“Release” by Pearl Jam

Ten
Epic Records
1991

This is a beautiful song telling the story of people who obeyed God including Noah, Abraham, and Jesus. The character in each story struggles with the desire to be released from their responsibility. Noah seeks release from his task of building the ark, Abraham with the command to kill his son, and Jesus from execution.

I see the world

Feel the chill

Which way to go

Windowsill

I see the world's on a

Rocking horse of time

I see the birds in the rain

Dear dad

Can you see me now?

I am myself

Like you somehow

I'll ride the wave

Where it takes me

I'll hold the pain

Release me

Dear Dad

Can you see me now?

I am myself

Like you somehow

I'll wait up in the dark

For you to speak to me

I'll open up

Release me

Interpretation

I see the world

Feel the chill

Which way to go

Windowsill

I see the world's on a

Rocking horse of time

I see the birds in the rain

God commands Noah to build a big boat and he obeys. Noah surveys “the world” around him and “feels the chill” meaning the wickedness of the people as well as the destruction caused by the flood. After the flood destroys the evil of human civilization, Noah wonders where to go since they are floating aimlessly. He then muses about the nature of reality and describes the movement of God in creation as a “rocking horse of time” meaning the tilt from creation to the flood and now back to a fresh start. The “birds in the rain” signifies the birds that brought proof of dry land or, in a veiled way, it could be Noah anticipating the coming of Messiah (the dove at Jesus’ baptism).

Dear dad

Can you see me now?

I am myself

Like you somehow

I'll ride the wave

Where it takes me

I'll hold the pain

Next, is Abraham’s story. The familiarity with which he addresses God exhibits their intimacy. God has just asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac and Abraham is poised to follow through. He describes himself as “like” God comparing his own sacrifice to God’s sending of his only son to be executed. In this way they are similar. Abraham promises to follow God’s order (“ride the wave where it takes me”) despite the fact that it will be hurt. Abraham is prepared to bear this burden (“hold the pain”).

Release me

This line is sung by Noah and Abraham as a request to be excused from the task or (like Jesus on the cross saying ‘into your hands I commit my spirit’) it could be a declaration of complete surrender to God’s will; a statement of readiness to obey God’s commands.

Dear Dad

Can you see me now?

I am myself

Like you somehow

I'll wait up in the dark

For you to speak to me

I'll open up

There are two possible speakers here. The first is Jesus in the garden crying out to God (his “Dad”) to “speak” to him. Jesus prays for the cup, or his impending execution, to be removed from him. Jesus prays in the garden all night, listening for God. The second possible speaker is a generic narrator who is in turmoil over something God calls him to do. He asks if God sees him, understands that the agony he is experiencing is “somehow” like Jesus in the garden. The narrator promises to “wait” patiently throughout the “dark” of the night to hear God “speak. He promises to “open up”, to submit to God.

Release me

Jesus asks God to release him from the responsibility of the cross and the other speaker asks to be released from his painful duty. But all of these speakers when they say, “release me”, are also surrendering to God. Their request is also to be released from their doubt and strengthened as they obey.

“Until the End of the World” by U2

Achtung Baby
Island Records
1991

Sung from Judas’ perspective, this song explores his betrayal of Christ. The sexual images employed throughout the song signify an intimate relationship between Jesus and Judas and imply that Judas’ motive in betrayal is more complex than greed. We are led to consider whether Judas betrayed Jesus for money, love, or religion.

Haven't seen you in quite a while

I was down the hold just passing time

Last time we met was a low-lit room

We were as close together

As a bride and groom

We ate the food, we drank the wine

Everybody having a good time

Except you

You were talking

About the end of the world

I took the money, I spiked your drink

You miss too much these days

If you stop to think

You lead me on with those innocent eyes

You know I love the element of surprise

In the garden

I was playing the tart

I kissed your lips and broke your heart

You, you were acting

Like it was the end of the world

Love

In my dream I was drowning my sorrows

But my sorrows, they learned to swim

Surrounding me, going down on me

Spilling over the brim

Waves of regret and waves of joy

I reached out for the one

I tried to destroy

You, you said you'd wait

Till the end of the world

Interpretation

Haven't seen you in quite a while

I was down the hold just passing time

Last time we met was a low-lit room

We were as close together

As a bride and groom

The opening scene finds Judas greeting Jesus in the garden prior to betraying him. Judas hasn’t seen Jesus recently because he was secretly plotting with the chief priests. He brushes off his absence by saying we was “down the hold just passing time” or simply twiddling his thumbs. Judas reminds him the last time they were together was during the last supper where Judas was seated near Jesus (“close together as a bride and groom”).

We ate the food, we drank the wine

Everybody having a good time

Except you

You were talking

About the end of the world

Judas recalls the last supper where everyone was feeling pretty good about things. Most still had wrong ideas about Jesus and were probably expecting armed rebellion until Jesus started talking about his impending death. Maybe Jesus’ words led Judas to take the route he did. “The end of the world” refers to the disciple’s perception that if Jesus died their hopes for an earthly Jewish kingdom would die as well. Maybe Judas wanted to force Jesus into action or maybe he was furious at the idea of Jesus leaving them.

I took the money, I spiked your drink

You miss too much these days

If you stop to think

You lead me on with those innocent eyes

You know I love the element of surprise

Spiking Jesus’ drink (stealing money from the treasury and/or the betrayal) is retaliation for Judas’ disappointment with Jesus as Messiah. Jesus enticed Judas with “innocent eyes”, like a lover playing hard to get. Messiah was to establish God’s kingdom on earth and Judas avidly believed Jesus could be that person so he followed him like a lover enjoying being flirted with. Judas ultimately felt disillusioned and deceived as if Jesus used his power of attraction to lure Judas into a foolhardy cause.

In the garden

I was playing the tart

I kissed your lips and broke your heart

You, you were acting

Like it was the end of the world

Back in the garden, Judas proceeds with the betrayal. Judas describes himself as a “tart”, or prostitute, in that he approaches Jesus as a friend but had ulterior motives. We aren’t told what that motive could be. There are two possibilities. The first is that Judas is a Zealot who expects Messiah to be a military conqueror. Judas hands Jesus over to the authorities to force this violence to a head. The second possibility is that Judas loves Jesus beyond the normal devotion of a disciple. Judas then went crazy when Jesus started talking about his own death (the “end of the world”) and betrayed him in a fit of anger.

Love

This single word suggests that Judas loved Jesus and didn’t intend for him to be executed. Judas either wanted Jesus to fight or he wanted to get back at him for scorning his love.

In my dream I was drowning my sorrows

But my sorrows, they learned to swim

Surrounding me, going down on me

Spilling over the brim

After the betrayal, Judas regrets his actions. The nightmare he created is overwhelming him; his “sorrows” are crushing him, they’ve “learned to swim”. Judas is highly distressed and once again sexual imagery describes this tremendous agony. The scene depicts a chaotic sort of demonic orgy within Judas.

Waves of regret and waves of joy

I reached out for the one

I tried to destroy

You, you said you'd wait

Till the end of the world

Even in his grief—leading to suicide—Judas realizes that Jesus was more than even he imagined hence the “waves of joy”. At the end of his rope (no pun intended), Judas reaches out for the redemption Jesus offers implying that it’s available even to the person who betrayed Jesus.

“The World I Know” by Collective Soul

Collective Soul
Atlantic Records
1994

This song describes the narrator's awakening from the only world he's known to emerge in the the breathtaking reality of God’s kingdom.

Has our conscience shown?

Has the sweet breeze blown?

Has all the kindness gone?

Hope still lingers on

I drink myself of newfound pity

Sitting alone in New York City

And I don't know why

Are we listening

To hymns of offering?

Have we eyes to see

That love is gathering?

All the words that I've been reading

Have now started the act of bleeding

Into one

So I walk up on high

And I step to the edge

To see my world below

And I laugh at myself

As the tears roll down

'Cause it's the world I know

It's the world I know

I drink myself of newfound pity

Sitting alone in New York City

And I don't know why

So I walk up on high

And I step to the edge

To see my world below

And I laugh at myself

As the tears roll down

'Cause it's the world I know

It's the world I know

Interpretation

Has our conscience shown?
Has the sweet breeze blown?
Has all the kindness gone?
Hope still lingers on
The narrator wonders if society is too far gone to be saved. The world has ignored its conscience so we haven't experienced any "sweet breeze" of friendship, peace, or even "kindness". The story of civilization is hate, warfare, and death. Despite this grim realization, the narrator still has hope that it can be different.

I drink myself of newfound pity
Sitting alone in New York City
And I don't know why

Alone and wallowing in sorrow and self “pity”, the narrator laments the state of the world. He wants to know why the world is in such a state of brutality, but answers escape him; he doesn’t “know why”.

Are we listening
To hymns of offering?
Have we eyes to see
That love is gathering?

Next, the narrator wonders if we as humans (or maybe Christians specifically) recognize the message that Jesus taught; do we have “eyes to see”? A blatant reference to Jesus’ often repeated phrase, ‘he who has ears to hear, listen!’ The narrator calls us to wake up and recognize that “love is gathering”; God’s kingdom is breaking into our world.

All the words that I've been reading
Have now started the act of bleeding
Into one
The “words” the narrator has “been reading” is Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. That amazing oratory is taking shape in the narrator’s mind as a unified force that will renew the world.

So I walk up on high
And I step to the edge
To see my world below
And I laugh at myself
As the tears roll down
'Cause it's the world I know
It's the world I know
This stanza paints two pictures. The first is one of suicide; going up to the roof (“on high”) and stepping “to the edge” as if to jump. The narrator “laughs” bitterly at himself while he’s crying because he realizes he is self-consumed, sick with self-love. The only “world” the narrator knows is this one characterized by selfishness. The emptiness of that world is enough to drive him suicide. The second picture conveys the narrator's spiritual transformation, an experience akin to walking in the clouds ("on high"). He steps "to the edge" of his selfishness ready to throw away his old world and jump into God's kingdom.

I drink myself of newfound pity
Sitting alone in New York City
And I don't know why

So I walk up on high
And I step to the edge
To see my world below
And I laugh at myself
As the tears roll down
'Cause it's the world I know
It's the world I know

“Someone Else?” by Queensrÿche

Promised Land
EMI
1994

"Someone Else?" is a picture of Jesus reflecting on his life and vocation as Messiah. He still harbors doubt that he is Messiah but he obediently puts one foot in front of the other as he heads down the road before him. This journey of obedience leads Jesus to a place of total transformation.

When I fell from grace

I never realized

How deep the flood was around me

A man whose life was toil

Was like a kettle left to boil

And the water left these scars on me

I know now who I am

If only for a while

I recognize the changes

I feel like I did before the

Magic wore thin and the

Baptism of stains began

They used to say I was

Nowhere, man

Heading down was my destiny

But yesterday, I swear

That was someone else not me

Here I stand at the crossroads edge

Afraid to reach out for eternity

One step, when I look down

I see someone else not me

Looking back and I see someone else

All my life they said I

Was going down

But I'm still standing

Stronger, proud

And today I know there's

So much more I can be

From where I stand at

The crossroads edge

There's a path leading out to sea

And from somewhere

Deep in my mind

Sirens sing out loud

Songs of doubt

As only they know how

But one glance back reminds

And I see, someone else not me

I keep looking back at someone else, me?

Interpretation

When I fell from grace
I never realized
How deep the flood was around me
A man whose life was toil
Was like a kettle left to boil
And the water left these scars on me

Jesus reflects on his newfound awareness of vocation after his baptism. Falling “from grace” connotes his being sent from the Father to earth. That his “life was toil” is a description of his upbringing as a carpenter. In addition, Jesus felt the pressure, resentment, and oppression (like boiling water) typical of a Jewish man in the Roman Empire and was molded (scarred) by these experiences.

I know now who I am
If only for a while
I recognize the changes
I feel like I did before the
Magic wore thin and the
Baptism of stains began
At his baptism, Jesus was indwelt with God’s spirit giving him a clear understanding of his vocation. That moment in the water was a transcendent (magical) moment that changed Jesus. He feels new and fresh, almost childlike ("before the magic wore thin"). But now he must instigate his vocation, which will involve rejection, torture, and execution (a “baptism of stains”).

They used to say I was
Nowhere, man
Heading down was my destiny
But yesterday, I swear
That was someone else not me
As a man from Nazareth in the region of Galilee Jesus was subject to the stereotypes associated with that region. John 1:46 has one person asking, “can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Again in John 7:41 someone else inquires incredulously, “Surely Messiah isn’t going to come from Galilee, is he?” This is the first meaning of Jesus being called a “nowhere man”. The other meaning involves the Roman perception of him. Galilee was an obscure corner of the Roman kingdom and the periodic rebel groups there were put down ruthlessly. If Jesus aspired to insurrection then he would meet a violent end. Jesus says that until his baptism that was who he was but now he has grasped his divine vocation.

Here I stand at the crossroads edge
Afraid to reach out for eternity
One step, when I look down
I see someone else not me
Jesus confesses his fear about walking the path before him. With his self-discovery has come the knowledge where it will lead. However, he takes “one step” and finds he is becoming a new man; one that is no longer afraid.

Looking back and I see someone else
Free from fear he strides confidently down that path.

All my life they said I
Was going down
But I'm still standing
Stronger, proud
And today I know there's
So much more I can be
Because he worked as a carpenter, Jesus probably did not make it very far in his rabbinical schooling. This means he failed (he "was going down") in a certain sense to attain a high level in the Jewish religious structure. However, despite all these stereotypes, Jesus knows God’s will and this strengthens him. The “so much more I can be” refers to him realizing he is Messiah. This realization probably occurred over time since the Jewish expectation of Messiah was so different from what Jesus actualized.

From where I stand at
The crossroads edge
There's a path leading out to sea
And from somewhere
Deep in my mind
Sirens sing out loud
Songs of doubt
As only they know how
But one glance back reminds
And I see, someone else not me
The scene jumps forward to the garden where Jesus is praying, asking God to remove this cup from him. This cup (execution) is the “path leading out to sea”. Jesus wrestles with doubt and fear about what is coming. Once again though, Jesus goes forward and, when he looks back, discovers a changed man.

I keep looking back at someone else, me?
Jesus looks back and sees someone so different from who he is now, the similarities are few. This leads him to conclude he has become someone totally new.

“That I Would Be Good” by Alanis Morissette

Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie
Maverick
1998

When God calls something good it’s a moment of grace—complete acceptance. The narrator in this song wonders if her life can receive that judgment of worth. She’s seeking grace, for God to love her regardless of her efforts or lack of efforts. The narrator suggests a series of life circumstances in which she might find herself. In each case she asks if God will accept her.

That I would be good

Even if I did nothing

That I would be good

Even if I got a thumbs-down

That I would be good

If I got and stayed sick

That I would be good

Even if I gained ten pounds

That I would be fine

Even if I went bankrupt

That I would be good

If I lost my hair and my youth

That I would be great

If I was no longer queen

That I would be grand

If I was not all-knowing

That I would be loved

Even when I numb myself

That I would be good

Even when I'm overwhelmed

That I would be loved

Even when I was fuming

That I would be good

Even if I was clingy

That I would be good

Even if I lost sanity

That I would be good

With or without you

Interpretation

That I would be good
Even if I did nothing
The first line of this couplet introduces the desire for grace even if the narrator does nothing. She wonders if God will deem her worthy of value if she makes no effort to be "good".

That I would be good
Even if I got a thumbs-down
“Thumbs-down” refers to a negative response from people in general or one person in particular. The narrator questions if God will reject her as have other people.

That I would be good
If I got and stayed sick
Society marginalizes people with mental and physical handicaps or diseases and the narrator asks if God sees people that way or calls them “good” despite their sickness.

That I would be good
Even if I gained ten pounds
Here the narrator wants to know if God will call her “good” even if her physical appearance becomes unattractive by society’s standards; something as trivial as gaining “ten pounds”.

That I would be fine
Even if I went bankrupt
The first line in this couplet changes here to “fine” and sees the narrator asking if she can trust God even if she becomes destitute or “bankrupt”. “Fine” then refers to physical needs and brings to mind Matthew 6:26-34 where Jesus describes how God will provide for us in our need just as birds and flowers are cared for.

That I would be good
If I lost my hair and my youth
This couplet returns to using the original “good”. The narrator recognizes that society places less value on elderly people and asks if God will value her in old age (when she is without her “hair and [her] youth”) even when society will not.

That I would be great
If I was no longer queen
The first line in this couplet switches to “great” and the narrator wonders if God will see her as famous (if God will put her on a pedestal) when her worldly fame fades; when she is “no longer queen”.

That I would be grand
If I was not all-knowing
The first line switches to “grand” in this couplet implying that even when the narrator makes mistakes (when she is “not all-knowing”) she can trust in God and find peace; she can be “grand”.

That I would be loved
Even when I numb myself
The first line in this couplet changes again this time to “loved”. The narrator wonders if God will love her even if she is “numbed”. The numbing could refer to substances, experiences, depression, or anything else that would dull the narrator’s mind to God.

That I would be good
Even when I'm overwhelmed
The first line reverts to “good” here and describes the narrator’s hope that God will value her even when she doesn’t have her life under control; when she is “overwhelmed”.

That I would be loved
Even when I was fuming
Back to “loved” in this couplet. The narrator hopes that God loves her even when she loses her temper; even when she is “fuming” at God.

That I would be good
Even if I was clingy
Back to “good” here. The image painted in this couplet is one of a child hanging on to a parent. The narrator wonders if God dislikes her when she is “clingy” and needy.

That I would be good
Even if I lost sanity
This couplet is the narrator concluding her list of life situations in which she might find herself and in which she wonders if God will love her and value her. Here the situation is the loss of “sanity”. This could mean actual clinical insanity or living life in a way that makes the world think she has gone off the deep end. If we truly follow God the latter will be the case.

That I would be good
With or without you
The narrator longs for this final statement to be true. She wants to see value in herself; the same value God saw in creation. The whole song has been her hoping God finds value in her but now, even without God, she hopes her life has worth.

“Dissident” by Pearl Jam

Vs.
Epic Records
1993

This song expands on the Biblical story of the high priest Eli and the boy Samuel. Eli, the narrator, is uncertain what to make of the child who God calls to be a prophet. The chorus and second stanza reveal that Eli is speaking from a point several years after Hannah, the boy’s mother, leaves Samuel in the Temple. This then is not a chronology of Eli’s feelings but instead him reflecting on these events in hindsight. From this perspective Eli knows Samuel is a prophet and, with this new information, Eli looks back on Hannah’s struggle with new eyes.

She nursed him there, over a night

I wasn't so sure she wanted him to stay

What to say? What to say?

But soon she was down. Soon he was low

At a quarter past, a holy no

She had to turn around

When she couldn't hold, she folded

A dissident is here

Escape is never the safest path

A dissident. A dissident is here

And to this day she's glided on

Always home but so far away

Like a word misplaced

Nothing said, what a waste

But when she had contact with the conflict

There was meaning but she sold him to the state

She had to turn around

When she couldn't hold she folded

A dissident is here

Escape is never the safest path

A dissident. A dissident is here

She gave him away when she couldn't hold

No, she folded

A dissident is here

Escape is never the safest path

A dissident, a dissident is here

Oh, couldn't hold on. She couldn't hold

No, she folded. A dissident is here

Escape is never the safest place

A dissident is here

Interpretation

She nursed him there, over a night
I wasn't so sure she wanted him to stay
What to say? What to say?
But soon she was down. Soon he was low
At a quarter past. A holy no
She had to turn around
First Samuel 1-2 tells the story when God grants Hannah’s request for a son after years of failing to conceive. In return, Hannah promises to give her child back to God for service in the Temple. In this first stanza, Eli, the high priest, describes the struggle he sees in Hannah. He wonders if she will renege on her promise. Eli wonders if he should intercede, “What to say?” But when Samuel, her son, is done nursing (1 Samuel 1:24), she brings him to the temple and leaves him in Eli’s care. There is still a struggle going on in Hannah but she remains obedient, turns around (away from her child) and goes back home.

When she couldn't hold, she folded
A dissident is here
Escape is never the safest path
A dissident. A dissident is here
In this stanza Eli describes Hannah’s actions; she didn’t resist God but let her son go, “she folded”. Then Eli calls Samuel a dissident. As a boy Samuel is called by God to be a prophet, which made him a routinely hated figure, “a dissident”, because he spoke God’s truth. Despite this tricky relationship, Eli recognizes that God has called Samuel and it is not the “safest path” for Eli to “escape” or go against God.

And to this day she's glided on
Always home but so far away
Like a word misplaced.
Nothing said, what a waste
But when she had contact with the conflict
There was meaning but she sold him to the state
She had to turn around
Eli again describes Hannah this time in the absence of her son. He portrays her as getting on with her life though he imagines her as not entirely happy and maybe even depressed “always home but so far away”. When she faced her promise to God, she fulfilled it; she gave Samuel up to service in the temple “the state”. She wanted to hold onto her son but she obeyed God and she walked away from the temple leaving Samuel there “she had to turn around”.

When she couldn't hold she folded
A dissident is here
Escape is never the safest path
A dissident. A dissident is here

She gave him away when she couldn't hold
No, she folded
A dissident is here
Escape is never the safest path
A dissident, a dissident is here
Oh, couldn't hold on. She couldn't hold
No, she folded. A dissident is here
Escape is never the safest place
A dissident is here
The repetition of this stanza indicates Eli’s apprehension towards the boy prophet. Perhaps he is anticipating the calamity about to befall Israel. Eli knows Israel’s history and understand that a prophet is raised up in a time of need. 1 Samuel 2-5 describes the sin of Eli’s sons and their corresponding defeat in battle against the Philistines. In this battle, both of Eli’s sons are killed, the ark of the covenant (Israel’s holiest object) is taken by the enemy, and when Eli hears the news he falls out of his seat, breaks his neck, and dies. If Eli has any idea that this misfortune is about to occur, his words in the song may a wish that Hannah had “folded”, broken her promise and kept Samuel away from the temple. These dissident prophets are never a good omen.

“The Playboy Mansion” by U2

Pop
Island Records
1997

This song describes the cost of pursuing material wealth and popular approval. The narrator sees the Playboy Mansion as her best chance for achieving her goal of fame and fortune. The pursuit of material wealth and popular acclaim represented by the Playboy Mansion is juxtaposed with our desire for God to accept us into heaven (another kind of mansion). We often mistake society's definition of success for God's. Take particular notice of the gambling theme. U2 equate a destructive gambling habit with our blind pursuit of material wealth and renown.

If Coke is a mystery

Michael Jackson, history

If beauty is truth

And surgery the fountain of youth

What am I to do?

Have I got the gift to get me through

The gates of that mansion?

If OJ is more than a drink

And a Big Mac bigger than you think

If perfume is an obsession

And talk shows, confession

What have we got to lose

Another push and we'll be through

The gates of that mansion

I never bought a Lotto ticket

I never parked in anyone's space

The banks feel like cathedrals

I guess casinos took their place

Love, come on down

Don't wake her, she'll come around

Chance is a kind of religion

Where you're damned for plain hard luck

I never did see that movie

I never did read that book

But love, come on down

And let my numbers come around

Don't know if I can hold on

Don't know if I'm that strong

Don't know if I can wait that long

'Til the colors come flashing and the lights go on

Then will there be no time for sorrow

Then will there be no time for shame

And though I can't say why

I know I've got to believe

We'll go driving in that pool

It's who you know that gets you through

The gates of the Playboy mansion

But they don't mention, the pain to reach

Then will there be no time for sorrow

Then will there be no time for shame

Then will there be no time for sorrow

Interpretation

If Coke is a mystery
Michael Jackson, history
If beauty is truth
And surgery the fountain of youth
What am I to do?
Have I got the gift to get me through
The gates of that mansion?
In the first stanza, the narrator considers the mystery of Coca-Cola (its secret recipe and iconic cultural status) and wonders if this intangible quality with which it projects commercial success is the "truth" she seeks. Or, she wonders, if she could attain Michael Jackson's legendary status by pursuing the same sort of cosmetic reengineering of her appearance. At the very least it might stave off the effects of aging as a "fountain of youth”. But then the narrator asks, “what am I to do?” She wonders if she has the “gift” to be admitted into the Playboy Mansion; more specifically, the sex appeal of “Coke” and the physical modifications of “Michael Jackson”.

If OJ is more than a drink
And a Big Mac bigger than you think
If perfume is an obsession
And talk shows, confession
What have we got to lose?
Another push and we'll be through
The gates of that mansion
The narrator now considers the downside of her dream. She reflects on “OJ” (Simpson) and the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and realizes that celebrity sometimes brings danger. Next she thinks about her weight. She describes the calorie content of McDonald’s “Big Mac” as being “bigger than you think”; it can make her fat and steal her dream. She must keep her weight down and maintain a broader façade of beauty represented by the Calvin Klein perfume, “Obsession”. To reach her goal the narrator will be exposed to media scrutiny. “Talk shows, confession” describes a less-than-private life of celebrity she would experience with paparazzi and non-stop media appearances. However, she shrugs and says, “what have we got to lose?” The narrator believes the future costs are insignificant compared to fame and fortune.

I never bought a Lotto ticket
I never parked in anyone's space
The banks feel like cathedrals
I guess casinos took their place
Love, come on down
Don't wake her, she'll come around
Next, the narrator laments (in a sort of prayer) never trying to cut corners (she “never bought a Lotto ticket”) or cheating (she “never parked in anyone’s space”) because she’s falling on hard times as she strives to enter the Playboy Mansion. “The banks feel like cathedrals” because the narrator feels out of place and in awe when she enters since she has no money. In pursuit of the Playboy Mansion, the narrator took a big gamble (“casinos” took the place of “banks”). This line also hints at her admitting that she has exchanged her real self (a solid bank-type investment) for a phony self (the instability of a casino). But rather than divert from this path she appeals to “Love” to “come on down”. This reference is the first spiritual shade painted into the song. The narrator is speaking to God (U2 often speaks of God in the feminine) asking for help in reaching her goal. When no answer comes the narrator backs off, not wanting to disturb God (“don’t wake her”) but remaining convinced that God will “come around”.

Chance is a kind of religion
Where you're damned for plain hard luck
I never did see that movie
I never did read that book
But love, come on down
And let my numbers come around
The narrator continues seeking God’s assistance in a clumsy prayer. She admits her approach in gaining celebrity status is a gamble, which “is a kind of religion”. The narrator feels “damned” for her “plain hard luck” and blames the media for not showing her the downside of chasing celebrity; she hasn’t seen “that movie” or “read that book” about the people who have made wrecks of their lives by pursuing the Playboy Mansion. She concludes her prayer with one more entreaty. She asks God to “let [her] numbers come around”; to be picked to go through those doors.

Don't know if I can hold on
Don't know if I'm that strong
Don't know if I can wait that long
'Til the colors come flashing and the lights go on
The narrator is at a very low place and wonders if she “can hold on”, if she’s “that strong”, and if she “can wait that long”. She’s waiting for God to change her fortunes and help her become a celebrity. Arriving at her goal will be characterized by “flashing” colors and “lights”, which is a depiction of a photo shoot, movie set, or runway appearance.

Then will there be no time for sorrow
Then will there be no time for shame
And though I can't say why
I know I've got to believe
This stanza reveals the narrator’s belief that achieving celebrity status will bring her happiness. As a celebrity “there will be no time for sorrow” or “shame”. She can’t put her finger on why these things will make her happy but since she has taken this path she has to believe it or face the fact that her dream was foolish. This stanza also opens the possibility that the narrator is considering the other kind of mansion. In God’s kingdom (the other kind of “mansion”) there will be “no time for sorrow” or “shame”.

We'll go driving in that pool
It's who you know that gets you through
The gates of the Playboy mansion
But they don't mention, the pain to reach
The narrator laments the dream that is slipping from her grasp. She really liked the idea of “driving in that pool” (maybe a limo with a built-in pool). Her self-fulfillment was based on popularity and material wealth and it is now gone. She believes “it’s who you know” that gets your foot in the door. This also alludes to knowing God as the only way to enter the other mansion—God’s kingdom. With this dual meaning the final line makes sense. There is great pain associated with striving to enter the Playboy Mansion, which amounts to self-degradation and dehumanization. The great pain associated with entering God’s mansion is giving up our hopes and dreams of material wealth and popular fame.

Then will there be no time for sorrow
Then will there be no time for shame
Then will there be no time for sorrow
This final stanza describes reality in God’s mansion. By giving up her dreams of celebrity, the narrator is now dreaming of God’s mansion where her “sorrow” and “shame” will melt away.