Jesus and Judas in the U2 Song "Until the End of the World"

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Jesus and Judas in the U2 Song "Until the End of the World"

Sunday, November 08, 2009 by Taylor Marshall | E-mail this post

I ain't gonna lie. I've been addicted to U2 every since their concert a few weeks ago at Cowboys Stadium. Basically, I've been on a diet of U2 albums ever since.

So on Thursday, I was listening to U2's album Achtung Baby. The song was "Until the End of the World." I always assumed it was about a guy singing to a girl was melancholic or something. However, I realized that the song could also be a ballad to Jesus in the voice of Judas Iscariot. Tell me if you agree. Why not listen to the song while you read on:

Until The End Of The World by U2

Play song from Lala.com
Achtung Baby - 1991 - 4:38

Here are the song's lyrics. The original lyrics are in black. My comments are in red.

[Judas begins the ballad]
Haven't seen you for quite a while
I was down the hole just passing time
Last time we met was a low-lit room [they were in the upper room]
We were as close together as a bride and groom
We ate the food, we drank the wine [the Last Supper; the Eucharist]
Everybody having a good time
Except you [Except for Jesus]
You [Jesus] were talking about the end of the world [Luke 22:18 "I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."]

I took the money [Mt 26:15" And they paid Judas thirty pieces of silver."]
I spiked your drink
You miss too much these days if you stop to think
You lead me on with those innocent eyes
You know I love the element of surprise
In the garden I was playing the tart [Jesus was betrayed in the Garden of Gethsemane]
I kissed your lips and broke your heart [Judas betrayed Christ with a kiss]
You
You were acting like it was the end of the world [Luke 22:53 Jesus said them "But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."]

Love...love...love...love...love...love...
Love...love...love...love...love...love...

[I take this next verse to be the regret of Judas and his suicide]
In my dream I was drowning my sorrows
But my sorrows, they learned to swim
Surrounding me, going down on me
Spilling over the brim
Waves of regret, waves of joy
I reached out for the one I tried to destroy [Judas tried to destroy Jesus]
You, you [i.e. Jesus] said you'd wait till the end of the world.

[This last part is ambiguous. Is it referring to Christ's resolve to not drink of the fruit of the vine until the end? Is it referring to the cross? Is it indicating that Christ somehow reaches back to Judas in a gesture of salvation? I don't know.]

So what do you think? Am I reading into too much or is there something there? I think that it seems pretty clear, but it's also overlaid a love story of some sort.

Labels: Christology, Music, U2