Tomorrow Lyrics

Lyric discussion by eirenightshade 

Cover art for Tomorrow lyrics by U2

This is a song about the loss of Bono's mother and her funeral; obviously a very difficult time in his life. To achtungbaby02, I think that the part where the song speeds up fits beautifully. Try to imagine it. You're 14 years old and you just lost your mother. You're hurt, you're tender, but even more than that, you're angry. I think the speeding up and the heavier vocal tone only adds more emphasis to the song's meaning. He is angry. Most of us feel that songs about sadness and loss should be slow and full of soul, but most of the time when we lose someone we love, we feel angry. We want to scream and shout and it's not always tender and beautiful. That part of "Tomorrow" only symbolizes another part of the grief process. He's mad and he doesn't understand why a God he believes so wholeheartedly in has taken his mother. That anger and that fast-paced part of the song is the the song's soul. It is the saddest, loneliest, and most heartbreaking part of "Tomorrow". You definately should not skip it because to listen to only the first half is to turn a blind eye to the kind of raw emotional power he exhibits. When a young man is in great pain and grief, how can anyone say that any part of what he feels (and in Bono's case; writes and sings) is a missed opportunity? The (loud) part of the song is Bono voicing anger and frustration. Don't overlook it as him wanting to add a rock and roll twist to a power ballad. That is not what it is.

A truly heartbreaking song. It's one of my favorites, but it is very hard to listen to it for all the raw emotion in it. It's a lot to take in all at once, but the honest soul-searching backbone of U2 lies in songs like "Tomorrow" where you feel that they are speaking to you through their music. beautiful and sad, this song is the essence of U2.

I love your insightful interpretation of this song. It is without question about his mother's death. He has written several over the years about the loss of his mother, and I believe this was instrumental in the development of his sense of self and what he believed became his purpose/calling in life. Interestingly I just learned that Larry lost his mother to a tragic car accident a few years after Bono lost his mother. I wonder what effect or bonding this had on the relationship between these 2 guys at such a pivotal point in their careers and personal lives.

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