Peter: My Bad

Can you hear U2's  "Bad" as narrated by  Peter?

I know it is widely acknowledged that this song is about Gareth Spaulding who was a friend of Bono that died because of a heroin overdose: “I wrote the words about a friend of mine, his name was Gareth Spaulding. And on his twentyfirst birthday he and his friends decided to give themselves a present of enough heroine into his veins to kill him. This song is called ‘Bad’” (comments Bono made at a show in Sweden in 1987). However, I cannot escape a simultaneous connection with the experience of the apostle Peter after he tried to protect Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. “Where in the world are you getting that?” you may ask. Well, picking up on the Judas experience in “Until the End of the World” from Achtung Baby, I thought it wouldn’t be strange for Bono to identify failings and regrets of others around Jesus, particularly those viewed positively. What really hit me was the refrain “I’m wide awake, I’m not sleeping”. At first, I began to think of the Transfiguration, where Peter, James, and John fell asleep praying (seeLuke 9:30-33). But then I also thought of the other occurrence of sleeping during prayer while they were in the Garden (see Luke 22:44-46). Thus, I got the thought that perhaps “Bad” was Peter rehearsing after the fact what he would do if he could do it again. He had limited his scope on Jesus and the nature of his kingdom to the extent that in both of the events mentioned above, he ends up making suggestions that in restrospect are so bone-headed both of which are intended to keep Jesus around rather than let him go. Anyway, that seemed to fit with the verbage of the song, particularly the fact that he was now “wide awake”. Perhaps I’m wacked out, but Bono is accustomed to weaving different layers into his lyrics so I personally wouldn’t put it past him. I also wouldn’t bank on it. But, whatever.  link, Davesexegesis.com?

See also:

U2 - Bad Lyrics | SongMeanings

You may have noticed like with other songs, Bono in the 2000s has done some historical revisionism with his lyrics, giving them a more obviously positive Christian theme ( see 

cursing God's staff and revisionist U2 history, 

classic example is "The First Time").

 Have you noticed with newer versions of "Bad," he has for this section:

If I could, you know I would
If I could, I would let it go 
This separation
Separation
Isolation
revelation

substituted:

If I could, you know I would
If I could, I would let it go 
This separation
Separation
Isolation
Not revelation
Isolation
Not revelation 
Isolation