new U2 song: The Sound of Watchman Nee's Girly Boots From the Future

Of course, many want to know what I think about the new single by

The worship band formerly known as The Hype.

The answer, as always, has to be a combination of

1)I love it (I mean, it's U2. There's only one song of theirs I really don't do)

2)I don't know yet (I am just now beginning to appreciate the first single from the last album in a new way!!)

Some thoughts so far on "Get On Your Boots," before debuting (for a few of you) the audio and lyrics at the bottom of the page:

1)Glad for the new vibe..and/or old vibe.

The many comparisons to "Actungopapop" (90s U2),

as well as Dylan's "Subterrannean Homesick Blues," Elvis Costello's "Pump It Up"

and (unfortunately) an old song many are claiming it was lifted from.
.

are all partly true..

but so are (partly) the comparisons to Talking Heads, Toby Mac (first thing my son said at the "Let me in the sound" outro) and ...(gulp)Brittney Spears..

2)Lyrically, it feels like..

among other things, as always..

prayer or pray-able

(which the last section spells out).

Maybe it's a prayer that we would be open to how God is wanting to use any who desire to be used...

particularly prophetic women....

in this next season of the world/wineskin/economy/emergence to move us beyond culture wars, gender wars and literal wars ("wars between nations)."

On the women leading the way, I amen it
(see "Banning Women/Missional Chicks");
I think the whole song might even be midrash on Bono's speech to the Women's Conference :

...but I do lament that "sexy boots" can sound, well, sexist. I think however, the sexiness is related to Bono's frequent comments about the unsexiness of justice issues and social action...
I guess if one issues a call to war against war ("Sunday Bloody Sunday" as a violent/militant anthem to peace/pacifism, etc etc), the best image/imagery to invoke must be subversive, too:

war boots aren't usually sexy.
On the boots, this post I did was a spoof, but I can't help but wonder of Bono was tracking with the Isaiah 9:6 use of boots.

I am intrigued by the seguing/splicing (Beth is hilarious here: "It's the JEDP theory of U2!")
onto the end of it the whole "Let me in the sound/God, I'm going down/drown" psalm of supplication.

onto the end the whole "Let me in the sound/God, I'm going down/drown" psalm of supplication.

Matt McGee has called attention to the drowning man motif throughout the U2 canon; Beth picks it up here:

I had never seen that article on drowning imagery by Matt, and it's quite interesting. It also brought the line "lookin' for a sound that's gonna drown out the world" to the forefront of my mind -- there's another abstract "sound" like the one in the GOYB chant, and "drown" is right there both times. Whatever that means.

I have a theory, as I think you know, that the title "Drowning Man" is a Watchman Nee reference drawn from a memorable use of drowning as a spiritual image in his "The Normal Christian Life." Would be interesting to see how Matt would factor that one in to his article.
Beth

I have to wonder how many U2 songs are still wrestling with his mom ,
Jesus, Shalom, and Watchman Nee.
Maybe as many as all.
The "sound" to me is:

• the musical sound Bono has often mentioned "looking for a sound to drown out the world."
• a reference to string theory ("The universe is at base, sound/music" (Len Sweet), and thus:
• a cry to be let into God's sound/voice/strings at its very creation, core, and chaotic creativity. (see "The Divine Voice,"an amazing theology of sound, and Sweet's seminal "Summoned to Lead"). Perhaps we can only hear/see God's voice/sound when we pray/act in holy synesthesia...some amazing biblical precedence there.
  

This "sound" prayer may well be the answer to Switchfoot's complaint that in our day and age, "Nothing is Sound."

Satan loves to drop bomb and soundscares here,
but they can't scare godly men and sound women.

In the sound of God's sound,
even in the deep waters of a sound (as in "Long Island Sound") one is drowning in,
everything is sound.

Let me in, too.

By the way that "women of the future" seem to get God's sound/revelation.
of course,
such women are fundamentally FROM the future
(see emotional music from a creative future,
and
THE KINGDOM’S RETROACTIVE RETROFUTURE: SEND ME MORE ARROWS
and recall Bono's African prophecy (the only I time I find where Bono specifically claimed to be prophesying) about/from the future:

I'm an artist not a politician. But I prophesy that what was once impossible is possible. I prophesy that I will probably drink one too many red wines this evening. I'm sure, maybe, some people might dance on the tables.

'I prophesy that a day is coming when there will be no HIV.

'I prophesy that this jewel of a kingdom is soon to become a giant.

'Colin Powell once said that the greatest weapon of mass destruction is a virus called HIV. But no WMD could break the spirit I feel in this room. God is in the house, I feel.'

.. 'The future is here. Didn't you feel it?'
link

That prophecy may well be what "Boots" is all about fulfilling.
On to the song (official lyrics and audio here):

The future needs a big kiss
Winds blows with a twist
Never seen a moon like this
Can you see it too
Night is falling everywhere
Rockets at the fun fair
Satan loves a bomb scare
But he won’t scare you
Hey, sexy boots
Get on your boots, yeah
You free me from the dark dream
Candy floss, ice cream
All our kids are screaming
But the ghosts aren’t real
Here’s where we gotta be
Love and community
Laughter is eternity
If joy is real
You don’t know how beautiful
You don’t know how beautiful you are
You don’t know and you don’t get it, do you
No, you don't know how beautiful
You don't know
You don’t know how beautiful you are
That’s someone’s stuff they’re blowing up
We’re into growing up
Women of the future
Hold the big revelations
I got a submarine
You got gasoline
I don’t want to talk about
Wars between nations
Not right now
Hey sexy boots, yeah
No, no, no
Get on your boots, yeah
Not right now
Bossy boots
You don’t know how beautiful
You don’t know how beautiful you are
You don’t know and you don’t get it, do you
No, you don't know how beautiful
You don't know
You don’t know how beautiful you are
Sexy boots
I don’t want to talk about
The wars between the nations
Sexy boots, yeah
Let me in the sound
Let me in the sound
Let me in the sound, sound
Let me in the sound, sound
Let me in the sound
Let me in the sound
Let me in the sound, now
God, I’m going down
I don’t wanna drown now
Meet me in the sound
Let me in the sound
Let me in the sound
Let me in the sound, sound
Let me in the sound, sound
Meet me in the sound
Get on your boots
Get on your boots
Get on your boots
Yeah hey hey
Get on your boots
Yeah hey hey
Get on your boots
Yeah hey hey
Get on your boots
Yeah hey hey