U2 - Mysterious Ways
It's U2 season both in the real world (LOL) and on video killed the radio star, and Dave has a look at what is essentially musical offal.
Johnny take a walk with your sister the moon
Let her pale light in to fill up your room
You've been living underground
Eating from a can
You've been running away
From what you don't understand Love
Bono's and the lads have met up with their mate Johnny. I don't know how they made Johnny's acquaintance, maybe he's a friend from their Dublin days, or perhaps he's someone they've befriended on the tour trail, but either way they are giving him some kind of advice about how to treat his sister. The lads suggest he take her for a walk in the moon light, which to me has undertones of incest, as moonlit walks are often romantic contextually. Is Bono telling Johnny to defile his sister? I knew Bono was a bit unorthodox in his beliefs but surely this is taking the matter too far.
However, I think Johnny is a bit strange too as he dwells underground. I don't know if he's some kind of maniacal mastermind who is planning revenge on the surface dwellers, or something similar but it seems no surprise that he and his sister aren't talking if he choses to live in the way Bono is describing. How the hell did Bono manage to make friends with a ground dwelling slob like this?
She's slippy
Your're sliding down
She'll be there
When you hit the ground
Now I don't have a sister personally, but if an Irish stadium-rock singer started talking about mine in front of me like that I think fisticuffs would follow. Then again any excuse to hit Bono is a good one.
It's alright...it's alright...it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways
It's alright...it's alright...it's alright
She moves in mysterious ways
So Johnny's sister moves in mysterious ways? Is this Bono's way of talking about a limp, or does Johnny's sister have a peculiar cryptic kind of movement? I can't imagine how someone can move in mysterious ways (well aside from god I suspect) is Bono therefore comparing her to god? As a devout Christian that's a rather unconventional theory from the sunglass wearing singer. Perhaps Bono is planning to set up his own church where he can deliver sermons from massive stadiums through song and repetitive rock riffs. Then again maybe this is how he already views a U2 concert.
Johnny take a dive
With your sister in the rain
Let her talk about the things
You can't explain
To touch is to heal
To hurt is to steal If you want to kiss the sky
Better learn how to kneel (on your knees boy!)
Bono's returned to the subject of Johnny spending time with his sister, and this time tells him to go out in the rain with her. This is rather poor advice as surely this could be adverse to the health of the siblings, especially if it's during winter. Also surely Johnny's sister will be against the idea of frolicking in the rain, as well, it's wet... I doubt she'd be in the mood to open-up about herself, let alone use her touch to heal (getting back to religious connotations again). What is more likely is that she'll just think Johnny is a bit strange, although considering what we've heard about him so far is that really so far
from the truth.
She's the wave
She turns the tide
She sees the man inside the child
Ah I see now Bono is comparing the sister to Moses. Perhaps next he will suggest Johnny gets to know his sister better by nailing her to a cross, then celebrating a day of the year to her birth and another for the day Johnny murdered her.
The day you'll look back
And you'll see
Where You were held how
By this love
While You could stand There
And not move on this moment
Follow this feeling
So is this final verse/hook just a way of saying if it feels good do it? Is that the final parting advice Bono is going to leave to this mysterious Johnny, who is planning to do unspeakable things to his sister? What sort of messed up people is Bono convening with? Also is he qualified to give advice? My top tip for the day is Bono shouldn't be allowed to set up an agony aunt column. He'll just work his advice into lyric form which isn't much good to anyone.
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