The Tupelos are an all-female a cappella singing group named after the roma… Read Full Bio ↴The Tupelos are an all-female a cappella singing group named after the romantic spot on Wellesley College's Lake Waban, "Tupelo Point." The Tupelos have been dishing out red hot a cappella goodness since 1949, presenting high-energy, aurally and visually stimulating shows up and down the East Coast.
"It all began freshman year," mused Georgia Beaverson '51, unofficial head of what we now know as the Wellesley Tupelos. "Eight of us in Eliot went out with some Spizzwinks from Yale." Listening to their dates as they sat harmonizing around the Eliot living-room that Sunday, Georgia continued, the eight decided to form a singing group of their own. ("Wellesley Follows Yale's Steps With Own Singing Group," by Mary Jane Bragg '52, Wellesley College News, May 18, 1950.)
The group was founded in the fall of 1949 and made its debut with the Boston Pops in the spring of 1950. In commenting on their debut performance, the Wellesley College News printed: "Expected: that the orchestra possesses 'musical proficiency.'Unexpected, but the more welcome for the element of surprise: that the Tupelos, Wellesley's dozen harmonizers,would so successfully charm the audience. Far from being the typical quartet-group, the Tupelos chose a program of various specially arranged favorites and Wellesley songs, to which they did justice in action, diction and tone." In an interview in 1950, the Tupelos founder Georgia Beaverson said, "Next year, we'd like to add members of other classes to the group. We don't want the Tupelos to die out when we've graduated." ("Fiedler,Barnett and the Tupelos Makes Pops Tops," by Susan Brailove '51, Wellesley College News, May 18, 1950.)
Since then, the Tupelos have continued to charm audiences all over, performing often at numerous functions on campus as well as traveling to give performances throughout New England. The Tupelos have now been performing for over 50 years. In 1999, a reunion was held to celebrate this amazing achievement and to thank our founding Tupelos. Songs from all 50 years were performed and each class was well represented.

zombie
Wellesley College Tupelos Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

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-e-e-e
What's in your head?
In your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie-e-e-e oh

Another mother's breaking heart is taking over
When the violence causes silence
We must be mistaken

It's the same old theme 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

In your head
In your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie-e-e-e
What's in your head?

In your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie-e-e-e oh

Overall Meaning

The Wellesley College Tupelos' song "Zombie" is a protest song against the violence and destruction caused by war. The song reflects on the senselessness of violence and the impact it has on innocent people, particularly children and mothers. The first verse describes the loss and pain caused by violence, questioning why it continues to happen and who is to blame. The pre-chorus emphasizes the separation between the singer's experiences and the violence, acknowledging that they are not personally involved but still affected by it.

The chorus repeatedly uses the metaphor of zombies to represent the dehumanizing effects of war. The metaphor implies that those involved in wars are stripped of their humanity and become mindless creatures that are incapable of rational thought or emotion. The second verse describes the history of violence and war, remarking that it has been an ongoing theme throughout human history. The repetition of the chorus reinforces the idea that violence and war have trapped us in a never-ending cycle of destruction and death.

Line by Line Meaning

Another head hangs lowly
Another person feels defeated and hopeless

Child is slowly taken
An innocent child is being taken away or hurt

And the violence caused such silence
Violence has silenced people and caused them to feel helpless

Who are we mistaken
Who are we fooling by ignoring the violence?

But you see it's not me
I am not the one causing the violence

It's not my family
My family is not responsible for this violence

In your head, in your head
This violence exists in your thoughts and imagination

They are fighting
There is a battle taking place

With their tanks and their bombs
The battle involves military weapons

And their bombs and their guns
The battle involves explosive and shooting weaponry

In your head, in your head they are crying
There is emotional turmoil and tears in your thoughts about the violence

Another mother's breaking heart is taking over
Another mother is heartbroken and overwhelmed by the violence

When the violence causes silence
The violence suppresses people's voices and makes them feel unable to speak out

We must be mistaken
We cannot be correct in ignoring the violence

It's the same old theme since 1916
The violent conflict has been ongoing for a long time

Their still fighting
The fighting and conflict continue to this day

In your head, in your head they are dying
There are thoughts of death caused by the ongoing violence

Zombie, zombie, zombie-e-e-e
The violence has turned people into emotionless, zombie-like beings

What's in your head?
What thoughts and emotions do you have about this violence?

Zombie, zombie, zombie-e-e-e oh
The violence continues to have a pervasive, zombifying effect

Writer(s): Dolores Mary O'riordan

Contributed by Riley T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Comments from YouTube:

perkim0n

16y

This is the same group that sang Track 11 on BOCA 07, right?? incredible. definitely one of my favorites on that album and still impressive live--although I must agree with Rekababy and my Lady Devious. The lead singer has a voice...beyond words.