Landlady

In his notes for Songs Of Experience, Bono mentions an unspecified health scare that rocked him to the core. Inspired by Irish poet Brendan Kennelly's advice to "write as if you're dead", the album then started to take the shape of a shocked Bono's final letters to family, friends and fans. "It's just one of those moments when nothing else matters," he continued. "So what do you have to say for yourself? And what do you want to say to the people that you love?" This song is addressed to Bono's wife Ali, the Landlady of his Killiney mansion. The term Landlady is used because in U2's early days, Ali paid the rent while the broke Bono tried to make a go of being a musician with the fledgling band.

This is one of two "letters" on Songs of Experience where Bono is addressing Ali. On "You're the Best Thing About Me" he tells his wife just how much she means to him.