As some lyrics from No Line on the Horizon begin to filter out in the press, I'm reminded of a conversation I had with friends a week or so ago. I was idly wondering whether close attention to the number of direct citations of classic English Biblical phraseology in U2 songs would find a decline, in favor of more efforts to express Biblical ideas in original words, since Bono's enthusiasm for The Message took root in, what, 1999? Just offhand, based purely on instinct, I tend to think of the last two albums as more interested in communicating Biblical thought patterns than in echoing Biblical language. Of course, I may be off base, but some of the texts that are showing up in the press have the same ring to me:

Reportedly from "Unknown Caller" -- "Hear me/Cease to speak/That I may speak/Shush now." Obviously a Psalm 46:10 sort of vibe, but no quotation.
Reportedly from "Magnificent" -- "I was born to sing for you/I didn't have a choice but to lift you up." Kind of Jeremiah 1-ish? (not to mention All Because of You-ish)

I suppose also that I should add that the "reboot yourself" and "only love can reset your mind" language from "Unknown Caller" to me instantly evokes this earlier self-description from Bono: "That to me is the spiritual life. The slow reworking and rebooting of a computer at regular intervals. It has slowly rebuilt me in a better image. It has taken years, though, and it is not over yet."