Animal Instinct
The Cranberries Lyrics


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Suddenly something has happened to me
As I was having my cup of tea
Suddenly I was feeling depressed
I was utterly and totally stressed
Do you know you made me cry? Whoa oh oh
Do you know you made me die?

And the thing that gets to me
Is you'll never really see
And the thing that freaks me out
Is I'll always be in doubt

It is a lovely thing that we have
It is a lovely thing that we
It is a lovely thing, the animal
The animal instinct

Woo hoo hoo
Woo hoo hoo
Woo hoo hoo ooh

So take my hands and come with me
We will change reality
So take my hands and we will pray
They won't take you away
They will never make me cry, no oh whoa
They will never make me die

And the thing that gets to me
Is you'll never really see
And the thing that freaks me out
Is I'll always be in doubt

The animal, the animal, the animal instinct in me
It's the animal, the animal, the animal instinct in me
It's the animal, it's the animal
It's the animal instinct in me

It's the animal, it's the animal, it's the animal instinct in me
The animal, the animal
The animal instinct in me





It's the animal, it's the animal, it's the animal instinct in me

Overall Meaning

The song "Animal Instinct" by The Cranberries is about the ups and downs of love and relationships. The lyrics describe a sudden change in the singer's mood while having her cup of tea, becoming depressed and stressed. She then reveals her pain to her partner, but doubts if they fully understand her struggles. The chorus emphasizes that despite the challenges, the animal instinct of love is a beautiful thing that both partners possess, and they must hold onto it.


The lyrics convey the message that relationships are not always easy, but it's important to hold on to the love that is present between partners. The song encourages the listener to take action and change their reality, to hold onto their partner and never let go of the animal instinct of love.


Line by Line Meaning

Suddenly something has happened to me
All of a sudden, an unexpected situation arose in my life


As I was having my cup of tea
When I was relaxing and taking a break


Suddenly I was feeling depressed
The situation made me extremely sad and low-spirited


I was utterly and totally stressed
I was completely overworked and anxious


Do you know you made me cry? Whoa oh oh
I cried because of your actions or words


Do you know you made me die?
Your actions or words figuratively killed a part of me


And the thing that gets to me
What bothers me the most


Is you'll never really see
You won't fully understand my feelings or perspective


And the thing that freaks me out
What scares me the most


Is I'll always be in doubt
I will never be completely certain or confident


It is a lovely thing that we have
The relationship or connection we share is a wonderful thing


It is a lovely thing that we
Our bond is beautiful


It is a lovely thing, the animal
Instinctual behavior or natural impulses can also be wonderful things


The animal instinct
Our natural primal behavior and urges


So take my hands and come with me
Let's face this together and support one another


We will change reality
We will alter the current situation we are in


So take my hands and we will pray
Let's hope or wish for a better outcome


They won't take you away
I won't lose you or the relationship we have


They will never make me cry, no oh whoa
I won't be upset or hurt by their actions or words again


They will never make me die
I won't let their actions or words harm me again


The animal, the animal, the animal instinct in me
Our natural instincts and primal behavior is an inherent part of us


It's the animal, it's the animal, it's the animal instinct in me
Our natural impulses can be powerful forces within us


The animal, the animal
Our instinctual behavior can drive us


The animal instinct in me
Our natural primal urges and actions are an integral part of our being




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Noel Anthony Hogan, Dolores Mary O'Riordan

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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