The video was filmed in black and white with a grid-like background as a tribute to Eadweard Muybridge. Muybridge was a photographer who was the first person to successfully capture fast motion on film, using his device, coincidentally named the Zoopraxiscope (the song and album was recorded in between tour dates for U2's Zoo TV Tour).
The video primarily features a sequence of clips of the band members playing their instruments and performing a series of distinct actions, with captions for each one (e.g. "man walking up incline", "man running", "man playing pool"). In the background of the video, a pendulum can be seen swinging, a clock can be seen ticking, as well as dollars falling from the sky, various scientific objects (DNA, Satellite feeds, etc.), and a cross. All of these symbols seem to be representing man's attempt to preserve time, via money ("He turns his money into light to look for her"), religion, or technology.
The video features two stage personas used by Bono during the Zoo TV Tour: "The Fly" and "MacPhisto."
The director claimed the video was a little "overblown."
U2 considered some of the song's lyrics as being "too Talking Heads," a reference to the 1980s American rock band. Coincidentally, the Talking Heads' music video "Road to Nowhere" was partially influenced by Eadweard Muybridge who influence the music video for "Lemon."