One Tree Hill

I learned this morning, One Tree Hill is not about a One Tree Hill. And Daniel is not about Daniel. I don’t listen to lyrics much. And when I sing them, I sing them and understand them quite literally. I never know what u2 is singing because they use so many words in their songs. But in playing songs i finally become aware of them. This is the feeling I get when I draw something and start becoming aware of the forms. U2 lyrics are like poetry.. rarely about the words themselves. 

One tree hill was sung by Bono once during recording sections because its subject was too sad to sing. Just before recording sessions for Joshua Tree commenced, Bono’s close friend and roadie Greg Carroll died in a motorcycle accident. A car stopped in front of him, unable to stop in time, Greg died instantly. Greg was shuttling Bono’s motorcycle back for him. 

Two years prior he had met Bono in Auckland by chance. He was Maori. Bono couldn’t sleep after a 24 hour flight and Greg was assigned to take him around town. Greg took him to one tree hill.. a sacred Maori volcano site. Greg would later help out as setting up stages in New Zealand shows before being offered a job as roadie for U2. He became part of their family.  

A Maori funeral or ‘tangi’ is special in that the body rests in a open casket. People come from far and wide to speak their mind of the deceased.. good and bad. singing songs is encouraged too. For 3 days, close family take turns standing by the casket, but they don’t say anything. When Bono came he sang “let it be” and "knocking on heavens door". Upon return to Ireland, he wrote the lyrics for one tree hill. The music was improvised with Brian eno playing piano. 

With this new background I reread the lyrics to one tree hill. In Tibetan customs mandala sand paintings are swept up and dispersed in rivers and taken out to sea like prayers for the world. His lyrics remind me of this ritual and is an amazing poem to his friend. 

I started questioning other songs I’ve been singing and joked, “Daniel by Elton John is probably not about Daniel.” Sure enough, it’s not about a guy (Elton John) seeing his older brother off at the airport flying to Spain... my literal reading of the lyrics was so off base. Daniel was written about an article that talks about a guy who returns from the Vietnam war and can’t find peace at his farm so he takes a trip. His destination is Spain because Spain rhymes with plane.