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U2 - Exit

You know he got the cure
But then he went astray
He used to stay awake
To drive the dreams he had away.
He wanted to believe
In the hands of love.

His head it felt heavy
As he came across the land
A dog started cryin’
Like a broken-hearted man
At the howling wind
At the howling wind.

He went deeper into black
Deeper into white.
He could see the stars shine
Like nails in the night.

He felt the healing
Healing, healing, healing hands of love
Like the stars shiny, shiny from above.
A hand in the pocket
Fingering the steel
The pistol weighed heavy
And his heart he could feel was beating
Beating, beating, beating,
Oh my love, oh my love
Oh my love, oh my love.

So hands that build
Can also pull down
The hands of love.

Doors – Riders on the Storm

Riders on the storm
Riders on the storm
Into this house were born
Into this world were thrown
Like a dog without a bone
An actor out on loan
Riders on the storm

Theres a killer on the road
His brain is squirmin like a toad
Take a long holiday
Let your children play
If ya give this man a ride
Sweet memory will die
Killer on the road, yeah

Girl ya gotta love your man
Girl ya gotta love your man
Take him by the hand
Make him understand
The world on you depends
Our life will never end
Gotta love your man, yeah

Wow!

Riders on the storm
Riders on the storm
Into this house were born
Into this world were thrown
Like a dog without a bone
An actor out alone
Riders on the storm

Riders on the storm
Riders on the storm
Riders on the storm
Riders on the storm
Riders on the storm

The song “Exit” is an impressive song on U2’s Joshua Tree album. The song was performed live by U2 in Los Angeles during the Joshua Tree Tour. During the live performance of this song, U2 mixed in two other songs, which were “Riders on the Storm” by the Doors and “Gloria” by Van Morrison. This live performance can be viewed online at You Tube. My commentary will be based on both the lyrics and the live performance.

In the live performance, Bono introduced the song. He said, “This is a song about a religious man who became a very dangerous man when he could not work out the mystery of the hands of love.” I am fairly confident that this person that Bono is speaking of is described in Isaiah 14. It says, “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn!” “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God . . . I will make myself like the Most High.’” “But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.” This religious man that Bono is describing is the Devil. God created Lucifer as a being with freedom because freedom is the foundation of love. Think about it this way. If you drafted a letter that said “I love you” and sent it to yourself, it would not have the same meaning as it would if another person with an autonomous will freely sent you such a letter. However, the cost of offering an individual the freedom to love is that one must also offer that individual the freedom to hate. If both options are not made available, then it is really not love. The song is named “Exit” because it reflects the choice that Lucifer made. Rather than choosing the path of love, Lucifer chose the path of selfishness and sought to elevate himself to the status of God. The result was that Lucifer and a contingent of fallen angels made an Exit from heaven. They took the freedom that existed for the purpose of love and used it for hate.

The entire song is an attempt to describe the feelings of Lucifer as he moved closer and closer to making his ultimate decision. “You know he got the cure / But then he went astray” This is an introductory summary of what happened to Lucifer. He got the cure, which was freedom that created the possibility of love, and he used that gift of freedom for evil instead of good. “He used to stay awake / To drive the dreams he had away. / He wanted to believe / In the hands of love.” This is a description of the burden that freedom placed on the psyche of Lucifer. At first, he wanted to believe in love, and would do anything he could to drive away his dreams of grandeur and the possibilities that his freedom presented to him.

“His head it felt heavy / As he came across the land” “He went deeper into black / Deeper into white. He could see the stars shine like nails in the night.” As time passed, the burden and temptation created by his freedom became almost insatiable for him and he became obsessed. The reference to the stars shining in the night is not accidental. Isaiah says that Lucifer was a “morning star” that wanted to raise his “throne above the stars of God.” The stars shining in the night symbolize the temptation that is presented to Lucifer whereby he wants to elevate himself to a status above God. The imagery presented throughout this song is that of a slightly deranged man walking outside in the middle of the night as he obsesses over the temptation presented to him by his own freedom. The stars were for Lucifer what the forbidden fruit was for Adam and Eve in the garden. In fact, when Lucifer subsequently tempts Eve in the garden, he presents the same temptation to her that produced his own downfall when he says, “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God . . . .” (Genesis 3:5)

He felt the healing / Healing, healing, healing hands of love / Like the stars shiny, shiny from above. / A hand in the pocket / Fingering the steel / The pistol weighed heavy / And his heart he could feel was beating beating, beating, beating, Oh my love, oh my love, / Oh my love, oh my love.” This is a reference to the moment of decision. Lucifer became consumed and obsessed with both the possibilities created by his freedom and the constraints of love. The hands that he was given by God that were intended to be used for love would now be used for hate. The wording of the lyrics makes it appear as if it is love that is driving him to make his decision, but in reality, this is satirical language because it is actually selfishness or love of self that is driving him to make his fateful decision. There is another reference here to the stars shining above, which is the symbol of his temptation. It is his self love and his desire to elevate himself above the stars of God that is actually the motive for his decision. This is also demonstrated by the thrice repeated used of “oh my love” to convey that it is self love that is truly driving Lucifer. “So hands that build / Can also pull down / The hands of love.” The same freedom that can produce great good can also produce great evil.

During the performance of Exit before Bono reached the last stanza of the song, he added an interlude from the song Riders on the Storm by the Doors. “Riders on the storm / Riders on the storm / Into this house were born / Riders on the storm / Take a holiday / Let your children play / Take a holiday / Let your children play” Riders on the Storm was written about a serial killer that posed as a hitchhiker in order to kill a family. Bono adds the lines from this song in order to provide a specific example of what is being talked about in the song Exit. Both the serial killer and the family had the same hands of love, which meant that they had a freedom, which they were given for the purpose of doing good and loving others. The family used their freedom to come to the aid of the hitchhiker on the side of the road. The hitchhiker used his freedom to kill the family that offered him the loving assistance. So the hands that build . . . can also pull down . . . the hands of love. Freedom creates the possibility of both great good and great evil. Bono uses the specific lines from Riders on the Storm to further convey this idea. People have been born into this world with freedom, and God has allowed his children to play as they choose.

There is also a secondary meaning to the song Exit that is connected to this primary meaning that I have already discussed. This song is also about how religious people in general do evil. Lucifer was the first religious person to use the hands of love for the purpose of evil, but he was far from the last. Throughout human history there have been many people who have done evil and despicable acts claiming that they were acts of love and under order from God. In reality, these people who committed these acts were really following in the tradition of Lucifer. They used the freedom that they were given by God in order to pursue love of self.

Bono then concludes the performance of the song Exit by singing part of the song Gloria (lyrics) by Van Morrison in a liturgical fashion. Bono says “gloria” and then spells it out “g-l-o-r-i-a.” This liturgical ending offers the proper usage for the hands of love. We are to use them for God’s glory by loving God with all of our being and loving our neighbor as ourself.

(Posted by Trask)