See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side
I'll wait for you
Slight of hand and a twist of fate
On a bed of nails she makes me wait
And I wait without you
With or without you
With or without you, yeah
Through the storm we reach the shore
You give it all, but I want more
And I'm waiting for you, ooh, ooh
With or without you
With or without you, oh, oh
I can't live
With or without you, yeah
And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give
And you give
And you give yourself away
With or without you
With or without you, oh, oh
I can't live
With or without you
My hands are tied, my body bruised
She got me with
Nothing to win and
Nothing left to lose
And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give
And you give
And you give yourself away
With or without you
With or without you, oh, oh
I can't live
With or without you, you you
With or without you
With or without you, oh, oh
I can't live
With or without you
With or without you
Yeah, yeah, yeah
We'll shine like stars in the summer night
We'll shine like stars in the winter night
One heart, one hope (Hold up)
Hold it
Now I hope everything's okay down at the front here
Because nobody gets into trouble at a U2 concert
Nobody gets hurt at a U2 concert!
And only we get hurt if somebody else gets hurt, okay?
What is this stuff?
Teargas
I thought we'd enough tears in this song
With or without you
With or without you, oh, oh
I can't live
With or without you, yeah
Love, love will tear us apart again
Love, love, love, love, love
I was strollin' down past Paris Way
I walked through the streets
In the light of the day
I knew that summer had arrived
When I saw your eyes
When I see you
Well, I hope that it was good
As it was good for me, as it was good for you
That it was good for me, yeah
Love, love will tear us apart again
Yeah, love, love will tear us apart again
Without you
With or without you, oh, oh
I can't live
With or without you
With or without you
With or without you, oh, oh
I can't live
With or without you
Thank you
Thank you goodnight, God bless you
With or without you
With or without you, oh, oh
I can't live
With or without you
With or without you
Thank you, goodnight, merci beaucoup, thank you!
Thank you very much, thank you
Goodnight, thanks a lot
About This Song
"With or Without You" is a haunting exploration of romantic obsession and emotional paralysis, where love becomes both salvation and torment. The song captures the protagonist trapped in a relationship that simultaneously sustains and destroys him-he cannot bear to stay, yet cannot imagine leaving, creating a psychological prison of codependency. Bono's lyrics weave religious imagery ("thorn," "bed of nails") with intimate vulnerability, suggesting that this love affair has become a form of martyrdom where pain and devotion are inseparable. The musical arrangement mirrors this emotional tension through The Edge's shimmering, ethereal guitar work built on delays and reverb, creating an atmosphere that feels both expansive and claustrophobic. Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno's production emphasizes space and restraint, with Adam Clayton's hypnotic bassline and Larry Mullen Jr.'s steady drumbeat providing a relentless pulse that suggests the inescapable cycle of the relationship. The song's genius lies in its contradiction-the title itself embodies the impossible choice between equally unbearable options, while the music builds to cathartic release without offering resolution. This emotional authenticity, combined with U2's ability to make personal anguish feel universal, helped the song become their biggest hit and a defining anthem of 1980s alternative rock. The track's enduring power stems from its honest portrayal of how love can become an addiction that we simultaneously crave and fear will destroy us.
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