Every Breaking Wave
by U2

Album: Songs of Innocence (2014)
Play Video
  • Every breaking wave on the shore
    Tells the next one there'll be one more
    And every gambler knows that to lose
    Is what you're really there for

    Summer I was fearless
    Now I speak into an answer phone
    Like every fallen leaf on the breeze
    Winter wouldn't leave it alone
    Alone

    If you go
    If you go your way and I go mine
    Are we so
    Are we so helpless against the tide
    Baby, every dog on the street
    Knows that we're in love with defeat
    Are we ready to be swept off our feet
    And stop chasing every breaking wave

    Every sailor knows that the sea
    Is a friend made enemy
    And every shipwrecked soul knows what it is
    To live without intimacy

    I thought I heard the captain's voice
    But it's hard to listen while you preach
    Like every broken wave on the shore
    This is as far as I could reach

    If you go
    If you go your way and I go mine
    Are we so
    Are we so helpless against the tide
    Baby, every dog on the street
    Knows that we're in love with defeat
    Are we ready to be swept off our feet
    And stop chasing every breaking wave

    The sea knows where are the rocks
    And drowning is no sin
    You know where my heart is
    The same place that yours has been
    And we know that we fear to win
    And so we end before we begin
    Before we begin

    If you go
    If you go your way and I go mine
    Are we so
    Are we so helpless against the tide
    Baby, every dog on the street
    Knows that we're in love with defeat
    Are we ready to be swept off our feet
    And stop chasing every breaking wave Writer/s: Adam Clayton, Dave Evans, Larry Mullen, Paul David Hewson
    Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 2

  • John G from Los AngelesIs it really "... every dog on the street / Knows that we're in love with DEFEAT"? I think it sounds like he's saying "deep sea" (as if to say 'in over our heads'), which (to me) goes better with the rest of the song than "defeat."
  • Nick from La Paz, BoliviaBest song from the album! Very U2, haunting with it's imagery. They still got it!
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

Grateful Dead Characters

Grateful Dead CharactersMusic Quiz

Many unusual folks appear in Grateful Dead songs. Can you identify them?

Michael W. Smith

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."

Muhammad Ali: His Musical Legacy and the Songs he Inspired

Muhammad Ali: His Musical Legacy and the Songs he InspiredSong Writing

Before he was the champ, Ali released an album called I Am The Greatest!, but his musical influence is best heard in the songs he inspired.

Who Did It First?

Who Did It First?Music Quiz

Do you know who recorded the original versions of these ten hit songs?

Kip Winger

Kip WingerSongwriter Interviews

The Winger frontman reveals the Led Zeppelin song he cribbed for "Seventeen," and explains how his passion for orchestra music informs his songwriting.