Original crayon doodle – Prep sketch – Large – Full Size
It’s hard to imagine a more angry, politically driven U2 song than Bullet The Blue Sky. Edge’s guitar work brings out the shrieks of South American countries laid to waste by the US government of the 1980s. This painting is undoubtedly the best to come out of this little project of mine. I feel it is very good, but I don’t feel egotistical saying so because the whole thing was more accident than anything else, so I can’t completely take credit for it. I was always unhappy with the prep sketch, and I always knew there had to be a better way of representing the song. When it came to painting, I did a red undercoat, added the black silhouetty stuff, and then started randomly flinging water and paint at the canvas, and in a bit something that didn’t suck emerged. This painting went on the Modigliani Art Award at my OAC (Ontario Academic Credit) art show for ‘outstanding individual work.’
Lyrics:
In the howling wind comes a stinging rain
See it driving nails
Into the souls on the tree of pain
From the firefly, a red orange glow
See the face of fear
Running scared in the valley below
Bullet the blue sky
Bullet the blue sky
Bullet the blue
Bullet the blue
In the locust wind comes a rattle and hum
Jacob wrestled the angel
And the angel was overcome
You plant a demon seed
You raise a flower of fire
See them burning crosses
See the flames higher and higher
Bullet the blue sky
Bullet the blue sky
Bullet the blue
Bullet the blue
This guy comes up to me
His face red like a rose on a thorn bush
Like all the colors of a royal flush
And he’s peeling off those dollar bills
Slapping them down
One hundred, two hundred
And I can see those fighter planes
And I can see those fighter planes
Across the mud huts where the children sleep
Through the alleys of a quiet city street
You take the staircase to the first floor
Turn the key and slowly unlock the door
As a man breathes into a saxophone
And through the walls you hear the city groan
Outside is America
Outside is America
Across the field you see the sky ripped open
See the rain through a gaping wound
Pounding on the women and children
Who run
Into the arms
Of America
This is an incredible work. The background of the backwards American flag was very profound, and the effect of making the whole picture look like it is burning is unbelievable. I only wish I had this much talent!
In a word: fab-u-lous.