Zombie is a song by Irish rock band The Cranberries. Originating from Limerick in the Republic of Ireland, the Cranberries were fronted by Dolores O’Riordan, a talented singer with distinctive vocal intonations. Zombie was written by O’Riordan and released in September 1994 as the first single from band’s second album “No Need to Argue”. Its lyrics were inspired by the Provisional IRA’s bombing of Warrington, England in March 1993. This attack occurred on a busy shopping street and killed two young boys: Johnathan Ball, aged three, and Tim Parry, 12. A phone warning was received 25 minutes before the bombs detonated but failed to provide a precise location.
The lyrics of Zombie are a wailing cry against sectarianism and violence in Ireland. They despair at the longevity of the conflict (“It’s the same old thing since 1916”) and condemn paramilitary volunteers who take the lives of children, apparently without guilt or remorse (“What’s in your head, zombie”). Delivered by O’Riordan’s lilting voice over grunge-inspired heavy guitars, these plaintive lyrics make for a song with considerable impact. Zombie was the Cranberries’ most successful single, charting at number one in several countries including Australia, France, Germany and Denmark. It remains one of the most iconic pop songs of the 1990s. Dolores O’Riordan died suddenly in London in January 2018.
Another head hangs lowly
Child is slowly taken
And the violence caused such silence
Who are we mistakenBut 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
What’s in your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie…Another mother’s breakin’
Heart is taking over
When the violence causes silence
We must be mistakenIt’s the same old thing since 1916
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
What’s in your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie
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This page was written by Jennifer Llewellyn and Steve Thompson. To reference this page, use the following citation:
J. Llewellyn and S. Thompson, “Zombie” (The Cranberries, 1994)”, Alpha History, accessed [today’s date], https://alphahistory.com/northernireland/zombie-cranberries-1994/.