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
The_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
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 nineteen-sixteen
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
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
The Cranberries’ “Zombie” is a song that speaks out against the violence in Northern Ireland. The lyrics describe the aftermath of bombings and shootings, where children and mothers are the ones who suffer the most. When the singer’s voice comes in with “Another head hangs lowly, child is slowly taken,” it paints a picture of the constant loss of life in the conflict.
The chorus line of “In your head, in your head, Zombie” represents the idea that the constant war and conflict have created a mentality or a “zombie-like” state of mind for the people involved. The constant repetition of “zombie” in the chorus emphasizes the persistency and length of the conflict, and how it has become ingrained in the people’s minds.
The song continues to question “Who are we mistaking?” and emphasizes that the violence has caused silence and misunderstandings. The lyrics speak out against the continued fighting and the attacks on innocent people, leading to more pain and suffering for everyone involved.
Line by Line Meaning
Another head hangs lowly
Someone is feeling defeated or sad.
Child is slowly taken
A child is being taken away or harmed.
And if violence causes the silence
Violence contributes to the silence and lack of action.
Who are we mistaking
We are making a mistake by not taking action against violence.
But you see it's not me
The artist is not responsible for the violence.
It's not my family
The singer's family is also not responsible for violence.
In your head in your head
These thoughts are inside your mind.
They are fighting
The thoughts are causing inner turmoil and conflict.
With their tanks and their bombs
The conflict involves elements of war.
And their bombs and their guns
The opposing forces are using various weapons.
In your head in your head they are crying
These thoughts are causing sadness and grief.
Another mother's breaking heart is taking over the violence causes silence
Violence is causing great sadness and is preventing people from speaking out.
We must be mistaken
There must be something wrong with the way we are approaching violence.
It's the same old thing since nineteen-sixteen
Violence and conflict have been happening for many years.
Their still fighting
The fighting and conflict is ongoing.
In your head in your head they are dying
These thoughts are causing death and destruction.
Zombie zombie zombie ei ei
The situation feels like a nightmare.
What's in your head
What you are thinking is contributing to the situation.
Zombie, zombie, zombie ei, ei, ei, oh do do do do do do do do
The situation is like a never-ending nightmare.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
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
@user-vb8ws4hd1m
Congratulations! Greeting from Greece
@oscarsoto9512
Thanks to the cranberries and dolores for your music, greetings from honduras ❤
@metalangel3978
Congratulations The Cranberries ❤❤🎼🎵🎶🎙🎸🥁🎸
@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.
@mariapopa6883
Thanks
@rachelsmith9469
I clearly hear it’s the a
same old deed since 1916 🤷♀️
@calla9892
Thanks, kind stranger.