: While Bono escaped, one of his friends was around the corner with his father and witnessed the aftermath. The experience deeply affected his friend and helped shape Bono's lifelong preoccupation with the psychological impact of political violence.
: Bono has stated that realizing his teenage life was dominated by memories of violence was disturbing, suggesting it may be the origin of his drive to write protest songs. U2 - Raised By Wolves
: A central lyric, "The worst things in the world are justified by belief," critiques how religious or political ideologies are often used to excuse atrocities. : While Bono escaped, one of his friends
: The lyrics include hauntingly specific details, such as the registration plate of a blue Ford Escort used in the attacks ( 1385-WZ ). Meaning and Themes : A central lyric, "The worst things in
: Bono has recounted that on any other Friday, he would have been at a record shop on the very street where one of the bombs detonated. On that particular day, he happened to cycle to school instead, narrowly missing the explosion at 5:30 PM.
Watch U2 perform this powerful track live in Paris, where the song served as a central point of their iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour:
The song explores how violence and belief can corrupt innocence: