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Originally posted by Marien I've always thought the song is based on The Prodigal Son parable , Lc 15:11-32, (I hope these are the words in English, as I read the Bible in my own language), it tells us about a son who receives his part from his father's heritage while the father is still alive and instead of using it well, he wastes it all among sinners and living a very sinnful life, one day he realises his error and returns to his father telling him how bad he has acted and that he doesn't deserve to be considered his son anymore, but he begs his father to admit him as a servant instead, the father hugs him and prepares a big party to celebrate the return of his lost child. His other son asks his father why he is giving a party for his sinnful son and he has never done it for him and the father explains that while he's always been with him and they share everything, he is much happier now because this other child was dead and now he has returned to life. In the song it is the sinnful son who is speaking, he is portrayed at the very moment of realising his error, he remembers how much loved he felt, how many things were just gifted to him due to this love and how he has lost them all, just because of his selfish, brainless actions, that's why Bono's voice is on the verge of tears and I agree with you considering the shift in tone in the next sentence "For the first time, I feel loved" recognising God's grace, the father, God, loves him even more than before. I also agree with you interpreting the three characters as the Trinity. Something has always taken my attention when listening to this song: the sentence "For the first time I feel love" appears for three times and it is always in Present while the rest of the son is in the Past, my interpretation is that God's love for His sons is eternal and never changes. An now answering your question, at last, I don't think the son is about losing or finding faith, it is about returning, returning to God, the son knew He was there, but first, he was having a good time without thinking and then, he was too ashamed of his behaviour to return, God was always there, but he didn't think it possible to be forgiven, but he is, because God's love is greater than anything we can think, in other words I think the song is about Grace. When I listen to it, even if it is a sad son, I feel such a great calm I feel comforted in very deep way, it comes into my soul directly like a balm, so I don't mind if this interpretation is not "the good one" it works for me.