"Stone set in your eyes": Her eyes are lifeless due to her unhappy situation. I think this song is an ode to the "dark lady" even though most comments seem to interpret it from the point of view of the "good woman". She also seems to be unhappy in her current situation. She is unavailable (married or in a relationship) which makes his love for her all the more unpredictable and unattainable. This song is about a man who's torn between his predictable love for a woman who promises to always be by his side, the "good woman" (wife or girlfriend) and his fatal attraction for the other woman "the dark lady" who he can't have. I know this sounds all crazy religious, but I really think this is closer to the truth of the song. He doesn t just sing about guy/girl relationships. I love U2 and urge you to see his lyrics through that prism. In effect, Bono is a Christian evangelist in the rock and roll world. Bono is a profound thinker and has many religious/Christian references in the songs. "She got me with nothing to give and nothing left to lose" is the Bono voice reapperaing and saying sadly that "she" - not a real person, but a representation of evil and the seductive nature of it - has gotten him to give up and/or use up the good things of his life - innocence, purity, calm, peace - such that he no longer has any of these and consequently has nothing left to lose.and you give yourself away. But as humans, we have free will, so Jesus can't "force" us to do good - his hands are tied. "My hands are tied, my body's bruised" refers to the torture Jesus endured and how we, in effect, torture him with our immoral behavior. You just keep doing it even though it's bad. You constantly fall and sin and "give away" that good things of yourself to immorality and evil. The hope is that you make it "through the storm" with every last fiber of your being loving Jesus and suffering anything to get to him - although as human (imperfect) Jesus always wants more because he is perfect. So, it's a song of hope and sadness - two opposites - like with and without. "And i wait without You" - Christ is saying that as you do drugs, party, act immoral etc., he waits for your salvation - without you. are really no more than a "bed of nails" (allusion to the Christ on the cross/crown of thorns) - a torture in effect, that "she" (you and me) makes Jesus/Us go through as we await salvation. The bed refers back to the sexual immorality and how the sex/hookups/etc. So "on a bed of nails she makes me wait". You have, in effect consigned yourself to a fate (the twist) that is ungodly and not the fate God/Jesus wants for you. "Twist of fate" refers to the sometimes unintended consequences of these immoral hookups - like being with a girl just because the sex is good and not really caring about her welfare. "Sleight of hand and twist of fate" is a reference to sexual immorality and how the "sleight of hand" represents the little games people play to get each other to sleep with each other, when these relationships are ultimately unsatisfying (like drugs). The continued use of drugs/partying, and by extension - sex, is the "thorn sticking in your side". "See the stone set in your eyes" is a reference to drugs and partying and how it keeps you away from Christ. What Jesus is saying is that he is so disappointed in your sins that he can't live with you but loves you so much that he also cannot live without you. In With or Without You, the singer of the song (symbolically of course) is Jesus. Many, many U2 songs are sprinkled with or are about the relationship of man to God. Bono is a very religious person - specifically Christian. Hrmmm.i've gone on for a bit haven't i.it's just that this song is the story of my life, so i kinda could talk about it for a while.but i guess i'll just leave it here. He is angry that she is letting him stay in this situation, yet he knows that she is doing all she can. The basic problem is that being with her is too hard to bear because he wants her so much, and being away from her is too much for the same reason. Maybe its just because i have been in exactly the same situation myself and i can empathise with the lyrics, but the hopelessness of his situation is depicted with the great contradictions. The message is fairly simple, but the way that he expresses himself throughout the song is so real, and so full of emotion that you can't help being drawn into the song. General CommentThis song is one of the most meaningful songs i've ever listened to.
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