This is my all-time favorite U2 song. I knew it was inspired by the bombing of Hiroshima. For years I've wondered what the lyrics meant in that context. It's only recently I've come up with an idea, but it's vastly different from the other interpretations posted here.
I think this song is about the judgment of God.
The Unforgettable Fire was the name given the atomic blast at Hiroshima. Fire from heaven.
The lines "Walk on by, walk on through, walk 'til you run and don't look back for here I am" sound like God's command to Lot when he told Lot to leave the city and not look back.
This song is a conversation between God and the believer about God's judgment of the world. God declares the world wicked: "Ice. Your only rivers run cold. These city lights, they shine in silver and gold dug from the night. Your eyes as black as coal". And later, "Carnival, the wheels fly and the colors spin through alcohol, red wine that punctures the skin". He tells the believer (as he told Lot) "walk on by, walk on through, walk 'til you run and don't look back".
The believer asks (just as Abraham begged God, for the sake of his nephew Lot) that he spare the city the fire judgment, to "stay" his hand of judgment. But the believer also begs God to "Come on take me away, Come on take me home, home again" because of his weariness of trying to live for God in an ungodly word. And just as Abraham begged God to save the city, the believer in this song asks God, "If you save your love (meaning: the believer), then save it all (all of it)."
God's response is "Don't push me too far."
I think there is a lot of passion in the lyrics of this song, and it is the passion and hurt of a scorned lover. But it's not the passion between humans. It's the passion of God for his creation, and the hurt of God having been scorned by his creation and turning their backs on him.
It's easy to think of a loving God, but no one wants to think of a God who's had enough and is ready to put an end to evil. When will he stop staying his hand of judgment for the sake of the believer? It's haunting.
Thank you QuirkyGirl,
before i read your post i had no idea what this song was about.
Yet thanks to you i have fully comprehended it.
I do believe it is about Judgment Day.
Bono talks alot about the world's problems, about how religions fight when they started from the same people. Just stuff like that, and Bono is trying to let his fans understand that some day when only God knows that Jesus is coming back and we will have to stand up to our mistakes. We need to be ready for Judgment Day instead of fearing it.
I love your POV on this...
Thank you QuirkyGirl,
before i read your post i had no idea what this song was about.
Yet thanks to you i have fully comprehended it.
I do believe it is about Judgment Day.
Bono talks alot about the world's problems, about how religions fight when they started from the same people. Just stuff like that, and Bono is trying to let his fans understand that some day when only God knows that Jesus is coming back and we will have to stand up to our mistakes. We need to be ready for Judgment Day instead of fearing it.
I love your POV on this and you truly understand how deep this song is.
I know it has been several years since you wrote your comment, but I wanted to thank you nevertheless for such a penetrating and thoughtful analysis. No matter what U2 comes up with, they have left us many great songs that can be enjoyed for their "pop" value as well as occasional food for the soul.
I know it has been several years since you wrote your comment, but I wanted to thank you nevertheless for such a penetrating and thoughtful analysis. No matter what U2 comes up with, they have left us many great songs that can be enjoyed for their "pop" value as well as occasional food for the soul.
@QuirkyGirl What an amazing analysis of the song, and I think you hit it head on. There is a live HD version on Youtube where, when Bono sings the part "home again, home again" he tacks on at the end "to the palace" which completely supports this interpretation. The live version is much more inspiring than the album version as the song is mature at that point and the energy more balanced. I think U2 is one of the few bands who are always better live; to me they weren't concerts they were religious experiences. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqh1pPS5vQU...
@QuirkyGirl What an amazing analysis of the song, and I think you hit it head on. There is a live HD version on Youtube where, when Bono sings the part "home again, home again" he tacks on at the end "to the palace" which completely supports this interpretation. The live version is much more inspiring than the album version as the song is mature at that point and the energy more balanced. I think U2 is one of the few bands who are always better live; to me they weren't concerts they were religious experiences. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqh1pPS5vQU
@QuirkyGirl@QuirkyGirl Wow. I first listened to this song when I was a high school student, I completely had no idea about song's menacing. Now I am I think this is a very good interpretation and I like the way you analyze the song.
But there's still some part of the lyrics I don't quite understand. Why says " stay tonight in a lie". The atomic bomb was dropped at around 8.00am(perhaps Bono got the time wrong? or there's another explanation?) and why it mentions "lie", what does "lie" refer to?
@QuirkyGirl@QuirkyGirl Wow. I first listened to this song when I was a high school student, I completely had no idea about song's menacing. Now I am I think this is a very good interpretation and I like the way you analyze the song.
But there's still some part of the lyrics I don't quite understand. Why says " stay tonight in a lie". The atomic bomb was dropped at around 8.00am(perhaps Bono got the time wrong? or there's another explanation?) and why it mentions "lie", what does "lie" refer to?
@QuirkyGirl Right on quirky girl... perfectly said!!! This is my all-time fav song ever!!! Primarily because of that description and the beautiful arrangement. <3 ... and if you save your love... save it all <3
@QuirkyGirl Right on quirky girl... perfectly said!!! This is my all-time fav song ever!!! Primarily because of that description and the beautiful arrangement. <3 ... and if you save your love... save it all <3
@QuirkyGirl this is years old but in case people come across this - you have failed to account for something Bono has publicly stated more than once. Aside from the obvious, being Hiroshima/Nagasaki, this song is about a fight he and his wife had while in Japan. Much of your religious attribution is mistaken, and is about something else entirely. Careful, your bias is showing.
@QuirkyGirl this is years old but in case people come across this - you have failed to account for something Bono has publicly stated more than once. Aside from the obvious, being Hiroshima/Nagasaki, this song is about a fight he and his wife had while in Japan. Much of your religious attribution is mistaken, and is about something else entirely. Careful, your bias is showing.
This is my all-time favorite U2 song. I knew it was inspired by the bombing of Hiroshima. For years I've wondered what the lyrics meant in that context. It's only recently I've come up with an idea, but it's vastly different from the other interpretations posted here.
I think this song is about the judgment of God.
The Unforgettable Fire was the name given the atomic blast at Hiroshima. Fire from heaven. The lines "Walk on by, walk on through, walk 'til you run and don't look back for here I am" sound like God's command to Lot when he told Lot to leave the city and not look back.
This song is a conversation between God and the believer about God's judgment of the world. God declares the world wicked: "Ice. Your only rivers run cold. These city lights, they shine in silver and gold dug from the night. Your eyes as black as coal". And later, "Carnival, the wheels fly and the colors spin through alcohol, red wine that punctures the skin". He tells the believer (as he told Lot) "walk on by, walk on through, walk 'til you run and don't look back".
The believer asks (just as Abraham begged God, for the sake of his nephew Lot) that he spare the city the fire judgment, to "stay" his hand of judgment. But the believer also begs God to "Come on take me away, Come on take me home, home again" because of his weariness of trying to live for God in an ungodly word. And just as Abraham begged God to save the city, the believer in this song asks God, "If you save your love (meaning: the believer), then save it all (all of it)."
God's response is "Don't push me too far."
I think there is a lot of passion in the lyrics of this song, and it is the passion and hurt of a scorned lover. But it's not the passion between humans. It's the passion of God for his creation, and the hurt of God having been scorned by his creation and turning their backs on him.
It's easy to think of a loving God, but no one wants to think of a God who's had enough and is ready to put an end to evil. When will he stop staying his hand of judgment for the sake of the believer? It's haunting.
Thank you QuirkyGirl, before i read your post i had no idea what this song was about. Yet thanks to you i have fully comprehended it. I do believe it is about Judgment Day. Bono talks alot about the world's problems, about how religions fight when they started from the same people. Just stuff like that, and Bono is trying to let his fans understand that some day when only God knows that Jesus is coming back and we will have to stand up to our mistakes. We need to be ready for Judgment Day instead of fearing it. I love your POV on this...
Thank you QuirkyGirl, before i read your post i had no idea what this song was about. Yet thanks to you i have fully comprehended it. I do believe it is about Judgment Day. Bono talks alot about the world's problems, about how religions fight when they started from the same people. Just stuff like that, and Bono is trying to let his fans understand that some day when only God knows that Jesus is coming back and we will have to stand up to our mistakes. We need to be ready for Judgment Day instead of fearing it. I love your POV on this and you truly understand how deep this song is.
<333
I know it has been several years since you wrote your comment, but I wanted to thank you nevertheless for such a penetrating and thoughtful analysis. No matter what U2 comes up with, they have left us many great songs that can be enjoyed for their "pop" value as well as occasional food for the soul.
I know it has been several years since you wrote your comment, but I wanted to thank you nevertheless for such a penetrating and thoughtful analysis. No matter what U2 comes up with, they have left us many great songs that can be enjoyed for their "pop" value as well as occasional food for the soul.
@QuirkyGirl What an amazing analysis of the song, and I think you hit it head on. There is a live HD version on Youtube where, when Bono sings the part "home again, home again" he tacks on at the end "to the palace" which completely supports this interpretation. The live version is much more inspiring than the album version as the song is mature at that point and the energy more balanced. I think U2 is one of the few bands who are always better live; to me they weren't concerts they were religious experiences. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqh1pPS5vQU...
@QuirkyGirl What an amazing analysis of the song, and I think you hit it head on. There is a live HD version on Youtube where, when Bono sings the part "home again, home again" he tacks on at the end "to the palace" which completely supports this interpretation. The live version is much more inspiring than the album version as the song is mature at that point and the energy more balanced. I think U2 is one of the few bands who are always better live; to me they weren't concerts they were religious experiences. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqh1pPS5vQU
@QuirkyGirl @QuirkyGirl Wow. I first listened to this song when I was a high school student, I completely had no idea about song's menacing. Now I am I think this is a very good interpretation and I like the way you analyze the song. But there's still some part of the lyrics I don't quite understand. Why says " stay tonight in a lie". The atomic bomb was dropped at around 8.00am(perhaps Bono got the time wrong? or there's another explanation?) and why it mentions "lie", what does "lie" refer to?
@QuirkyGirl @QuirkyGirl Wow. I first listened to this song when I was a high school student, I completely had no idea about song's menacing. Now I am I think this is a very good interpretation and I like the way you analyze the song. But there's still some part of the lyrics I don't quite understand. Why says " stay tonight in a lie". The atomic bomb was dropped at around 8.00am(perhaps Bono got the time wrong? or there's another explanation?) and why it mentions "lie", what does "lie" refer to?
@QuirkyGirl Right on quirky girl... perfectly said!!! This is my all-time fav song ever!!! Primarily because of that description and the beautiful arrangement. <3 ... and if you save your love... save it all <3
@QuirkyGirl Right on quirky girl... perfectly said!!! This is my all-time fav song ever!!! Primarily because of that description and the beautiful arrangement. <3 ... and if you save your love... save it all <3
@QuirkyGirl this is years old but in case people come across this - you have failed to account for something Bono has publicly stated more than once. Aside from the obvious, being Hiroshima/Nagasaki, this song is about a fight he and his wife had while in Japan. Much of your religious attribution is mistaken, and is about something else entirely. Careful, your bias is showing.
@QuirkyGirl this is years old but in case people come across this - you have failed to account for something Bono has publicly stated more than once. Aside from the obvious, being Hiroshima/Nagasaki, this song is about a fight he and his wife had while in Japan. Much of your religious attribution is mistaken, and is about something else entirely. Careful, your bias is showing.