Ireland in the late ’70s and early ’80s was a stifling, conservative places, especially concerning sexual issues. People had begun to loosen up, become slowly more tolerant and liberal. But officially, it was still a places were condoms were sold via prescription only, divorce banned, erotic and pornographic literature almost completely unobtainable. Homosexuality? Illegal. Things were different in more liberal parts of the world, like New York and Amsterdam. This song could have been written about the red light districts in cities like those. Deliberately ambiguous, “Red Light” could be conjectured as a love song addressed to a self-effacing woman, a parental discourse directed at Adam in order to save his soul, or it could be from the viewpoint of a prostitute watching her johns pass by. Typical of U2, it’s probably a mixture of any or all.
Click here to download the guitar tab for Red Light
I talk to you
You walk away
You’re still on the down beat
You say you don’t want my help
But you can’t escape
If your running from yourself
I give you my love
I give you my love
Give you my love
Still you walk away
It’s your own late show
As you jump to the street below
But where can you go
To leave yourself behind
Alone in the spotlight
Of this, your own tragedy
I give you my love, love, love
Love, love, love, love, love, love…
In the heart in the heart
In the heart of the city
Heart in the heart in
The heart of the city
Oh, love…
I pour my love out for you
And I’ll bring you through
See your not alone
I give you my love, give you my love
Give you my love, give you my love
Give you my love, give you my love
Give you my love, give you my love
Give you my love, love, love
Love, love, love, love, love…
Subpages: