My third favorite U2 song is Gone. I love the lyrics to Gone, but my favorite (and one of my favorite lyrics of any song) is “What you thought was freedom is just greed.“ I also love Gone because it reminds me of Elvis Presley, my other passion. He always felt guilty for all that he had because he did not feel he deserved it. He always wondered why God had chosen him to be Elvis Presley – “You get to feel so guilty. Got so much for so little. Then you find that feeling just won’t go away.” To me, Gone is about trying not to lose yourself as you make your journey through life. Matthew 16:26 says, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” Gone says, “You wanted to get somewhere so badly you had to lose yourself along the way,” and ends with, “I’ll be up with the sun. Are you still holding on? I’m not coming down.” To me, this means that he is happy because he is up with God, and is asking if you are still holding on to the things that are holding you back from being happy, from being with God.
You get to feel so guilty
Got so much for so little
Then you find that feeling just won’t go away.
You’re holding on to every little thing so tightly
Till there’s nothing left for you anyway.
Goodbye, you can keep this suit of lights
I’ll be up with the sun
I’m not coming down.
You wanted to get somewhere so badly
You had to lose yourself along the way.
You changed your name
Well that’s okay, it’s necessary
And what you leave behind you don’t miss anyway.
Goodbye, you can keep this suit of lights
I’ll be up with the sun
I’m not coming down.
‘Cause I’m already gone
Felt that way all along.
Closer to you every day
I didn’t want it that much anyway.
You’re taking steps that make you feel dizzy
Then you learn to like the way it feels.
You hurt yourself, you hurt your lover
Then you discover
What you thought was freedom is just greed.
Goodbye, and it’s an emotional
Goodnight, I’ll be up with the sun.
Are you still holding on?
I’m not coming down.
For this series I am writing about my spiritual journey with U2, I have decided to first write about my favorite U2 songs in relation to theology and then go through each U2 album. So Gone is not the most religious of U2 songs, but it is one of my favorites. Don’t worry I will get to the more obvious religious U2 songs, so please keep reading each Sunday.
