The song was written in response to the death of Johnathan Ball, aged 3, and Tim Parry, aged 12, both of whom had been killed in the Warrington bombings, when two IRA improvised explosive devices hidden in litter bins were detonated in a shopping street in Warrington, England.
"Zombie" was released with a music video in October 1994. The video was directed by Samuel Bayer, and produced by Doug Friedman and HSI. Productions. The music video was filmed in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the heart of the Troubles with real footage, and in Dublin.
In the video, O'Riordan is covered in gold makeup and appears in front of a giant cross with a group of boys covered in silver makeup holding bows and arrows. The video also includes clips of local children playing war games, a performance by the band, and of British soldiers from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (as evident from their thin red line tactical recognition flashes) on patrol in Northern Ireland. It also features shots of various murals (IRA, UDA, UFF, UVF, Bobby Sands). In April 2020, it became the first song by an Irish group to surpass one billion views on YouTube.
"Zombie" reached No. 1 on the charts of Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, and Iceland, and although it did not chart on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, it did reach No. 1 on the US Billboard Alternative Airplay chart. In addition, the song was voted by Australian radio Triple J listeners as No. 1 on the 1994 Triple J Hottest 100 chart. It won the Best Song Award at the 1995 MTV Europe Music Awards. The accompanying music video was directed by Samuel Bayer.
In 2017, the song was released as an acoustic, stripped-down version on the band's Something Else album.
Zombie
Cranberries Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Child is slowly taken
And if violence causes the silence
Who are we mistaking
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 crying
[Chorus]
In your head
In your head
Zombie zombie zombie ei ei
What's in your head
In your head.
Zombie, zombie, zombie ei, ei, ei, oh do,do,do,do,do,do,do,do
Another mother's breaking heart is taking over the violence causes silence
We must be mistaken
It's the same old thing since 1916
In your head in your head
Their still fighting
With their tanks and their bombs
And their bombs and their guns
In your head in your head they are dying
[Chorus]
The Cranberries' song "Zombie" is a powerful political anthem with poignant lyrics that reflect the senseless violence of the armed conflict in Northern Ireland that began in the late 1960s and lasted for three decades. The song starts with the words "Another head hangs lowly, child is slowly taken" which is a reference to the violence that led to the death of two young boys, Jonathan Ball and Tim Parry, in a terrorist bombing in Warrington, England in 1993. The remainder of the song is a commentary on the continued violence in Northern Ireland between the two sides involved in the conflict, highlighting the futility of war and the loss of innocent lives in the process. The lyrics "In your head in your head, they are fighting/With their tanks and their bombs/And their bombs and their guns" show the chaos caused by the conflict and the extent of the weapons used in it.
The song connects the horror of the Warrington bombing to the "same old thing since 1916" when Ireland was partitioned into two states, Northern Ireland with a Protestant majority loyal to the UK and the Republic of Ireland in the south, and the conflict essentially started. The song highlights how the conflict has been continuing for decades and how it has affected people's thoughts and beliefs in a cyclical manner. The chorus phrase "In your head, zombie zombie zombie ei ei" is a symbolic reference to the never-ending trauma and fear that people carry within themselves as a result of the violence around them. The song bravely brings to attention the widespread pain and damage inflicted by the unnecessary conflict and encourages people to think about the value of peace and understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
Another head hangs lowly
Someone is sad and hopeless
Child is slowly taken
A child is being taken away slowly and possibly unwillingly
And if violence causes the silence
The reason for the silence can be attributed to violence
Who are we mistaking
Who is causing the violence and being mistaken for something else?
But you see it's not me
It's not me who is causing the violence and the silence
It's not my family
My family is not involved in the violence or the silence
In your head in your head
You are imagining
They are fighting
People are fighting
With their tanks and their bombs
Violence is being perpetrated with tanks, bombs, and guns
And their bombs and their guns
Violence is being perpetrated with bombs and guns, not just tanks
In your head in your head they are crying
You imagine the people fighting are crying
In your head
You are imagining it
Zombie zombie zombie ei ei
There are people acting like zombies, causing violence and silence
What's in your head
What you're imagining may not be true
Another mother's breaking heart is taking over the violence causes silence
A mother's heart is breaking because of the violence that causes silence
We must be mistaken
We are not understanding the true cause of the violence and silence
It's the same old thing since 1916
The same cycle of violence has been going on since 1916
Their still fighting
The people fighting have not stopped
In your head in your head
You are still imagining it
They are dying
People are dying because of the violence
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DOLORES MARY O'RIORDAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alicebrus2703
Lyrics:
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 crying
In your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie
What's in your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie, oh
Du, du, du, du
Du, du, du, du
Du, du, du, du
Du, du, du, du
Another mother's breaking
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 fighting
With their tanks, and their bombs
And their bombs, and their guns
In your head, in your head, they are dying
In your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie
What's in your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie, oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ie-ie oh
Please like so that others can find this easily.
@Supernatural_technology_DNA
this song is also about alien invasion
"Abortion" is the destruction of humanity.
----------
I am alarmed about the danger of human extinction in the future.
Humanity is facing an extremely complex, Elaborate invasion.
--------------
Invasion of the earth in silence.
"Abortion" is the best way to destroy the future of humanity.
Humanity is facing a war against falsehoods that want to destroy innocent unborn children.
-----------------
No need to use starships or rockets to destroy another world!
I have a better way: Use quantum entanglement technology to control the minds of people in other worlds to destroy their unborn children.
@MnMPryoBanana
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 crying
In your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie
What's in your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie
Another mother's breaking heart
Is taken over
When the violence causes silence
We must be mistaken
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
In your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie
What's in your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie
@TheCranberriesTV
"We are so delighted with the news that Zombie has reached 1 Billion views on YouTube! 🎉 We are sure Dolores has a big, proud smile on her face too.
Thank you so much to all our fans around the world for supporting us over so many years.
Hopefully you are all safe and well in this bizarre time and managing to find some hope and positivity in our music." ❤️
- Fergal Lawler
@Ewelaila
Greetings from Poland!
@patrickconnors9448
Congratulations..well deserved amazing song
@ΡεμανΤαφαι
Congratulations! Greeting from Greece
@oscarsoto9512
Thanks to the cranberries and dolores for your music, greetings from honduras ❤
@metalangel3978
Congratulations The Cranberries ❤❤🎼🎵🎶🎙🎸🥁🎸
@TheCranberriesTV
Help us get Zombie to a billion views!
Achieving this milestone will make "Zombie" the first ever music video by an Irish band to reach one billion views on YouTube, taking its place in a select group of iconic rock music videos released before 2003 to hit that mark, including Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and Guns N' Roses' "November Rain."
#ZombieToABillion
@013rml
Hey guys! Don't listen to these fake fans who only criticize. We are grateful to you and we must say thank you for your music. Greetings from Argentina!
@LeoEspinoza0
Ok :v
@Adam-fu6sr
I been watching this whole day 1B soon :)