Song Lyrics

Zombie-The Cranberries

Another head hangs lowly
Child is slowly taken
And the violence caused such silence
Who are we mistaken

But you see it's not me
It's not my family
In your head, in your
Head they are fighting
With their tanks and their bombs
And their bombs and their guns
In your head,
In your head they are cryin'

In your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie
Hey, hey
What's in your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie
Hey, hey, hey, oh
Dou, dou, dou, dou
Dou, dou, dou, dou
Dou, dou, dou, dou
Dou, dou, dou, dou

Another mother's breakin'
Heart is taking over
When the violence causes silence
We must be mistaken

It's the same old theme since nineteen-sixteen
In your head,
In your head they're still fightin'
With their tanks and their bombs
And their bombs and their guns
In your head, in your head they are dyin'

In your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie
Hey, hey
What's in your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie
Hey, hey, hey
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Hey, oh, ya, ya-a

                                                         MEANING OF SONG

This was inspired by the IRA bombing in Warrington, Cheshire, England on March 20, 1993. Two children, Jonathan Ball and Tim Parry, were killed. The IRA (Irish Republican Army) is a militant group that was determined to remove British troops from Northern Ireland.Lead singer Dolores O'Riordan claimed that "Zombie" speaks about "the Irish fight for independence that seems to last forever." The lyrics even say, "It's the same old theme since 1916."

Like the responsive works of Yeats, Heaney and U2, the Cranberries claim they wrote "Zombie" to be a "song for peace, peace among England and Ireland." This song takes the unassailable position that killing young children is tragic, but in venturing into the political fray, it created a great deal of controversy. This didn't surprise O'Riordan. "I knew that would be the angle of the song, because it was controversial," she . "But, I suppose I was kind of taken aback with the success of the song. I didn't know it was going to be that successful."The video was shot by Samuel Bayer, who flew to Belfast shortly before the ceasefire to get footage of the area - those are real British soldiers and local children. Bayer intercut these scenes with striking images of Dolores O'Riordan, standing by a cross and covered in gold paint, as similarly gilded children look on. Bayer, who began as a painter, was wildly creative in his videos when given free rein. His best-known work is Nirvana's "."

Getting painted for the video was O'Riordan's idea. Explaining the symbolism, she told us, "It was to make it magnificent in a way, at the cross. It was metaphoric for all the pain that was being caused, and it was slightly religious as well."On August 31, 1994, just a few weeks after this song was released, the IRA declared a ceasefire after 25 years of conflict, leading some critics of The Cranberries to wonder if the IRA was willing to call a truce to make sure the group didn't release any more songs about them.The first Cranberries album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, Why Can't We?, was written and recorded in Ireland over a span of a few years. After that album was released in 1993, they went on a lengthy tour and began writing songs for their second album, No Need To Argue. "Zombie" was written while they were touring England that year.

The lead single from the album, it marked a stark departure in both sound and meaning, taking an aggressive political turn away from songs like "" and "." In a Songfacts interview with Dolores O'Riordan, she said, "On the road, writing things became more alive. I think that's why 'Zombie' emerged. The first album was more tame and more reserved, and then we started to rock out a bit more. So, we started to write more rock and roll songs."The Cranberries performed this at Woodstock '94 a month before the single was released.In America, the song wasn't released as a single, a tactic designed to sell more albums. Promotional copies were issued to radio stations and MTV gave the video plenty of spins, so the song got lots of exposure, helping No Need To Argue sell over 7 million copies in the US. Since it wasn't sold as a single, "Zombie" was ineligible for the Billboard Hot 100 chart, but it did make #22 on the Airplay chart.The Cranberries performed this on Saturday Night Live on February 25, 1995. The metal band Bad Wolves released a on January 19, 2018. The band claimed that Dolores O'Riordan was scheduled to record vocals on the track the day she died four days earlier.

This version changes a few lyrics, mentioning drones among the devices for killing, and altering the line, "It's the same old theme since 1916" to "It's the same old theme in 2018."

"She was really excited about that because the nations may have changed but we're still fighting the same battles today," lead singer Tommy Vext said. "Humanity is still fighting to assert itself despite all the conflicts."

A video, directed by Wayne Isham, was released with an actress re-creating O'Riordan's gold-plated look from the original.When Dolores O'Riordan died on the day she was scheduled to record her vocals for the Bad Wolves cover, there was a huge behind-the-scenes debate involving the metal band's manager and record label over whether or not they should still release the track.

"We almost shelved the song," frontman Tommy Vext told . "We didn't know what to do with it."

The group decided the best way forward was to release the cover, and donate their proceeds to O'Riordan's three children. "That was kind of how we tried to make a positive situation out of such a tragic one," Vext said.

The cover was released the same week of O'Riordan's death, and after a slow start became a huge success, giving Bad Wolves their first Hot 100 entry.

                                                      SITES TO SONG

Nightcore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW1c7Tq7VjY

Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ejga4kJUts

Lyric Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ktqvh1Nrv_4

Karaoke: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81_2Xb0XB_E

Covers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XaS93WMRQQ