Silver and Gold Lyrics

[Verse 1]
In the shithouse a shotgun
Praying hands hold me down
If only the hunter was hunted
In this tin can town, tin can town

[Verse 2]
No stars in the black night
Looks like the sky fall down
No sun in the daylight
Looks like it's chained to the ground, chained to the ground

[Chorus]
The warden says, "The exit is sold"
If you want a way out...
Silver and gold, silver and gold

[Verse 3]
Broken back to the ceiling
Broken nose to the floor
I scream at the silence
It's crawling, crawls under the door

[Verse 4]
There's a rope around my neck
And there's a trigger in your gun
Jesus, say something!
I am someone, I am someone
[Chorus]
Captains and kings in the ship's hold
They came to collect
Silver and gold, silver and gold

[Verse 5]
I seen the coming and the going
Seen the captains and the kings
Seen their navy blue uniforms
Seen them bright and shiny things, bright and shiny things

[Verse 6]
The temperature is rising
The fever white hot
Mister I ain't got nothing
But it's more than you've got

[Verse 7]
Chains no longer bind me
Nor the shackles at my feet
Outside are the prisoners
Inside the free (Set them free)
Set them free

[Chorus]
A prize fighter in a corner is told
Hit where it hurts
For silver and gold, for silver and gold

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

Genius Annotation

“Silver and Gold” is a track by U2, notably included on the 20th anniversary rerelease of their landmark LP The Joshua Tree.

It was originally released as a b-side to the album’s third single, “Where The Streets Have No Name,” alongside “Race Against Time” and “Sweetest Thing.”

Q&A

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

What did U2 say about "Silver and Gold"?
Genius Answer

“This song was written in a hotel room in New York city ‘round about the time a friend or ours, Little Steven, was putting together a record of Artists Against Apartheid. This is a song written about a man in a shanty town outside of Johannesburg. A man who’s sick of looking down the barrel of white South Africa. A man who is at the point where he is ready to take up arms against his oppressor. A man who has lost faith in the peacemakers of the west, while they argue and while they fail to support a man like Bishop Tutu and his request for economic sanctions against South Africa.”
- Bono, Rattle and Hum

Credits
Produced By
Release Date
December 7, 1985
Silver and Gold Live Performances
Tags
Comments