I'm going to lay this out from the start, the album Songs of Innocence by U2 got a lot of heat from people because it magically showed up in people's iTunes. Apple used their all-mighty power to add it to everyone's account and that was a breach of privacy or whatever. Anyway, I chose the song "Song for Someone" from this album because I think it has some fascinating lines. Although I did first listen to this song because it came up on my random shuffle, I actually do listen to U2 and have even gone to their concert a few years ago. "Song for Someone" is a song about love and the struggle to be together.
You got a face not spoiled by beauty
I have some scars from where I've been
This is how Bono, the lead singer starts out the song. These two lines immediately caught my attention because of the paradox. We almost never associate the word "beauty" with something negative. However, he uses it with spoiled making this a very deep line. He suggests that the woman's face perhaps is not perfect, and that she does not focus on making it beautiful. This means that she has much more to offer than just looks. Additionally, the speaker says that he has scars on his face from his past. This suggests that he also is not showcasing the beauty of his face. The two lines therefore present a common idea that these two people have similar attributes and perhaps could hit it off.
And this is a song, song for someone
This is a song, song for someone
In the chorus, which is also the title of the song, the speaker uses repetition to emphasize that although this is a song, it is meant for someone specific. The song is undoubtedly dedicated to a special person with a romantic connection, as showcased in other lines of the song as well.
And I'm a long long way from your hill of Calvary
And I'm a long way way from where I was, where I need to be
Here, U2 uses an allusion to refer to the place where Jesus was crucified. Although I do not know the exact reason as to why he put this reference into the song, I perhaps think that there could be pain along the way in perfecting this relationship. His next line saying that he is far away from where needs to be suggests that his path is not yet finished, which could be a metaphor for the relationship.
Overall, I think this is a brilliant song that has a lot of hidden meanings in its lines. U2 did a fantastic job with this album, and I highly recommend that whoever has this album take a listen.
I actually remember when this song was installed on my phone -- I was very confused. Anyways, I like your interpretation of the song. Specifically, I think your take on the beginning of the song was interesting because, like you said, the singer attaches negative connotation to beauty to talk about inner beauty.
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