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U2 – White As Snow (4:41)

On No Line On The Horizon

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About This Track

In an interview with The Guardian Bono revealed that he became tired of writing in the first-person, noting that “I’d just worn myself out as a subject matter”; as a result he created several characters, including a traffic cop, a junkie, and a soldier serving in Afghanistan.The soldier’s character appears in “White as Snow”, which focuses on the soldier’s last thoughts as he dies from the wounds caused by an improvised explosive device.Bono came up with the idea after reading Pincher Martin, written by William Golding.

“White as Snow” was recorded in one take during two weeks of recording sessions in Fez, Morocco in 2007, though it received some minor editing in the final sessions in December 2008.At this time, it was taken out of the ‘Maybe’ pile to balance out the rockier tunes present earlier on, with Adam Clayton noting that “it gave the listener a break.” Original plans were for the track to start with an explosion, though this was later scrapped.Richard Watkins played the French horn in the song.The melody of the song is based on that of the traditional Advent hymn “Veni, veni Emmanuel”.Bono noted that, with the exception of “White as Snow”, the band had tried to keep the theme of war out of the album.

“White as Snow” appears as the fourth track in the Anton Corbijn film Linear, based on a story by Corbijn and Bono where a Parisian traffic cop travels across France and the Mediterranian Sea to visit his girlfriend in Tripoli.
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  • No Line On The Horizon
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  • TheCreatedVoid1

    @ Joelrio, it's saying who can forgive the entity of foregiveness itself in a place where there is no forgiveness? Yeah, mindfuck, I know.

    March 2012

  • KappaNeko

    The only song from the current album that I like..

    May 2011

  • JuniorMcCartney

    make me cry...

    March 2011

  • JuniorMcCartney

    Who can forgive forgiveness when forgiveness is not? Only the land as white as snow...

    March 2011

  • Joelrio

    I don't know if I get the line "Who can forgive forgiveness where forgiveness is not ." Does it mean who can forgive someone who doesn't forgive someone else or what?

    December 2010

  • heaventree22

    it's a gorgeous take on the hymn

    December 2010

  • isitbeer30yet

    sometimes change is good.

    November 2010

  • foucault63

    For those who mentioned this song sounds like "O come, o come, Emmanuel" - this is stated right in the song description: "The melody of the song is based on that of the traditional Advent hymn “Veni, veni Emmanuel”."

    October 2010

  • misery-machine

    Not a big fan of U2 - in fact, 99 per cent of the time I can't stand them. But this is nice...

    October 2010

  • xtekinhax

    This song took a while with me. At first I didn't like it all. Then I gave it a chance and it started to grow on me. Now it's one of my favorites from NLotH. [2]

    October 2010

  • StardustMontage

    this song makes me wanna cry :-(

    June 2010

  • VitorMach

    This song took a while with me. At first I didn't like it all. Then I gave it a chance and it started to grow on me. Now it's one of my favorites from NLotH.

    February 2010

  • Rowan5215

    The song "Winter" was written for the movie "Brothers", DavidLostInAcid. This song is written over the time it takes for a soldier serving in Afghanistan to die, and as he looks over what he did in his life (so, basically, what PowerHour24 said). And, yes, this is a very beautiful song...

    December 2009

  • steveisbruin

    Glad I wasn't the only one who thought it sounded like "O Come, O Come Emmanuel"...

    December 2009

  • Danielcarmoo

    I think this song meaning is two soldiers dying.

    December 2009

  • towersOfSong

    I love this song. So calm, so beautiful, and to the tune of my favourite Christmas carol... definitely my favourite song off of NLOTH.

    October 2009

  • PowerHour24

    And also yes Katelin that was the point, the music is credited as such on the album.

    October 2009

  • PowerHour24

    The 'lamb as white as snow' is an allusion to Jesus, the idea behind the song was that it's written from the perspective of a soldier as he contemplates the choices he made in his life, according to Bono the song takes place during the span it takes him to die.

    October 2009

  • 331930157

    Is there any meaning in it? If u know please tell me:ywjnpeter@gmail.com

    October 2009

  • Terrasidius

    love it

    September 2009
See all 92 shouts

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