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

Brandi Carlile

Brandi CarlileSongwriter Interviews

As a 5-year-old, Brandi was writing lyrics to instrumental versions lullabies. She still puts her heart into her songs, including the one Elton John sings on.

Richard Marx

Richard MarxSongwriter Interviews

Richard explains how Joe Walsh kickstarted his career, and why he chose Hazard, Nebraska for a hit.

Black Sabbath

Black SabbathFact or Fiction

Dwarfs on stage with an oversize Stonehenge set? Dabbling in Satanism? Find out which Spinal Tap-moments were true for Black Sabbath.

Protest Songs

Protest SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know your protest songs (including the one that went to #1)?

Amy Grant

Amy GrantSongwriter Interviews

The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.

Goodbye, Hello: Ten Farewell Tour Fake-Outs

Goodbye, Hello: Ten Farewell Tour Fake-OutsSong Writing

The 10 biggest "retirement tours" that didn't take.