A Celebration – English Lyrics

• By: U2

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the rebellious spirit of early U2 with 'A Celebration.' This energetic track offers a great opportunity to explore the English language through its powerful and sometimes controversial lyrics. You can learn vocabulary related to belief, freedom, and societal challenges, all while experiencing the raw energy that defined the band's formative years. The song is special for its unapologetic message of hope in the midst of adversity, a theme that has remained central to U2's music.

[English]

(upbeat music)

♪ Shake, shake ♪

♪♪♪

♪ Don't go ♪

♪ I believe in a celebration ♪

♪ I believe you set me free ♪

♪ I believe you can loose these chains ♪

♪ I believe you can dance with me ♪

♪ Dance with me ♪

♪ Shake, shake ♪

♪ Shake, shake ♪

♪ I believe in the third world war ♪

♪ I believe in the atomic bomb ♪

♪ I believe in the powers that be ♪

♪ But they won't overpower me ♪

♪ And you And you can go there too ♪

♪ And you And you can go, go, go, go ♪

♪ Shake, shake ♪

♪ Shake, shake ♪

♪♪♪

♪ And we dance out of time ♪

♪ And everything goes round and round ♪

♪ And we don't have the time ♪

♪ To watch the world go tumbling down ♪

♪ La la la la la la ♪

♪ La la la la la la ♪

♪♪♪

♪ Don't go ♪

♪ I believe in the bells of Christchurch ♪

♪ Ringing for this land ♪

♪ I believe in the cells of Mount Joy ♪

♪ There's an honest man ♪

♪ And you And you can go there too ♪

♪ And you And you can go, go, go, go ♪

♪ I believe in the walls of Jericho ♪

♪ I believe they're coming down ♪

♪ I believe in this city's children ♪

♪ I believe the trumpet's sound ♪

♪ And you And you can go there too ♪

♪ And you And you can go go go go ♪

♪ I believe in what I'm doing ♪

♪ What am I doing here ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
shake /ʃeɪk/ A1	verb - to move back and forth or from side to side with quick, short movements
believe /bɪˈliːv/ A2	verb - to accept that something is true
free /friː/ A2	adjective - not under the control or power of another
dance /dæns/ A2	verb - to move rhythmically to music
chains /tʃeɪnz/ B1	noun - metal links used for fastening or security noun - something that restricts freedom
war /wɔːr/ B1	noun - a state of armed conflict
bomb /bɒm/ B1	noun - an explosive weapon
power /ˈpaʊər/ B1	noun - the ability to control people or events
time /taɪm/ A2	noun - the indefinite continued progress of existence
world /wɜːld/ A2	noun - the earth and all life on it
land /lænd/ A2	noun - the part of the earth's surface that is not covered by water
cells /selz/ B2	noun - the smallest structural and functional unit of an organism noun - a small room where prisoners are kept
walls /wɔːlz/ A2	noun - vertical structures that define and enclose an area
children /ˈtʃɪldrən/ A1	noun - young human beings
trumpet /ˈtrʌmpɪt/ B1	noun - a brass musical instrument with a bright, piercing tone
doing /ˈduːɪŋ/ A2	verb - performing an action

Key Grammar Structures

• I believe you set me free

  ➔ Omitted 'that' in object clauses

  ➔ The conjunction "that" is often omitted in informal English after verbs like 'believe, think, say, know' when introducing a noun clause (also called an object clause). The meaning remains the same: I believe (that) you set me free.

• I believe you can loose these chains

  ➔ Modal verb 'can' for ability/possibility

  ➔ The modal verb "can" is used here to express the ability or possibility of the subject "you" to 'loose these chains'.

• But they won't overpower me

  ➔ Future Simple (negative) for prediction/determination

  ➔ "Won't" is the contraction of 'will not', used here to express a future negative action, conveying a sense of prediction or determination that something will not happen.

• And you can go there too

  ➔ Modal verb 'can' for permission/option

  ➔ Here, "can" indicates that the subject "you" has the permission or the option to 'go there', suggesting a choice or an allowed action.

• To watch the world go tumbling down

  ➔ Infinitive of purpose + Perception verb + Bare infinitive / Present participle

  ➔ "To watch" is an infinitive of purpose, explaining why something is done. The structure "watch the world go tumbling down" uses a perception verb ('watch') followed by an object ('the world') and then a bare infinitive ('go') or a present participle ('tumbling down') to describe an action being observed.

• Ringing for this land

  ➔ Present Participle as an adjective/reduced relative clause

  ➔ "Ringing" is a present participle modifying 'bells' (from the previous line 'bells of Christchurch'), functioning like an adjective or as part of a reduced relative clause (e.g., 'bells which are ringing'). It describes an ongoing action.

• There's an honest man

  ➔ 'There is/are' for introducing existence

  ➔ "There's" (a contraction of 'there is') is used to introduce the existence of something or someone, specifically 'an honest man' in this context.

• I believe in what I'm doing

  ➔ Noun clause as object of a preposition + Present Continuous

  ➔ "What I'm doing" is a noun clause (a 'wh-clause') acting as the object of the preposition "in". Within this clause, "I'm doing" is in the present continuous tense, indicating an action happening at the moment or around the present time.

• I believe they're coming down

  ➔ Present Continuous for future arrangements/predictions

  ➔ Although the present continuous ("they're coming down") often describes actions happening now, it can also be used to talk about future events that are already planned, arranged, or seem imminent, implying a strong prediction.

• And everything goes round and round

  ➔ Present Simple for general truth/habit + Idiomatic expression

  ➔ The Present Simple tense ("goes") is used here to describe a general truth or a habitual action. "Round and round" is an idiomatic expression that emphasizes continuous circular motion.