Song Interpretations

Zombie

SONG: Zombie
ARTIST: The Cranberries
ALBUM: No Need to Argue
SONGWRITER: Dolores O'Riordan

The Easter Rising was a rebellion in Ireland during Easter Week, April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish Republican Army (IRA) to end British rule in Northern Ireland and establish an independent Irish Republic while the United Kingdom was heavily engaged in the First World War.

This is a protest song inspired by the IRA bombing in Cheshire in 1993 (in memory of two innocent children, Jonathan Ball and Tim Parry, who were killed).

The Cranberries are an Irish band, and after this song was released, the Irish Army declared a ceasefire. Some people think that the army was willing to call a truce to make sure the band didn't release any more songs about them.

♪ Another head hangs lowly,
Child is slowly taken ♪

"Slowly taken" could refer to a child being taken away from his family so that he can join the army, or it could refer to the death of a child. "Head hangs lowly" means that the heads of the family members are low, mourning the loss of their child. (And Tim Parry died slowly indeed - his life support was turned off with consent from his family after five days of minimal brain activity.)

♪ And if violence
Caused such silence,
Who are we? Mistaken? ♪

This violence, the bombings in Cheshire, UK, caused silence. This could be a shocked silence. It could also mean that the city of Warrington (where the bombings took place) was silent because the people there were now dead. The silence could also refer to the fact that no one protested when the bombings took place, except for the songwriter who wrote this song as a protest.

"Who are we? Are we mistaken?" That is, are we (the human race) mistaken in our decision to create war?

Each side of the war committed such terrible atrocities that neither side was willing to negotiate (both sides were silent) and so the violence continued. Then we are we making a mistake by starting a war?

♪ But you see, it's not me
It's not my family
In your head, in your head
They are fighting ♪

Now that the songwriter has talked about the pointlessness of war, she is trying to distance herself and her family from the war. She says that just because her country Ireland has started this war, it doesn't mean that her family is also involved. All the people in the country don't want to fight, they just want peace. The war was started by the army but the army doesn't represent the entire country or all the people in the country.

"You/your" here doesn't refer to any specific person. Often in English, we use "you" like we use "one". For example, "Exercise keeps one healthy" and "Exercise keeps you healthy" have the same meaning. In the second sentence "you" refers to any random human.

So the songwriter is telling the listeners that her family doesn't have anything to do with the war, yet they have the horrible images of death and bloodshed stuck in their heads. They didn't even take part in this war, yet they are suffering.

♪ With their tanks, and their bombs,
And their bombs, and their guns
In your head, in your head
They are crying ♪

This is continued from the previous stanza. In her head, the people are fighting with tanks, bombs and guns. This creates the imagery of war. People are crying because of the death of their loved ones, and fighting their enemies and causing even more death.

♪ In your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie.
What's in your head?
Zombie, zombie, zombie ♪

In her head, people are fighting each other like zombies, mindlessly killing each other like machines. She is still remembering the ugliness of the war.

"What's in your head?" "Zombie" could be a statement to the fighters asking what they were thinking when they were doing this or had they just turned into zombies unable to do anything but follow orders. This particular part of the song is screamed as to protest the war and mimic the cries of those who were being killed.

♪ Another mother's breaking
Heart is taking over ♪

Now another child is dead, and the mother's heart has broken. This heartbreak will now take over her, and make her bitter and angry, and make her a zombie too. Now she will want revenge, she will want to kill the people who killed her child. And the war will continue. It's a cycle. It will never end.

♪ And the violence causes silence
We must be mistaken ♪

Earlier, she was asking a question: are we mistaken? Now she is saying with surety: the war, the violence has caused so much pain and bad memories to the people. This must be a mistake.

♪ It's the same old theme
Since 1916
In your head, in your head
They're still fighting
With their tanks, and their bombs
And their bombs, and their guns
In your head, in your head
They are dying ♪

The song released in 1994, when the bombings took place in 1993. And the war started in 1916. So, since 1916, this theme of war and bloodshed has been continuing till now. It has been more than 50 years. In the people's heads, the horrid memories of the war remain, in which people are fighting with guns and bombs, and are dying.

People are now suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). This is a disorder characterized by failure to recover after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. People have anxiety attacks and flashbacks. This condition can't be cured; it is permanent. Treatment can help, though.

Can you see what war does? It affects innocent people the most.

♪ In your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie.
What's in your head?
Zombie, zombie, zombie ♪

In our heads, there are memories of people fighting like zombies.

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