We turn away to face the cold, enduring chill
As the day begs the night for mercy, love.
A sun so bright it leaves no shadows
Only scars carved into stone on the face of earth.
The moon is up and over One Tree Hill
We see the sun go down in your eyes.
You run like a river on to the sea
You run like a river runs to the sea.
And in the world, a heart of darkness, a fire-zone
Where poets speak their heart then bleed for it
Jara sang, his song a weapon in the hands of love.
You know his blood still cries from the ground.
It runs like a river runs to the sea.
It runs like a river to the sea.
I don't believe in painted roses or bleeding hearts
While bullets rape the night of the merciful.
I'll see you again when the stars fall from the sky
And the moon has turned red over One Tree Hill.
We run like a river runs to the sea
We run like a river to the sea.
And when it's rainin', rainin' hard
That's when the rain will break a heart.
Rainin', rainin' in your heart
Rainin' in your heart.
Rainin', rain into your heart
Rainin', rainin', rainin'
Rain into your heart.
Rainin', ooh, rain in your heart, yeah.
Feel it.
Oh great ocean
Oh great sea
Run to the ocean
Run to the sea.
One of the poignant songs on the album, this song was written in the aftermath of the death of Greg Carroll, a roadie and good friend of the members of the band, who was killed whilst running an errand for Bono in Dublin in 1986. The song was named after the highest volcanic hill in Auckland and dedicated to Carroll, who had become Bono's personal assistant after the 1984 concerts in Auckland. One Tree Hill was of special cultural significance to Carroll, and he is believed to have taken Bono there during his first visit to the country back in 1984.
The lyrics of the song reflect Bono's thoughts at the funeral, written in a moment of sorrow. The words also pay homage to Chilean folk singer-songwriter and activist Victor Jara (Greene, 2014). "Jara sang his song a weapon, in the hands of love / You know his blood still cries from the ground". Jara was a really influential musical force in Chile and also an outspoken critic of the government. He used his songs as a weapon against the tyranny. When dictator Pinochet overthrew the government, Jara was rounded up in a Chilean Stadium with hundreds of others and was tortured and killed. The reference to the hands of love refer to the fact that it is suggested that his Chilean torturers first broke his hands and then taunted him to play his guitar and sing. He was buried in a mass grave, hence his blood still cries from the ground (U2.com, 2017).
Bono expects to see his friend Carroll again when the world comes to an end (day of judgement) "I'll see you again when the stars fall from the sky, and the moon turns red over one tree hill". This line references the book of Revelation...
"I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind."
Revelation 6:12-13( https://www.bible.com/111/REV.6.12-13)