U2 countdown day 2: where the streets have no name

like i said yesterday, we are really into the good stuff now.  yesterday i talked about U2's songs being almost more like life philosophies, but today it's more about writing a feeling.  anyone who has ever written... well, you know how hard it is to explain one certain, intense emotion.  that's what this song is.  this song was written in reference to a section of belfast, northern ireland where your the street where you lived was determined by your income and religious background.  this song became about transcendence, about a place where there are no such boundaries, about being truly free.  this is the song that is usually playing in my car when i fantasize about skipping my exit on the highway and just keep on driving... i know we've all had that feeling sometime.  "i'll show you a place, high in the desert plain, where the streets have no name."  it's a beautiful idea.  to me, this song is about escaping the constraints of your life, whatever they are -- social, religious, political, or just things in your own personal life you want to break free of.  it's a beautiful, simple idea. if you get the chance to listen to this one, definitely do it -- the end of the song (listen to the long version!) is pure bliss.  


this is where the streets have no name, from 1987's the joshua tree.


i wanna run, i want to hide
i wanna tear down the walls
that hold me inside.
i wanna reach out
and touch the flame
where the streets have no name.

i wanna feel sunlight on my face.
i see the dust-cloud
disappear without a trace.
i wanna take shelter
from the poison rain
where the streets have no name
where the streets have no name
where the streets have no name.

we're still building and burning down love
burning down love.
and when i go there
i go there with you
(it's all i can do).

the city's a flood, and our love turns to rust.
we're beaten and blown by the wind
trampled in dust.
i'll show you a place
high on a desert plain
where the streets have no name
where the streets have no name
where the streets have no name.

we're still building and burning down love
burning down love.
and when i go there
i go there with you
(it's all i can do).