U2isthebest

I've been reading the letters of Paul lately, (most recently Galatians) and I'm struck by how similar the lyrics of "Walk On", which is my 2nd favorite U2 song, could read to a "lost" letter of Paul.



Walk On
And love is not the easy thing
The only baggage that you can bring
Not the easy thing
The only baggage you can bring
Is all that you can't leave behind

And if the darkness is to keep us apart
And if the daylight feels like it's a long way off
And if your glass heart should crack
And for a second you turn back
Oh no - be strong

Walk on - walk on
What you got, they can't steal it
No, they can't even feel it
Walk on - walk on
Stay safe tonight

You're packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been
A place that has to be believed to be seen
You could have flown away
A singing bird in an open cage
Who will only fly - only fly for freedom

Walk on - walk on
What you got, they can't deny it
Can't sell it or buy it
Walk on - walk on
You stay safe tonight

And I know it aches
How your heart it breaks
You can only take so much
Walk on - walk on

Home - hard to know what it is if you never had one
Home - I can't say where it is, but I know I'm going
Home - that's where the hurt is

And I know it aches
And your heart it breaks
You can only take so much
Walk on

Leave it behind
You've got to leave it behind

All that you fashion - all that you make
All that you build - all that you break
All that you measure - all that you feel
All this you can leave behind

All that you reason - it's only time
Love in a fever - no, not mine
All that you sense - all that you scheme
All you dress up - all that you seem
All you create [fades]


In nearly all of Paul's letters he seemed to address Believers who were struggling to hold onto their new faith, and he always encouraged them "press on" "fight the good fight" etc. I noticed especially during my study of Galatians his emphasis on freedom as opposed to the Law. Lyrics like "what you got they can't steal it, no they can't even feel it." or even more "what you got they can't deny it, can't sell it or buy it." seem to echo Paul's statements about not letting false leaders and/or Believers burden us down with strict rules to make us forget the Grace Jesus gives us when we ask Him to save us. Obviously the subject of the song was Aung San Suu Kyi, however we also know that U2 songs always have a deeper meaning than what may be on the surface. Coincidentally in "U2 by U2" Bono says that the original inspiration came from a passage in 1 Corinthians 3:9-15, which is of course a letter from Paul. In "U2 by U2" Bono says: "It's a song about nobility and personal sacrifice, about doing what's right even when your heart says otherwise. The spoken intro gave us the title for the new album....Love, in the highest sense of the word, is the only thing you can always take with you, in your heart. At some point you're going to have to lose everything else anyway. There's a passage in Corinthians that uses the image of a house going through a fire, and it seems to suggest that when, in death, we eventually face judgement...all that is made of straw and wood will be burned away, only the eternal things will survive. ....It is a mantra, really, a bonfire of vanities, and you can throw anything you want on the fire. Whatever it is that you want more than love, it has to go. That's a really interesting question to ask: What are thing things you want more than love?"

Well, that blew me away on it's own when I first read it. However the more I thought about it I realized how similar that seems to Paul's famous love chapter (1 Corinthians 13) and his advice to the church being bogged down by rules in Galatians. This is from The Message, by the way: "For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love." Galatians 5:6

Any thoughts??

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Irvine511

i think that's a very interesting take on the song.

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U2isthebest

Thank you! I've loved this song for a long time, but when I was listening to it, and reading something in Galatians this morning it just clicked.

__________________

"After the flood, all the colors came out."

Irvine511

you should check out MLK's writings on "Agape."

here's the wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agape

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THE WORLD ONLY SPINS FORWARD

JCOSTER

Hi Bri,

You have an excellent take on the song. I went to u2 sermons and this is what they have to say about it:

"A place that has to be believed to be seen" -- John 11:40 Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" (submitted by Rev. Beth)

"Home - I can't say where it is, but I know I'm going" -- John 14: 4-6 Jesus said, "You know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way." (submitted by Rev. Beth)

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I feel like I must be your best friend

U2isthebest

I love U2sermons! Thanks for that JC! I had a general gist of what those lyrics might mean, but I'm glad there's a verse to connect it to in some way.

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"After the flood, all the colors came out."

U2isthebest

Thank you for that Irvine! That was beautiful!

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"After the flood, all the colors came out."

The Disciple

Beautiful insight, thanx 4 sharing.