#-----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE------------------------------#
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#----------------------------------------------------------------------------#
"PLEASE"
U2 from the album "POP"
Tune down 1/2 step...
Riff 1 (Rhythm)
e-------|------------|------------|----------------|--|
B-------|------------|------------|----------------|--|
G-----4-|----4-----4-|----4-----4-|----------------|--|
D-----4-|-4--4--7--4-|-4--4--7--4-|-7--4--7-7---4--|--|
A-------|------------|------------|----------------|--|
E-------|------------|------------|----------------|--|
Riff 2 (Some distorsion)
e-----|--------(2)---------(2)---|
B-----|----2-3--------2----------|
G--4--|-4----------4-----4-------|
D-----|--------------------------|
A-----|--------------------------|
E-----|--------------------------|
Riff 1
So you never knew love until you crossed the line of grace
and you never felt wanted till you had someone slap your face
so you never felt alive until you almost wasted away
Bm
You had to win
A
you couldn't just pass
the smartest ass
Bm
at the top of the class
your flying colours
A
your family tree
Bm
and all your lessons in history
Riff 2
Please...please...please...get up off your knees...
please...please...please...please
Riff 1
And you never knew how low you'd stoop to make that call
and you never knew what was on the ground till they made you crawl
and you never knew that the heaven you keep you stole
Bm
Your catholic blues
A
your convent shoes
your stick on tatoos
Bm
now they're making the news
your holy war
A
your northern star
your sermon on the mount
Bm
from the boot of your car
Riff 2
Please...please...please...get up off your knees...
please...please...please...leave me out of this please
Bm A A Bm
So love is hard and love is tough
Bm A Em Bm
but love is not what you're thinking of
Riff 3 (wah-wah)
Bm A Bm
e-------------------------------|------------------------------|--|
B-------------------------------|------------------------------|--|
G--4--4-2---2---2---2---2-------|--4-2-----2---2---2---2-------|--|
D--4------4---4---4---4---4-2---|--------4---4---4---4---4-2---|--|
A-----------------------------0-|----------------------------2-|--|
E-------------------------------|------------------------------|--|
Riff 3
September...streets capsizing...spilling over down the rain...
shards of glass splinters like rain but you could only feel your own pain...
october...talking getting nowhere...
november...december...remember...
are we just starting again...
Riff 4
e------------|------------|---|
B----2---2---|----3---3---|---|
G--4---4---4-|--4---4---4-|---|
D------------|------------|---|
A------------|------------|---|
E------------|------------|---|
Riff 4
Please...please...please...get up off your knees...
please...please...please...please
Riff 5 (rhythm)
Bm A
e-----------------------|----------------------|----------------------|---|
B----5---5---5---5----5-|---2---2---2---2----2-|---5---5---5---5----5-|---|
G--4---4---4---4---4----|-4---4---4---4---4----|-4---4---4---4---4----|---|
D-----------------------|----------------------|----------------------|---|
A-----------------------|----------------------|----------------------|---|
E-----------------------|----------------------|----------------------|---|
Bm
e-----------------------|---|
B----3---3---3---3----3-|---|
G--4---4---4---4---4----|---|
D-----------------------|---|
A-----------------------|---|
E-----------------------|---|
Riff 6 (rhythm)
Bm A
e------------------------|---|
B----5---5---5---5----3--|---|
G--4---4---4---4---4-----|---|
D------------------------|---|
A------------------------|---|
E------------------------|---|
Riff 5
So love is big bigger than us
but love is not what you're thinking of
Riff 6
it's what lovers deal it's what lovers steal
you know I've found it hard to receive
Bm A Em Riff 7
'cause you my love I could never believe
Riff 7
e---------|
B---------|
G----2----|
D--4---4--|
A---------|
E---------|
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Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques
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No Picture
Mike Average |
#1 by Mike Fraguglia at Oct 14, 1970 at 7:49 AM EST |
| i think you pretty right there blackwell, i don't really buy into too literal interpretations (looking at you ProudesterMonkey), but yeah this has to be about the 'troubles'. one thing i wanted to comment on is the "September... streets capsizing..." bit. I hadn't listened to this album for a while but this part had such a scary relation to 9/11 i was shocked. This is probly a good example for any of you U2 fans who think Bono is the messiah. Noel Gallagher once said of Bone "he's close to God that fucker" so you never know.. | |
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No Picture
kostas Rhythm Player |
#2 by kostas kouveliotis at Jun 26, 1971 at 8:59 AM EST |
| I'm going to start this post with the same way everyone starts every first post: "HOLY SHIT! I CAAAAANNNNN'TTTT believe NOone has POSTED about this SONG yet!" Phew, with that done, this is probably my fav. song on "Pop". Last summer, I just put it on repeat, such a great song to fall asleep to on those hott summer nights. That said, I've never really pondered all that hard about what it means. I guess to me, this is a song about an over-confident Catholic wench who thinks she is a better person than everyone just because she was blessed to be born into a Christian family, and so she talks down to people. Also, it's a song about how you (especially Catholic wench) never know what you have until it's gone. I think this girl may have abused and used (bono?) but at the same time, neither of them really know what love is yet. Still one of my favorite songs by U2 ever, even tho I listen to it so much that I should be sick of it by now. | |
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No Picture
julius Average |
#3 by julius vaisanen at Mar 13, 1973 at 9:06 AM EST |
| While the song is definitely about the troubles in Ireland and delivers a scathing assessment on the narrow mindedness and self importance of politicians... I would like to think the real song is hidden in the last para..That love can get distorted over time..into maniacal posessiveness, a taking for granted or a dark form of 'you only hurt the ones you love'..all the games lovers play after true love is just a fleeting bitter memory..(love is tough, hard, beautiful but love is not what youre thinking of)...And that when someone loves you for a reason, but it aint love, you cant bring yourself to love them back.(coz you my love, I could never believe), believe here meaning, I could never believe your love was true. All that said, I love this song for the imagery of the words (smartest ass, convent shoes, catholic blues, shards of glass) and the intensity with which Bono sings it. You can make out that he feels deeply about the issue. It is one of their most underrated songs. | |
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No Picture
nick Average |
#4 by nick caldwell at Jan 23, 1981 at 8:19 PM EST |
| What really confused me was the video. In the video everything is fine as long as everyone stays on their knees. Once they get up off their knees everything is falling apart. In the song he sings please get up off you knees - which could easily be intepreted as think for yourself and don't just rely on the tradition/religion. It's just that it doesnt match with the video. Can anyone explain? | |
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No Picture
Lead Player |
#5 by Michael Leathers at Sep 30, 1981 at 1:38 PM EST |
| "I think its about the riots in Russia in 1905".....sorry i couldnt resist yep its about the troubles, it makes a lot more sense if you're actually from here(belfast), basically they're trying to say that every side over here is self righteous and uses their religion as an excuse to fight, that we're all brought up thinking its us against them and hey if you every visit northern ireland on holiday you may notice a few wee riots during the summer then the aftermath september october etc etc and then back to the start again, making the "call" "flying colours".. i dont think i need to explain -anyway really good song.. | |
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No Picture
silent Rhythm Player |
#6 by silent support at Sep 28, 1985 at 6:56 AM EST |
| I love this song, and frankly, I think the critics were crazy to bash this album! And why do they accuse this album of being to experimental, and then worship the ground Zooropa stands on? Critics ruined U2! AAAA! | |
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No Picture
zach Wanna Be |
#7 by zach miles at Nov 21, 1997 at 10:03 PM EST |
| Hey there PMonkey - good to see a comment on this song - it's also one of my favorites from Pop (right after Velvet Dress - my wife likes to get it on to that song.) Anyway, I like your interpretation of Please - some of the early lyrics are pretty cryptic, but I think the song is referencing the "Troubles" in Northern Ireland. They wrote the song around the time the cease-fire was falling apart - your catholic blues your convent shoes your stick-on tattoos now they're making the news your holy war (the IRA's war against the Brits) your northern star (Northern Ireland) your sermon on the mount from the boot of your car (this is a reference to car bombs - "boot" meaning "trunk" in the UK -- the "sermon" being the act of setting off the bomb itself.) September... streets capsizing... spilling over, down the drain ... shards of glass splinters like rain but you could only feel your own pain... october... talking getting nowhere... november... decemeber... remember... are we just starting again... ? Reference to the collapse of the cease fire in Sept., "glass splinters like rain" - the glass shards from the explosions; "october, talk getting nowhere" - reference to the fact that attempts to start up cease-fire talks weren't getting anywhere; "are we just starting again" - once the IRA started up their bombing campaign again, everything went back to square one. in any case, there's a lot of pain in this song, and you can hear it in Bono's voice. The Troubles obviously weigh heavy on his mind. | |
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