So I know that a lot of over-zealous Christians try to force too much religious meaning into U2's songs; but to my ears this one really does have lots of biblical imagery. Ephesians 4:14 says ..."we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine..." and 1 Timothy 1:19 talks about those who have made a shipwreck of their faith. Both of these are compatible with the song, both in theme and especially in imagery. But I think the most obvious example is the lyric, "I thought I heard the captain's voice, but it's hard to listen while you preach." In Hebrews 2:10 Jesus is called the "captain of our salvation." Given that Bono uses a word (preach) that is usually religious in nature, this one seems the most clear to me that he is referencing the Bible verse. And the content makes sense, too: Bono is saying that in his endeavors to do good, he has occasionally not made time to listen to his captain, i.e. spend time with God.
U2 are notorious about blurring the line between religious expression and romantic expression--they have even admitted to doing it on purpose in print--so I don't think the comments that interpret this song as being about "love" are wrong; but since no one had identified the religious/spiritual references, I thought I'd take a crack.
So I know that a lot of over-zealous Christians try to force too much religious meaning into U2's songs; but to my ears this one really does have lots of biblical imagery. Ephesians 4:14 says ..."we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine..." and 1 Timothy 1:19 talks about those who have made a shipwreck of their faith. Both of these are compatible with the song, both in theme and especially in imagery. But I think the most obvious example is the lyric, "I thought I heard the captain's voice, but it's hard to listen while you preach." In Hebrews 2:10 Jesus is called the "captain of our salvation." Given that Bono uses a word (preach) that is usually religious in nature, this one seems the most clear to me that he is referencing the Bible verse. And the content makes sense, too: Bono is saying that in his endeavors to do good, he has occasionally not made time to listen to his captain, i.e. spend time with God.
U2 are notorious about blurring the line between religious expression and romantic expression--they have even admitted to doing it on purpose in print--so I don't think the comments that interpret this song as being about "love" are wrong; but since no one had identified the religious/spiritual references, I thought I'd take a crack.