Please – English Lyrics

• By: U2
• Album: Pop

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the poignant lyrics and compelling context of U2's "Please," a song born from the heart of the Northern Ireland conflict. Delve into Bono's evocative storytelling, understand the historical backdrop, and discover how this song serves as a powerful lesson in empathy and the urgent need for peace.

[English]

So you never knew love

Until you crossed the line of grace

And you never felt wanted

'Til you'd someone slap your face

And you never felt alive

Until you'd almost wasted away

You had to win, you couldn't just pass

The smartest ass at the top of the class

Your flying colours, your family tree

And all your lessons in history

Please, please, please

Get up off your knees, now please

Please, please

Please, leave it out

So you never knew

How low you'd stoop

To make that call

And you never knew

What was on the ground

'Til they made you crawl

So you never knew

That the heaven you keep you stole

Your Catholic blues, your convent shoes

Your stick-on tattoos, now they're making the news

Your holy war, your northern star

Your sermon on the mount from the boot of your car

Please, please, please

Get up off your knees, now please

Please, please

Please, leave it out

Cause love is pain

And love is time

But love is not

What you'll think of

Oh

September, streets capsizing

Spilling over, down the drains

Shards of glass, splinters like rain

But you could only feel your own pain

October, talk getting nowhere

November, December

Remember, oh, we just started again

Please, please, please

Get up off your knees, now please

Please, please

Please, leave it out

Cause love is big

It's bigger than us

But love is not

What you're thinking of

It's what love is, yeah

It's what love is, yeah

You know I found it hard to receive

Cause you, my love

I could never believe

Key Grammar Structures

• So you never knew love

  ➔ Past simple with 'never'

  ➔ The phrase 'never knew' uses the past simple to describe an action that did not happen in the past, emphasizing a lack of experience or knowledge.

• Until you crossed the line of grace

  ➔ Past simple with 'until'

  ➔ The use of 'until' with the past simple indicates a point in time when a condition was met, changing the situation.

• Please, please, please

  ➔ Repetition for emphasis

  ➔ The repetition of 'please' is used to emphasize the urgency or intensity of the request.

• Your flying colours, your family tree

  ➔ Possessive determiners

  ➔ The words 'your' are possessive determiners, showing ownership or association with the subject.

• Cause love is pain

  ➔ Present simple with 'is'

  ➔ The present simple with 'is' is used to make a general statement about the nature of love.

• But love is not what you'll think of

  ➔ Negation with 'is not'

  ➔ The phrase 'is not' is used to negate the following idea, emphasizing what love is not.

• Remember, oh, we just started again

  ➔ Interjection and present simple

  ➔ The interjection 'oh' adds emotion, while 'we just started again' uses the present simple to describe a recent action.

• It's what love is, yeah

  ➔ Contraction and emphasis with 'yeah'

  ➔ The contraction 'it's' is used for brevity, and 'yeah' adds informal emphasis to the statement.