Lyrics
Haven’t seen you in quite a while
I was down the hold just passing time
Last time we met was a low-lit room
We were as close together as a bride and groom
We ate the food, we drank the wine
Everybody having a good time, except you
You were talking about the end of the world
I took the money I spiked your drink
You miss too much these days if you stop to think
You lead me on with those innocent eyes
You know I love the element of surprise
In the garden I was playing the tart
I kissed your lips and broke your heart
You, you were acting like it was the end of the world
Love love love love love love
Love love love love love love
Love love love love
In my dream I was drowning my sorrows
But my sorrows, they learned to swim
Surrounding me, going down on me spilling over the brim
Waves of regret and waves of joy
I reached out for the one I tried to destroy
You, you said you’d wait till the end of the world
Love love love love love love
Love love love love love love
Love love love love
Until the End of the World – U2 – Meaning
This song like many others in the album Achtung Baby talks about betrayal.
Some songs talks about faith and love, and sorrow, but this is a big statement about betrayal.
And the lyrics reflects this emotional state.
All the song is a virtual conversation between Jesus and Judas.
Last time we met it was a low-lit room
We were as close together as a bride and groom
We ate the food, we drank the wine
Everybody having a good time except you
You were talking about the end of the world
Here Judas talks like if he remembers and tells to Jesus what happens in The Last Supper.
Describing the room and the way people acts, Judas says that nobody will die in the days immediately after that dinner.
Everybody will have a long life.
Everybody exept one.
Jesus.
And seems like if the reason could be that Jesus talked about the end of the world.
In this conversation, seems like if this was the guilt of Jesus.
The guilt to want to change the world, saving all the humanity.
In the garden I was playing the tart
I kissed your lips and broke your heart
You, you were acting like it was the end of the world
The Garden of Gethsemane was the place where Judas gives the kiss of betrayal to Jesus.
Is the place where he sell the life of Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
Jesus knows his destiny. And knows that Judas will betray him. But this not avoid a great pain to Jesus.
And Judas don’t understands that the reality was that his acts leads effectively to the end of the world.
In my dream, I was drowning my sorrows
But my sorrows they’d learned to swim
Surrounding me, going down on me
Spilling over the brim
Judas understands what happens. And understands what was his role on the history of humanity.
So he decide to break his life.
Bono here, with that Spilling Over The Brim, finds a great way to give us a clear vision of the choice made by Judas.
Conclusion
With the mix between an extremely modern sound and one of the most anciest story of the humanity, U2 give to us a really powerfull song.
Leave a comment or a different vision of the meaning of this song if you want.
