So here is...
Bullet The Blue Sky
As Bono points out in U2 By U2 this song shows us the American bombings in El Salvador. Bono was in El Salvador in that period and he describes what was going on there in this song. First I'll give you some background info about the Civil War in El Salvador (I used the Dutch translation).
Since the time El Savador became an own country (It used to be a part of Mexico) it had a lot of trouble with dictators and small groups of people leading the country. Ever since they started the country was ruled by 'The Fourteen Family's'.
However, in the late '70s the regular people in the country start to complain. They wanna rule the country, they want free elections and a word in the state's policy. The people start a group of communists, based on the ideas of Karl Markx. In 1979 a civil war starts between the governement and the communists. With the support of America a group of young officers manage to get rid of the governement and a new governement with Catholics, Social-democrats and communists is formed. However, this governement is not solid and in 1980 they decide to quit. Because America was afraid of the big Communism party in El Salvador becoming bigger, they decide to train the Salvadoran army and the police so they can carry on rulling the country. America gives them weapons, but they stay in the background, wise as they got from Vietnam. Until 1992 (!) there's a civil war going on between the (supported by America) army and the communists (the poor people, the farmers, the regular people).
So, that's the background, that's what Bono has witnessed himself.
And here are the lyrics:
In the howling wind comes a stinging rain
See it driving nails into the souls on the tree of pain
From the firefly, a red orange glow
See the face of fear running scared in the valley below
Bono tries to set a great, "scary", atmosphere here. It's a dark war, there's a howling wind, and a stinging rain. I think the rain in this case are the bullets of the American guns. Those bullets are 'driving nails in the tree of pain', in other words: they're killing people. They don't only hurt physically, also emotionally they're painfull bullets.
"A red orange glow". This is probably a fire, probably a fire in one of the Salvadoran bushes, right after a bomb fell out of a plane.
The people in El Salvador mostly live around mountans. That's where the ground is best, that's where they can be a farmer. Mostly that's in a valley. The Salvadoran towns are all build in valley's, and that's where the fights were. So that's where the face of fear runs around.
Sky
Sky
Bullet the blue sky / Sky
Bullet the blue sky / Sky
Bullet the blue / Sky
Bullet the blue / Sky
I think the chorus speaks for itsself.
The bullets came out of the sky
In the locust wind comes a rattle and hum
Jacob wrestled the angel and the angel was overcome
You plant a demon seed, you raise a flower of fire
See them burning crosses
See the flames higher and higher
This is a very nice lyric right here: Jacob wrestled the angel and the angel was overcome.
Jacob are the young officers that overcome the very first governement. The ones that created an unstable governement. The angels are the communists, the poor people who live on the farms. They were beaten by the Americans (Jacob). The Americans planted a demon seed to defeat the angel. So Bono is saying here that the Americans are devilish. The americans burned whole bushes, they burned the christians there, they burned the communsists there and the flames went higher and higher. What started as a small fight turned out to a big civil war. Lasting 12 years.
This guy comes up to me
His face red like a rose on a thorn bush
Like all the colours of a royal flush
And he's peeling off those dollar bills
Slapping them down
One hundred, two hundred
And I can see those fighter planes
And I can see those fighter planes
Bono describes the things that happened in the little Salvadoran streets. A guy comes up to him...could be an American paying him for tips about where the communists are hiding?
He pays a lot to Bono. Bono sees the fighter planes above him, while the man is peeling down his money.
Across the mud huts where the children sleep
Through the alleys of a quiet city street
You take the staircase to the first floor
Turn the key and slowly unlock the door
As a man breathes into a saxophone
And through the walls you hear the city groan
Outside it's America
Outside it's America
(America)
Bono walks trough a little Salvadoran town. Mud huts, that's where children are. They are also victims in this war. The city is quiet, waiting for the next air raid. Bono goes up to his appartement, plays the blues on some stereo. The city is asleep, and outside it's america. Getting ready for a new attack, waiting for the communists to give up.
Across the field you see the sky ripped open
See the rain pour through the gaping wound
Pounding the women and children
Who run
Into the arms
Of America
On the outskirts of the town the sky gets ripped open, a new raid is starting. The "rain" (the bullets that is) is back. Woman and children get hit while running away. But it doesn't matter where they run to...cause America is everywhere. They have surrounded the town and kill every citizen in it. Because they want to make sure that no communist gets out there alive.
Hope you enjoyed
Thanks Dieder 
