Fire On Babylon
SinГ©ad O'Connor Lyrics


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She took my father from my life oh
Took my sister and brothers oh
I watched her torturing my child
Feeble I was then but now I'm grown

Fire on babylon
Oh yes a change has come
Fire on babylon
Fire
Fire
Fire

She's taken everything I liked
She's taken every lover oh
And all along she gave me lies
Just to make me think I loved her

Fire on babylon
Oh yes a change has come
Look what she did to her son
Fire
Fire
Fire on

Life's backwards
Life's backwards
People turn around
The house is burned
The house is burned
The children are gone

Fire
Fire




Fire on babylon
Oh yes a change has come
Fire on babylon
Fire
Fire, oh
Fire, oh

Fire on babylon
Oh yes a change has come
Look what she did to her son
Look what she did to her son
Fire, haha
Fire, haha

Fire
Fire
Fire, aha
Fire on babylon
Fire on babylon

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Sinéad O'Connor's Fire on Babylon tell a story of betrayal, loss, and the struggle for redemption. The singer, presumably O'Connor herself, describes the pain she has suffered at the hands of someone close to her, likely a parent or guardian figure. This person has taken away her family members and loved ones, including her father and siblings. Furthermore, this individual has inflicted emotional and physical pain on the singer's child, causing her to feel powerless and weak.


But as the chorus proclaims, a change has come, symbolized by the "fire on Babylon." Babylon here serves as a metaphor for the oppressive forces that have held the singer down, but the fire represents a spark of hope and defiance. The singer is no longer feeble, but grown and ready to fight back against those who have wronged her.


The second verse reinforces this message of empowerment, as the singer acknowledges how this person has taken away everything she has ever cared about. This person has also lied to her, making her believe that their relationship was based on love when, in reality, it was a manipulation tactic. The fire on Babylon, once again, represents the singer's awakening to the truth and her insistence on moving forward.


The bridge of the song is a haunting repetition of the phrase "life's backwards," suggesting that everything the singer once thought was true and right has been turned on its head. The house has burned, the children are gone, and the world as she knows it has been destroyed. But while this may seem like a bleak acknowledgment, the chorus offers a glimmer of hope that things can still change for the better.


Line by Line Meaning

She took my father from my life oh
My mother separated me from my father, taking away the man I needed most in my life


Took my sister and brothers oh
She also kept me away from my siblings, tearing apart my family


I watched her torturing my child
I have witnessed the pain and suffering she inflicted on my own child


Feeble I was then but now I'm grown
I was weak and powerless back then, but now I am an adult and can stand up for myself


Fire on babylon
I want to burn down the system that allowed such injustices to happen and make a change


Oh yes a change has come
I am optimistic that change is possible and will happen soon


She's taken everything I liked
She not only took away my family, but also everything that brought me joy in life


She's taken every lover oh
She prevented me from having relationships with other people and experiencing love


And all along she gave me lies
Throughout it all, she fed me false information that made me believe I loved her


Just to make me think I loved her
She manipulated me into feeling like I needed her, even though she was the source of so much pain


Look what she did to her son
Witness the damage and trauma that she inflicted on her own child


Life's backwards
The way things are don't make sense and are unfair


People turn around
We must change how we do things and fix this broken society


The house is burned
Our lives are ruined and destroyed by these injustices


The children are gone
Young people are suffering and being harmed by this corrupted system


Fire, haha
I am filled with fire and anger towards the people responsible for this suffering


Fire on babylon
We must take action and burn down this system of oppression and tyranny




Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: SINEAD O'CONNOR, JOHN REYNOLDS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@jasonsheath3294

I was never a huge Sinead fan in her heyday - until she absolutely changed my mind in a moment at an outdoor music festival. I was fortunate to see her live in Vancouver in 1995 before she left the 95 Lollapalooza Tour early. I will never forget when she came on - some really terrible punk band had played and other than a 50 or so punk heads moshing out - the main stage audience had cleared out to walk around, check out side stages etc - then Sinead comes on - almost to no fanfare or applause - all the punk kids took one look at her and just left stage front area - and she started in quietly with Fire in Babylon - then when she belted out the chorus of "FIRE......." - it brought about 15 thousand people to a dead stop as everyone looked at the stage. I have never before or since heard a voice like that - it was just incredible listening to her sing with such... beautiful abandon. People immediately rushed back to the main stage and everyone ( and I mean everyone -even the punk kids and head bangers that were just there to rage out and mosh) were just transfixed by her voice. One of the most beautiful sounds I have heard in these 48 years on this planet. When she finished the entire place erupted in cheers for her. One of my favorite concert memories.

@chocomondonguero

O just wept reading this.

@michelleobrien6996

Good for her 👍

@siobhanfraser8190

I'm 55 from the the same country as her
She's our Queen
She spoke truth
Love you Sinead
And thankyou to for giving her a go
God bless

@chilloutzone2732

Sinéad O'Connor`s voice has incrediball level! Some opera singers tried to sing her songs, and they failed!
To me personally Sinéad O'Connor is one of the greatest artists in our world!

@siobhanfraser8190

@@chilloutzone2732 bless you and I'm sure Sinead is blessing you to
And so am I
God bless

75 More Replies...

@heliotroph3750

Of the billions of years the universe has existed, I'm beyond appreciative that I was lucky to live at just the right time to enjoy her music. Rest in peace Sinead.

@phlaurelpossible4908

This is beautifully spoken. Right with you. Thank you.

@jewelpakhi

Thank you for your comment.

@saultrue

Sorry - Only just saw your comment. Thank you, I totally agree.

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