Hawkmoon 269

Sorry, I don't think that's the case. Hawkmoon 269 is supposedly a roadsign their tourbus passed at one point...as in the town of Hawkmoon is 269 miles away. Why they chose to name the song that, I have no idea.

the part that amazes me about this song is larry mullen jr and the drums. As for the meaning im not quite sure if hes happy about this love or not. I cant tell if he is angry over how he feels and because of the intensity of his emotions, or if hes overjoyed by how much he needs this love. great song

There is no town called "Hawkmoon". Bono was quoted as saying that it's a motel room somewhere in his imagination. It's about being drunk, ("As the room spins around") and missing someone's love. Yes, great song, though. And I love the addition of the organ played by Bob Dylan at the beginning, and the gospel choir at the end.

At the end of this song, isn't the Gospel choir singing, "All alone in the heart of a thief?"

I love this song. I'm not sure what Bono meant when he wrote it. One theory is that it's about being drunk, but I doubt it's literal. I think the song is leaning more toward being crazy in love. To me it's about being at a state where you're so in love with somone that it transcends wanting and needing and longing and it reaches sort of a crazed, psychotic, angry, addiction for that person. Clearly from the lyrics, it isn't a pure and sweet love, but rather an intense system-killing kind of love that can only be described as disastrous. Notice that none of the analogies used in the lyrics are particularly healthy. Ex: "Like the muzzle of a gun" "Like black coffee" "Like Nocotine" "Like the sweet revenge of a bitter enemy"...

I think it may even be less about love and more about a stalkerish obsession. He does not say "I want"; he says "I need" which gives the impression that he's not in control of what he's feeling. (Ex: "Like a thought unchained".) Like "Heartland" and a lot of the tracks from Rattle and Hum, I feel that Bono is deeply homesick, and this song points out how it feels to be away from the one he loves and needs for so long. He feels crazy with desire and loneliness and it's turned him into a sort of madman because he's alone without the one thing he needs to keep him together...his love.

This song is simple, its about needing someone's love so much. I love it for it being simple in that way. If there is someone you really like and would give anything to be with, you can listen to this song, and it will sum up how you feel.

Fantastic song! The organ by Bob Dylan at the beginning and gospel choir at the end make this song that bit special.

This is one of my top 5 favorite U2 songs. The passion and emotion with which Bono sings sends chills up my spine. But I have a new suggestion for it's meaning.

The author Sam Shepard, who Bono is known to appreciate, has a book of "prose, poetry and monologues" titled Hawk Moon (see U2faqs.com). This seems like a plausible reason for the first part of the title and some of the inspiration for the lyrics. I've never read it myself.

But the "269" part?

Psalm 26:9 (NIV): Do not take away my soul along with sinners, My life with bloodthirsty men,

KJV: Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men,

I suggest that the love Bono needs is the love of God, and that the many sinful acts in the lyrics are references to his own sin, an ironical statement about the fact that he (and all of us) are sinners, and are drawn to the love of God as much as our sin. I'm sure some people may find this difficult to swallow, but I think it's absolutely brilliant, and makes me appreciate the song even more.

It would also explain his reluctance to discuss the song on a certain radio broadcast, which you'll also read about on U2faqs.com.

Also, as I side note I forgot to mention. I don't know if this theory has any credibility, but I read somewhere a long time ago that when Hawkmoon was written, the band was on the road with the Joshua Tree tour, and he happened to look out the window and see a road sign that read: "Hawkmoon 269 mi." and that inspired Bono with a title for his previously untitled song...

However, I've gotta say, if there is a place anywhere in the world called Hawkmoon, I have no idea where it is and even a google search didn't come up with anything.

Also, I have heard another theory (one that Bono supposedly backed up) that the '269' part of the song was tagged on when it took the band 269 mixes of this song to find the right one.

Don't know if either of these theories are true, but I thought it was worth a mention in case anyone was curious. :)

I love how the song is building up. You can look at this song in many ways, I think. We need God's love, but we also need to be loved by each other.

I like this song but it is almost like Bono ran out of ideas for "Like [blank] needs [blank]/I need your love." Take for example "Like a phoenix rising needs a holy tree," when was the last time you heard on a phoenix on a holy tree. Maybe a normal tree but a holy tree.jk