The Cranberries: Zombie Meaning
Covered By: Bad Wolves (2018)
Zombie Lyrics
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...
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The song is about the British occupation of Northern Ireland. I don't think it's protesting the IRA because the singer is Irish Catholic, in the video she dresses like St. Sebastian - a catholic martyr and patron saint of catholic soldiers, and the only adults with guns seen in the video are British soldiers on patrol in Northern Ireland.
The song seems to be about how the British keep doing what they're doing because they see all the Irish as being combatants with tanks and bombs, even though they're mostly just people with families. They have this image stuck in their heads of the Irish as terrorists, so they act on only one thought like a zombie. -
It is clear to me that the song is written in reference to the first response, mainly, and all of the responses above mine are also somewhat on track.
But has anyone considered a hidden meaning, or parable-type message to be considered beneath the obvious war she speaks of?
Think of a child hanging their head in silence when a domestic feud or custody battle, or even family dispute takes place. Anyone who has experienced the horror of a home breaking down can surely relate to what I am saying. Children absorb the fighting and violence and carry the emotions around with them as if they have been programmed that way, typically taking their anger out in future outlets, such as domestic violence, drugs, and anything that can be considered a war.
As the generations pass and families continue to lessen the stability of true family values and demonstrate love instead of hate, denial and blame, divorce and broken families crush the potentially powerful, thriving structure of a good home, with a "team" on your side to fight the war of the real world- the temptations children and all of us face each day.
The divorce rate has shot up to 51%- and think of how the offspring will value the idea of a close family- when one hasn't been taught the beauty of it to begin with...
And so on...
Just a thought.
Again, what she says directly about the wars and word-for-word she is telling the truth and making a good point of perspective, but I've always felt more emotion out of her tone- as if it was a personal thing, or as if there were more to the surface of her words. She's a deep person.
Whatever she means to say, only she may ever know. -
The troubles:
1,800 deaths. Of these, roughly 1,100 were members of the security forces - British Army, Royal Ulster Constabulary and Ulster Defence Regiment, between 600 and 650 were civilians and the remainder were either loyalist or republican paramilitaries (including over 100 IRA members accidentally killed by their own bombs).
It has also been estimated that the IRA injured 6,000 British Army, UDR and RUC and up to 14,000 civilians, during the Troubles.
The IRA lost a little under 300 members killed in the Troubles. In addition, roughly 50-60 members of Sinn Féin were killed
Funny how civil rights are only ever expected from governments yet we should all have the right to a civil and just life and not a death caused by acts of random violence. This is the only real freedom we can expect.
I can't believe how times have changed, I used to worry about IRA bombs on the underground. I remember catching the bus ahead of the one blown up by the IRA in London, I rememberthe constant stream of news of deaths in Ireland.
The zombies on all sides woke up. -
I think Dolores is talking about a movie called "Dawn of the Dead" By George A. Romero. "In your head" simply means you have to shoot a zombie in his head if you want him to die.
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Child is slowly taken, taken by war and hate by the destruction they see,they can't be children. Its the same old theme, even when events have past it's still the same in our hearts and minds. genocide does tend to leave such an imprint on a nation. If you look at video its only soldiers and children, apart from the band really. Listen and watch.
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The song is how was affects families, nations. It is Irish-related but can be about any war, the Irish being the only one affecting her would be why it's about Ireland. what she means by violence causing silence is that awful silence that hangs in the air after bombings or shootings on a large scale. a short definition of a zombie is something that can't die. What happens never goes away it lives on in the minds and the hearts of those who were caught in it. Child is slowly taken, taken by war and hate.
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I believe the song 'Zombie' refers to WWI and the shell-shock that followed, it came latterly known as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). As can be plainly seen in the lyrics "In your head, in your head they're still fighting" meaning that the person in which The Cranberries are talking about is recollecting the events in WWI, the fighting, the carnage, the death etc. I believe this because of the line "It's the same old theme since nineteen-sixteen", which was right in the middle of World War 1 (1914-1918). "With their tanks and their bombs,
And their bombs and their guns. In your head, in your head, they are dying..." quite obviously refers to the horror of death that must have been present WWI. "Another mother's breakin', Heart is taking over" refers to a mother's heart breaking due to news of her son dying at war, which was obviously very common. My great grandfather was in WWI and suffered PTSD (shell-shock) afterwards. With PTSD you recollect the most traumatic experiences over and over, proving that "In your head, in your head, they are dying" means the person is re-living these images, it is a horrible disease but unfortunately not too uncommon. That is my interpretation of The Cranberries "Zombie" -
1916 year is indicated for The Proclamation of the Republic, also known as the 1916 Proclamation or Easter Proclamation in IRELAND.......and it was held on 24th July 1916
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I'm not sure what war it is I mean it could be the irish civil war but I think that she means we can't change society, this is what people before us thought so we must think it. It wasn't my fault it wasn't my family's fault but it happened. It is also just pretty much about death of children and how their parents heart gets broken. The Zombie part I think is about the people killing the children I mean Zombies don't have feelings they are dead and are killing machines. This is my interpretation and I think all your ideas are good :)
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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Zombie refers to the way people were fighting each other. like zombies. mindlessly and meaninglessly.
the song is essentially about the war in Ireland that is happening so close to each other. like Byron Bay To Bangalow. ( about 10 kilometres ) -
By the sound of the song and name "zombie", I at first thought of drugs, as well as the lyrics - Another mother's breaking, heart is taken over, and the violence causes silence"
but that's just a perspective, I think the song really is about war, and very well depicts it -
"It's the same old theme since 1916" Its definitely N.Ireland.
its the same old theme refers to the fact that the northern Irish violence has been going along the same old theme since 1916. -
This song is awesome I had to do it for a school project an I couldn't believe it I was shocked how deep it was. I thought it would be funny not serious. The part I liked was and their tanks and their bombs and their bombs in your head in your head they are dying. I think it means when the war was going on the bombs go off an kill people and they wouldn't think twice or even once in your head means when you here voices and people dying and they are thinking they will be next. When it says they are dying people die and it is sad!
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It's obviously about the conflict between the Catholic Irish and the British in Northern Ireland. It shows the impact of this conflict (death of an innocent child, mother's mourning) and the difficulty of anyone to understand the motives of those who continue this war.
The lyric "The violence causes silence" refers to the silence of death.
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