a parasite, love me like a dying sun
Love me like a criminal, love me like a man on the run
Radiate me, subjugate me,
Incubate me, recreate me,
Demarcate me, educate me,
Punctuate me, evaluate me,
Conjugate me, impregnate me,
Designate me, humiliate me,
Segregate me, opiate me,
Calibrate me, replicate me
Lyrics submitted by U2takemehigher
Inside Lyrics as written by Gordon Sumner
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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You know I’ve been curious for years to see what all this—this that no one will know what I am referring to and who cares?—it’s not really important—looks like and he went way way way way over my head and now I have to think! A simpler explanation would have sufficed… Yes, but I don’t want your brain to get sluggish. As if it was in danger … Okay. Inside. No one can get in, his heart is sleeping, he feels it and it’s colder than the stars because he’s not inside. There’s been tears—I love “circus of the wind”—time stands still? If I make this long enough, no one will read it—which is my aim, I imagine. She’ll never hurt me? Don’t know—I’m not perfect. Yes, we do winter and yes, we have the night compass. Folding of the land? Not sure what it means. Outside the stars are still turning and the world’s still burning although in the story, inside has its fires as well.
So instead of opening the box of stars, he left it inside—too scary. We don’t hide our scars all that good around here. We do sing songs of defeat and we won’t even go into broken treaties—I could lose my temper. I guess we’re in retreat when we aren’t advancing and yes, we always hide. Someone might try to have us for breakfast… The rain, the drums, the flood that won’t wait—those hammering the gates? Well you blow a big horn and someone’s gonna want to hear the concert but we have dragged our butts so very long I can only conclude this is some brilliant strategy that hasn’t panned out as of yet.
And now—love could be personified in answer to an endless war and this might look like an open and raw wound—great special effects! And yes, perhaps a shameless banner unfurled—I could see someone shrieking—have you no shame?! Guess not. I’ve been metaphorically an explosion, fire? Sure… a violent star, okay but tide of destruction? Depends? If I was destroying walls that stand in the way of insight, maybe. But now love being a violation, mutilation, capitulation, and annihilation—well, I don’t know! Sounds like we need a rapid re-write here. Oh my!
But we couldn’t come in doing Care Bears Eat Cotton Candy at the Carnival now, could we? How do I know? Do I look smart? Well, yes. Easy for you to say.
Well I don’t think he figured it out either. He climbed the tower and dreamed the stairs don’t ask him why. Bet he can’t wait for exams week … Bet. But the love sounds good enough to want, though, doesn’t it? I suppose. You suppose? I’ve learned to be half as cagey as you, professor. But let’s hope no one takes him at his word because certainly it would be awful to see love annihilating, incinerating and all that other stuff—it doesn’t sound pretty! Personally I think he’s trying what never ever works for me—and that is Being dramatic to push a point? True. It never ever works for you but maybe he’s the teacher’s pet. I would hope not. I have a hard enough time without some teacher’s pet trying to beat my time. I’ll quit.
You’ve quit so many times I’ve lost track. Yet another ploy that never seems to work here…