In an interview for Rolling Stone magazine, U2's lead singer Bono talks about how he's learning to connect with David's honest laments and prayers from the Book of Psalms. Bono suffered several facial, arm, and shoulder fractures that required three metal plates and 18 screws after a bike accident in Central Park. He's also had serious back and vocal cord problems. He is now writing songs with deeper meaning: "I read the Psalms of David all the time. They are amazing. He is the first bluesman, shouting at God, 'Why did this happen to me?' But there's honesty in that too."

Bono recounts David's struggles with King Saul, especially during David's hideout in the cave trying to avoid Saul's attempts to murder him. "In a moment of demonic rage, Saul turns against [David], tries to kill him with a spear, and David is, in fact, exiled. He is chased, and he hides out in a cave. And in the darkness of that cave, in the silence and the fear and probably the stink, he writes the first psalm."

Bono concludes, "And I wish that weren't true. I wish I didn't know enough about art to know that that is true—that sometimes you just have to be in that cave of despair."