The Joshua Tree

I have owned this album--U2's The Joshua Tree--for many years now, but I had never really had the time to sit down and listen to it thoroughly like I had a couple nights ago. I put this CD on, and one song after another, it reached deep within me and stirred up much emotion. So rather than sharing one song like we usually do, I decided to share this entire album.

I don't know much about Joshua Trees, but from what I know about them, they are found in the deserts of South Western United States (i.e. Nevada, Utah, Arizona, etc.). So I actually researched this tree in this big encyclopedia, and I found that it's believed that Mormons gave the tree its name because it reminded them of Joshua raising his hands to the heavens in the middle of the desert, leading the children of Israel to the Promised Land. Accordingly, the tree has become the driving metaphor for this album. I don't remember the exact verses, but there is a Psalm which depicts a lonely tree (the Joshua Tree, in this case) standing firm in a barren, desolate land that delivers a message of longing and perseverance in a fallen, broken world. The album exhibits this very theme.

The album is littered with songs of depravity, which sit alongside songs of spiritual themes longing for a remedy for the world's brokenness. While all the songs are excellent without a doubt, the former have taken me through this roller-coaster of emotions that I cannot begin to describe. The first of these songs is "Running to Stand Still."



I believe that I have shared this song with at least some of you before; it's probably one of my favorite songs off the album. The song details the internal struggles of a heroin addict. The protagonist of the song is trapped inside a world in which she is suffering (i.e. drug addiction). For many of us going through "similar" situations--while we may not be going through something as extreme as drug addiction--it feels as if we can't change the world in which we're living; there are no more doors open ("I see seven towers, but I only see one way out"). What's that "one way out"? We may feel that if we can't change the conditions of the world in which we're trapped, an alternative would be to live our lives from a different perspective. In the context of this song, the heroin gives the protagonist "heroin eyes," so to speak, to see through. While looking through her new set of eyes, she feels this "high," during which she is temporarily free from her sufferings. This song shows what it feels to be so helpless that in order to cope with our world, we find ourselves willing to embrace a remedy that ultimately promises only destruction. I don't know about you guys, but that idea scares me--and what's scarier is that it's actually true.

Another song that really shook me was "Exit."


I was actually debating for a very long time whether or not to share this song. Unlike any other song that I have ever heard, this song stirred up SO MUCH emotion within me that I had never felt before from a song. The imagery lyrics are literally HAUNTING, and the music only adds to the effect. I'm sorry, but I actually can't write about this song...it has really shaken me like no song has ever done before.

Another song is the closing track about social injustice: "Mothers of the Disappeared."



The song details the military dictatorship in South America, I believe. The lyrics themselves are very disturbing: "In the trees our sons stand naked / Through the walls our daughters cry / See their tears in the rainfall." I have actually just recently done some independent research on Central and Southern American terrorism. There is this thing called the "School of the Americas"--don't let the title fool you, though. As patriotic as it may sound, it is actually a school that trains people to capture and torture those in Central and South America who are considered subversive or dissident to the government. What's even more frightening is that the United States actually supports and backs up this school. This song kind of paints a very disturbing picture of our world in which terror thrives.

As dark and sad as these lyrics are, hope is not completely absent in this album. The first track, "Where the Streets Have No Name," is the anthem of this album, longing for a better place.



This should be a pretty familiar song to most people, I believe. I see this song as an image of Heaven, a refuge where we can "take shelter from the poison rain." I really like the concept of "where the streets have no name." Our society is pretty much divided into different sects of beliefs, religions, race, financial status, gender, etc...you name it; there is no unity. Just by looking at San Francisco, you can almost tell who a person is by examining his neighborhood. Each sect holds its own beliefs, its own set of moral values. Even among Christians, different sects exist--this stemming throughout the history of Christianity (hence, the multitude of denominations and church splits). Inevitably, conflicting values and beliefs between sects lead to disorder, and our world becomes even more shattered--more "streets" with different titles appear. Just listening to this song, though, gives me hope that a place like this does exist--a place "where the streets have no name." It's a beautiful song.

There are many more great songs in this album, but I have a feeling that this entry is getting kind of long. I would love to write about all the songs (they are all EXCELLENT), but I could save some for another time, I guess.

I highly recommend this album to you guys. Listening to the CD was an amazing experience. It has reminded me of the depravity and brokenness that exist in this world. But as hopeless as my world and life may seem, there is hope--God will deliver me. What a great reminder.