When Bill Flanagan asked The Edge was the themes of Achtung Baby were, he said immediately: “Betrayal, love, mortality, spirituality and faith.” Betrayal was the first thing Edge said.
In the Bible, Judas Iscariot was one of Jesus Christ’s twelve disciples. Tempted by greed, Judas was bribed to betray Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane by indicating which man was Christ by kissing him, insuring that the correct man was arrested. Judas was overcome by guilt and remorse later and hung himself. Bono was reading and thinking about the character of Judas Iscariot. Bono felt that Judas had a definite role to play in the story and knew that the redemption of the world couldn’t have happened without the betrayal. Bono was also fascinated by the strong hints of homoeroticism throughout and put that in his lyrics as well. This will be the only interpretation on this song because Bono has said since he has written the song, “There you have it, Judas and Jesus. What more could you want?”
Fun note: At the beginning of the song, from 0:04 to 0:08, a faint sound can be heard which sounds like someone hammering nails into wood. Because this song deals with Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, it is believed that this ‘crucifixion’-sound has been put in the mix on purpose.
Click here to download the guitar tab for Until the end of the world
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 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 led me on with those innocent eyes
And 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
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
In waves of regret, waves of joy
I reached out for the one I tried to destroy
You, you said you’d wait until the end of the world
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