NEW YEARS DAY

All is quiet on New Year's Day.
A world in white gets underway.
I want to be with you, be with you night and day.
Nothing changes on New Year's Day.
On New Year's Day.
I... will be with you again.
I... will be with you again.

Under a blood-red sky
A crowd has gathered in black and white
Arms entwined, the chosen few
The newspaper says, says
Say it's true, it's true...
And we can break through
Though torn in two
We can be one.

So, what does it mean? The song has been written about many times. Officially, U2 says it is about the Polish "Solidarity" movement. The song was written prior to the New Years Day repeal of Marshal Law in Poland. This was the beginning of the fall of Soviet Communism. How could this song be have been written about an event in the future? Maybe it wasn't written about that event at all.

On New Years Day, 1969, a small group of Irish students, calling themselves the People's Democracy, began a March from Belfast to Derry. The March was modeled after Martin Luther King's Selma, Alabama March. It was designed to "confront" the Northern Irish Protestants and bring attention to the plight of Catholics in Northern Ireland. The march took four days. Along the route, Northern Irish Loyalist [Protestants] repeatedly attacked the Catholic student Marchers. On January 4 at the Burntollet Bridge 200 Loyalist attacked the Marchers with clubs, tire irons, and knives as the Northern Irish Police watched and stood by.

This New Years Day march began the all out WAR between the IRA, [Irish Republican Army] and the Ulster Loyalist. This was officially brought to an end with the Belfast Agreement of April 10, 1998.

The Band U2 is Irish. Ireland has been fighting for Independence from England since 1613, when the English Reformation brought Protestants to live in all Catholic Ireland. Ireland declared it's Independence from England with the Easter uprising of 1916. On Sunday, November 21, 1920, a group of English Auxiliaries [The "Black & Tans"] killed 14 unarmed civilians at Dublin's Croke Park. This day became known as "BLOODY SUNDAY". The financial support for the IRA War of Independence came from Irish Americans. The cover of the U2 album released with New Years Day in the UK is shown above. The cover of the album released in America is shown below. Note the word WAR in big letters.

Ask your self: Is U2 singing about Poland? Or, are they singing in support of the 400 year WAR with England to free Ireland of English rule? How can the songs Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Years Day be anything but the tribute to Irish Independence?

I think the band, U2, began as an Irish Band but wanted to expand their "Saleability" to UK and American buyers. To enable this they took their release of the WAR Album and repositioned it for European release with the song New Years Day supposedly about Polish Independence. This was done to increase sales in Europe and to prevent a UK band on the album. Regardless the lyrics and the titles seem clear.

Around the Holidays, people would ask my Mom if she would like some wine. She would always say, " I like that Irish Whine......why don't the British go home?"

I will be with you again. I..... will be with YOU again. Happy New Year.