Bono has a lot of Biblical references in his songs... it's more than you think. Of course, October has the most... XD
Here are some: (from atu2.com)
The Joshua Tree
"Where the Streets Have No Name"
"We're beaten and blown by the wind" -- James 1:6: "But he should ask in faith, not doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind."
Although I'm sure there are several layers of meaning to this image, I cannot imagine someone who knows the Bible as well as Bono describing an ideal place in terms of "streets" without thinking of the description of the great street in the kingdom of Heaven -- Revelation 22:1 "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city." And 22:21 "The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass." (submitted by Rev. Beth)
"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"
"I have spoken with the tongue of angels" -- 1 Corinthians 13:1: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal."
"With or Without You"
"See the thorn twist in your side" -- 2 Corinthians 12:7: "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me."
"Bullet the Blue Sky"
"Jacob wrestled the angel/And the angel was overcome" -- Genesis 32:25: "Jacob was left there alone. Then some man wrestled with him until the break of dawn."
"Running To Stand Still"
"Sweet the sin, Bitter the taste in my mouth" -- Rev 10:10 "And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter." (submitted by Rev. Beth)
"In God's Country"
"Hope, faith, her vanity/The greatest gift is gold" -- an ironic take (who says U2 didn't discover irony until Achtung Baby?) on 1 Corinthians 13:13: "So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (Thanks to Mateo)
"I stand with the sons of Cain" --In Genesis 4 Cain kills his brother and is marked forever by God and sent away as a murderer, thus experiencing the scary aspect of coming into contact with the divine ("burned by the fire of love.") In exile Cain has sons: one of the sons of Cain, Jubal, is traditionally considered the ancestor of musicians. "He was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ." (submitted by Rev. Beth)
"Trip Through Your Wires"
"I was cold and you clothed me honey..." -- Matthew 25:35-36: "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me..."
"One Tree Hill"
"You know his blood still cries from the ground" -- Genesis 4:10 -- "[The murder of Abel by Cain] The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground."
"I'll see you again when the stars fall from the sky..." -- see note on "Fire."
("The sun is burning black ... the moon is running red ... the stars are falling down" -- from Revelation 6, 12-13: "Then I watched while he broke open the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; the sun turned as black as dark sackcloth and the whole moon became like blood. The stars in the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs shaken loose from the tree in a strong wind." )
"We run like a river to the sea" -- Ecclesiastes 1:7: "All rivers go to the sea, yet never does the sea become full. To the place where they go, the rivers keep on going."
"Exit"
"Saw the hands that build can also pull down" -- Jer 1:10 "See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant." And Jer 31:28 "Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant," declares the LORD."
