The Lightning II Lyrics
I heard the thunder on the blue sky perfect day
I wonder why, am I the only one?
I heard the thunder and I feel I'm going under
Jesus Christ was an only son
[Pre-Chorus: Win Butler & Régine Chassagne]
A day, a week, a month, a year
A day, a week, a month, a year
Every second brings me here
A day, a week, a month, a year
A day, a week, a month, a year
Every second brings me here
[Chorus: Win Butler & Régine Chassagne]
Waiting on the lightning
Waiting on the lightning
Waiting on the light
What will the light bring?
[Verse 2: Win Butler]
I heard the thunder and I thought it was the answer
But I find I got the question wrong
I was trying to run away, but a voice told me to stay
And put the feeling in a song
A day, a week, a month, a year
A day, a week, a month, a year
Every second brings me here
A day, a week, a month, a year
A day, a week, a month, a year
Every second brings me here
[Chorus: Win Butler & Régine Chassagne]
Waiting on the lightning
Waiting on the lightning
Waiting on the light
What will the light bring?
Waiting on the lightning
Waiting on the lightning
Waiting on the light
What will the light bring?
About
This song was released with The Lightning I, and immediately follows the previous song, concluding the lyrical themes of hope and despair with a hyper tone.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Win Butler:
What was in my head when I was singing that song was all the Haitians at the border trying to get into the US who had taken a boat from Haiti to Brazil and then walked or taken a train all the way to the Mexican border. Just to find a better life for your family—imagine what it would take, the bravery. The governor of Texas can honestly…I don’t hate a lot of people, but I hate that motherfucker. I don’t even believe in hell, but if there’s a hell, that motherfucker’s going there. Just to meet people with the absolute absence of compassion, these fake fucking Christians. That’s not necessarily what the song’s about, but that was what was in my head: What does it mean to not quit and to reach the end and then to be turned back, and you still can’t quit because you still have your family, so then you get sent back to where you started and you still can’t give up because it’s still your life and it’s still your family and you’re still fighting for survival.
—via Apple Music
Yes: the band performed the song on TV during the episode of Saturday Night Live aired on May 7, 2022:
