Moment Of Surrender Lyrics

Lyric discussion by darkmage2002 

Cover art for Moment Of Surrender lyrics by U2

theu2edge definitely nailed this one. Although I do not think the song is about "moments" but rather THE MOMENT... the defining realization that we're all living our lives in a catatonic stupour of ridiculousness while the true meaning of our existence is right there in front of us waiting to be grasped. Let me expand upon this interpretation with some thoughts to consider on this absolutely awe-inspiring ballad.

"The stone was semi-precious We were barely conscious Two souls too smart to be in the realm of certainty Even on our wedding day"

An introduction, demonstrating how our carefree attitude can even be found in our so-called love relationships. The semi-precious stone may refer to the importance we put on the damn diamond ring, and the nonsense surrounding wedding... two souls too "smart" to stop and realize the true meaning of what is happening. To worried about the "busy"-ness of invitations, decorations, thank-you cards... the STRESS!

"I was speeding on the subway Through the stations of the cross"

The stations of the cross are all around us. For Christians, we've been educated our entire lives to understand that Christ is all around us, manifesting in so many forms. We just fail to see this, rushing around in our daily lives without taking the time for reminiscing about faith, eternity, and the power of our consciousness. We barrel forward through our lives, streaking by the signs all around us.

"Every eye looking every other way Counting down 'til the pain would stop"

Our common way of fighting the pain in our lives is simply to complain about all the shit piled upon us and wish it would all end... count down the days until things will be better. Maybe buy a lottery ticket and wish, instead of turning back to God and giving in to the true plan and mission of our lives.

"At the moment of surrender Of vision over visibility"

Probably THE MOST powerful line in the whole song. Visibility is simply the ability of our eyes to look around. But to truly have VISION... to truly see what is meant to be seen around us, to realize what life is truly TRULY about; that is the ultimate answer and the only way we will achieve it is to surrender to eternity and quit confounding our existence with the trivialities, addictions, and "horrors" of everyday life.

"I did not notice the passers-by And they did not notice me"

A clear indication of the personal nature of this realization; the fact that everyone must experience it in their own way. When the protagonist does, there is a clear separation between him/herself and everyone else around, who are still continuing on through the deadness of life.

My Interpretation

I'm not too agreeing. Great work on it though :) Like "The stone was semi-precious." I hadn't figured that one out yet...

I think you overstate the reference to the "cross" a bit too much. That's not where the focus lies, in my opinion. But ye know, you're a Christian so you'd be more keen on accentuating that.

Your comment on the complaint-bit isn't bad, but it seems to me it's more about the character's pain to stop. Might be wrong though. The idea of people simply counting down till the pain goes away is beautifully true...

You're so right! Thankyou!

Thank you for that excellent insight. Like many of the other songs I could tell what it was about but didn't have enough knowledge of the bible to fully understand each line. It is even more beautiful with more understanding.