Bullet the Blue Sky Lyrics

[Chorus]
Whoo, whooo
Bullet the blue sky
Bullet the blue sky
Bullet the blue, oh
Bullet the blue, oh

[Verse 3]
So this guy comes up to me
His face red like a rose on a thorn bush
Like all the colours of a royal flush
And he's peelin' off those dollar bills
Slappin' 'em down
One hundred, two hundred

And I can see those fighter planes
And I can see those fighter planes

[Verse 4]
Across the mud huts as children sleep
Through the alleys of a quiet city street
And take the staircase to the first floor
Turn the key and slowly unlock the door
As a man breathes into his saxophone
And through the walls you can hear the city groan
Outside, it's America
Outside, it's America
America

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About

Genius Annotation

“Bullet the Blue Sky” is one of the band’s most overtly political songs, condemning US foreign policy for causing unrest in Central America in the 1980s. The song includes references to Biblical passages.

Bono traveled to El Salvador and witnessed villages being firebombed, and this experience inspired the lyrics to this song. Live performances showed the band being heavily critical of various political conflicts and international violence.

It is one of U2’s most-played live song with almost 650 live appearances. Despite not being released commercially as a single, it still reached #14 on the US Mainstream Rock Chart in June 1987.

The song was used in the trailer for the 2007 movie The Kingdom.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

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