1. I am sure when were are done with 'Pop' there is no reason why 'October' could not be looked at.



  2. That's pretty interesting....and a good question!!

    Originally posted by JohnnyVOXX
    Well I believe this week we could talk about STARING AT THE SUN



    Johnny(can I call you johnny?) I was really hoping you would chose Staring at the Sun! Glad you did!! !
    Now have to figure out how i'm going to write about it... :s Just hope I can express myself like you guys do!
  3. Originally posted by _BrownEyedGirl_[..]

    That's pretty interesting....and a good question!!

    [..]

    Johnny(can I call you johnny?) I was really hoping you would chose Staring at the Sun! Glad you did!! !
    Now have to figure out how i'm going to write about it... :s Just hope I can express myself like you guys do!


    Hey Luana!!!
    please!!! call me Johnny!!!!
    I'm glad you liked the song I choose, and you're previous posts are very good, we all express ourselves very good, so don't be shy!!
    cheers!!
  4. Originally posted by easports43[..]

    Yeah they do. If they wanted to make it interesting they'd try October lyrics.


    well, I think it's pretty interesting!! we jsut decided to go through one album at the time!! And I believe that getting OCTOBER next on the line would be AWESOME!!
    I really love that Album!!
  5. Nice song, I might post my thoughts about it too, this week
  6. So, to summarise

    To date, we have listened to Vertigo (various conclusions reached), Discotheque (druggy/lovey 'throwaway' pop song), Please (heavy terrorism/love/God song).

    This week it is (to continue the Pop theme)

    Staring At The Sun

    Summer stretching on the grass
    Summer dresses pass
    In the shade of a willow tree
    Creeps a crawling over me
    Over me and over you
    Stuck together with God's glue
    It's going to get stickier too

    It's been a long hot summer
    Let's get under cover
    Don't try too hard to think
    Don't think at all

    I'm not the only one
    Staring at the sun
    Afraid of what you'd find
    If you took a look inside
    I'm not just deaf and dumb
    Staring at the sun
    Not the only one
    Who's happy to go blind

    There's an insect in your ear
    If you scratch it won't disappear
    It's going to itch and burn and sting
    You want to see what the scratching brings
    Waves that leave me out of reach
    Breaking on your back like a beach
    Will we ever live in peace

    'Cause those that can't do
    Often have to
    And those that can't do
    Often have to preach

    To the ones
    Staring at the sun
    Afraid of what you'll find
    If you took a look inside
    Not just deaf and dumb
    Staring at the sun
    Not the only one
    Who'd rather go blind

    Intransigence is all around
    Military still in town
    Armour plated suits and ties
    Daddy just won't say goodbye
    Referee won't blow the whistle
    God is good but will He listen
    I'm nearly great
    But there's something missing

    I left it in the duty free air
    But you never really belonged to me

    You're not the only one
    Staring at the sun
    Afraid of what you'd find
    If you stepped back inside
    Not sucking on my thumb
    I'm staring at the sun
    Not the only one
    Who's happy to go blind


    Go for it!!
  7. I have no clue myself. It's never meant a thing to me. I've always felt it's a summery song, but that's about it.

    Take a look at these comments, make for interesting reading:-

    http://www.muorji.se/U2MoL/Pop/staring.html
  8. Originally posted by djrlewisI have no clue myself. It's never meant a thing to me. I've always felt it's a summery song, but that's about it.

    Take a look at these comments, make for interesting reading:-

    http://www.muorji.se/U2MoL/Pop/staring.html


    hahaha!!
    Awesome Dan!!
    I was just thinking that I hadn't posted anything about the song yet and that anyone else did!! So I started doing some research and ended in that site!!!
    I was just about to post some of the reviews, specially the one about Plato's Cave, which I find EXTREMELY interesting!!!!
    I'll try to take my opinion about the meaning following that line of thinking, I can very much see a more deep meaning for the song now...
    I believe by tomorrow I'll be able to post!!
    cheers!!+

    how come no one else has posted yet??
  9. Originally posted by JohnnyVOXX[..]

    hahaha!!
    Awesome Dan!!
    I was just thinking that I hadn't posted anything about the song yet and that anyone else did!! So I started doing some research and ended in that site!!!
    I was just about to post some of the reviews, specially the one about Plato's Cave, which I find EXTREMELY interesting!!!!
    I'll try to take my opinion about the meaning following that line of thinking, I can very much see a more deep meaning for the song now...
    I believe by tomorrow I'll be able to post!!
    cheers!!+

    how come no one else has posted yet??


    Too busy...and also because my understanding is based on the cave thing too, which takes time to explain!
  10. Originally posted by Ali709[..]

    Too busy...and also because my understanding is based on the cave thing too, which takes time to explain!


    We'll be waiting then!!!! I hope to be able to post tomorrow!
  11. I can’t put this off any longer and I know that if I keep looking there is so much more to this song than anyone could probably ever know.
    The reason it has taken me so long to post is because I have discovered so much that I think is relevant to this song that I keep going around in never ending circles. So although I don’t pretend to understand all the of the connections made in this song I have decided to go with what I’m pretty sure of and just tell you some of the possibilities I have discovered.

    I do know that the song refers to the troubles in Northern Ireland and if you take the 2nd song on the CD single of Staring At The Sun, which is North And South Of The River that also refers to the troubles. The river is the River Boyne, where the Irish and English armies faced each other in battle on opposite sides of the river.
    Being ‘happy to go blind,’ is to turn a blind eye to what is going on and therefore not to have any guilt in the eyes of God for not trying to resolve the situation. Possibly referring to the Government of the Irish Republic.
    Quote:-
    There are allegations that the early Provisional IRA got off the ground due to arms and funding from the Fianna Fáil-led Irish government in 1969. This was not found to be the case when investigated in the Arms trial. However, roughly £100,000 was donated by the Irish government to "Defence Committees" in Catholic areas and according to historian Richard English, "there is now no doubt that some money did go from the Dublin government to the proto-Provisionals".[14] (WIKIPEDIA)

    There is a passage in the Bible – John ch9: v41
    Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.

    Summer stretching on the grass
    Summer dresses pass
    In the shade of a willow tree
    Creeps a crawling over me
    Over me and over you
    Stuck together with God's glue
    It's going to get stickier too

    I can’t help but think that the first few lines do refer to the story about the students being partially blinded by the sun when taking drugs.

    http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/lsd/lsd_myth6.shtml

    I had always thought that the line ‘Stuck together with God’s glue’ referred to northern & southern Ireland, which I still think may be part of it. But I found a line from an American playwright, with an Irish Catholic background Eugene O’Neil which says:-
    "Man is born broken. He lives by mending. The grace of God is glue."
    This means that without God we are broken, but he holds us together with his glue.
    I think that possibly this may have a connection with this line in the song.
    ‘It’s going to get sticker too’, means that we will need his glue all the more in the future.

    It's been a long hot summer
    Let's get under cover
    Don't try too hard to think
    Don't think at all

    There was an IRA ceasfire on 31st August 1994, which was broken and another on 19th July 1997.
    I think that the ‘Long hot summer’ may refer to this.

    I'm not the only one
    Staring at the sun
    Afraid of what you'd find
    If you took a look inside
    I'm not just deaf and dumb
    Staring at the sun
    Not the only one
    Who's happy to go blind

    Maybe ‘not the only one’ could refer to the British Government, who will not confront the political situation of the troubles. I think that the voting system was unfair at the time but I’m not sure of the facts.


    There's an insect in your ear
    If you scratch it won't disappear
    It's going to itch and burn and sting
    You want to see what the scratching brings
    Waves that leave me out of reach
    Breaking on your back like a beach
    Will we ever live in peace

    On the face of it, I see it as telling the Governments of both Ireland (North & South) and England that the situation will not disappear unless it is confronted and dealt with fairly.
    But this is where I found what I think may be another connection and it led me to a book by Julian Barnes, who also wrote a book called ‘Staring at the sun’.
    The book is called ‘A history of the world in 10 ½ chapters’.
    In this book a woodworm, which is
    an unwelcome creature stows away on Noah’s Ark.

    'Cause those that can't do
    Often have to
    And those that can't do
    Often have to preach

    That’s tricky, but I do know that ‘Those that can’t do, often have to preach’, refers to Bono himself because I have read that he understands that he is a preacher in this affair.

    To the ones
    Staring at the sun
    Afraid of what you'll find
    If you took a look inside
    Not just deaf and dumb
    Staring at the sun
    Not the only one
    Who'd rather go blind

    This again refers to the fear of confronting the Northern Ireland problem.

    Iintransigence is all around
    Military still in town
    Armour plated suits and ties
    Daddy just won't say goodbye
    Referee won't blow the whistle
    God is good but will He listen

    ‘Intransigence’ – refusing to compromise
    Military – British Army
    Armour plated suits & ties – British Government officials.
    Referee won’t blow the whistle (there’s no end to this battle)
    God is good but will he listen – We can’t expect God to take sides.


    I'm nearly great
    But there's something missing

    I left it in the duty free air
    But you never really belonged to me

    ‘I’m nearly great’ – perhaps this means Great Britain.
    ‘I left in the duty free air’ – I’m sure that this refers to the smuggling between southern & northern Ireland. Because while the two are separated as regards taxes, smuggling of cigarettes, liquor, and drugs in particular would always be rife.
    Have a look at this :-

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/1704011.stm


    You're not the only one
    Staring at the sun
    Afraid of what you'd find
    If you stepped back inside
    Not sucking on my thumb
    I'm staring at the sun
    Not the only one
    Who's happy to go blind

    ‘Afraid of what you’d find, if you stepped back inside’ – I think must be the Government of the Republic of Ireland who distance themselves from what is happening in Northern Ireland.

    ‘Not sucking on my thumb’ – says that I am not an innocent. I am purposely happy to ‘Go blind’ – Ignore the problem.

    Sorry – very long I know, but this is how I see it.

    Over to you Ali.