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The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Every Breaking Wave" by the artist "U2"

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In U2's "Every Breaking Wave," Bono reflects on life's cyclical nature, the fear of change, and the inevitability of loss, using the metaphor of waves and tides.

The opening lines speak to the constant state of flux, how every failure is followed by a new attempt. "Summer," representing youth, is portrayed as a time of carefree bravery, contrasting with the present, where the lyrical protagonist feels lost and alone.

The chorus poses the central questions: What happens if the relationship ends, if everyone goes their separate ways? Are we ready to give up chasing illusions, to abandon our familiar defeats?

The image of the sea is presented as both an enemy and a friend, bringing both danger and the possibility of renewal. The sailor knows the treachery of the sea, but is not afraid of it, just as the shipwrecked survivor does not give up on life after loss.

The lines about the captain, whose voice is difficult to hear while "preaching," suggest that in trying to guide others, we often fail to hear the advice directed at ourselves.

The final verse returns to the central theme: the fear of change and the escape from love. The lyrical protagonist confesses to being afraid of victory, which could lead to loss. He acknowledges that they "like to lose," clinging to the familiar patterns of heartbreak and disappointment.

The repeated question "Are we ready to be swept off our feet / And stop chasing every breaking wave?" leaves us pondering the possibility of surrendering to the unknown, of embracing change even at the risk of getting hurt.

Every breaking wave on the shore,

Tells the next one there'll be one more.

Every gambler knows that to lose,

It's what you're really there for.

Summer I was fearless.

Now I speak into an answer phone.

Like every falling leaf on the breeze,

Winter wouldn't leave it alone, alone.

If you go

If you go your way and I go mine?

Are we so?

Are we so helpless against the tide?

Baby every dog on the street

Knows that we're in love with defeat.

Are we ready to be swept off our feet

And stop chasing

Every breaking wave.

Every sailor knows that the sea

Is a friend made enemy.

Every shipwrecked soul,

Knows what it is to live without intimacy.

I thought I heard the captain's voice.

It's hard to listen while you preach.

Like every broken wave on the shore,

This is as far as I could reach

If you go

If you go your way and I go mine

Are we so?

Are we so helpless against the tide?

Baby every dog on the street

Knows that we're in love with defeat.

Are we ready to be swept off our feet

And stop chasing

Every breaking wave.

The sea knows where are the rocks

And drowning is no sin.

You know where my heart is,

The same place that yours has been.

We know that we fear to win

And so we end before we begin.

Before we begin.

If you go?

If you go your way and I go mine?

Are we so?

Are we so helpless against the tide?

Baby every dog on the street

Knows that we're in love with defeat.

Are we ready to be swept off our feet

And stop chasing

Every breaking wave.

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