“Zombie” Lyrics & Meaning (The Cranberries)

Many years ago I was backpacking through Asia.

I took a lot of local buses. They always blasted terrible music throughout the trip.

One song I remember in particular was a Thai remake of Zombie.

The singer had a horrible screechy, nasal voice that tortured the ears.

She sang in Thai, so I have no idea if she kept the original Zombie lyrics meaning.

My guess is no, since it is particular to Ireland.

So what is The Cranberries’ Zombie about? Keep reading to find out.

 

Zombie Lyrics And Meaning

The Cranberries released Zombie in 1994. The song focused on the conflict in Ireland at the time. It was released just a month before the band’s No Need to Argue album.

The emotion that’s apparent in the song, as well as the driving, haunting melody, made it a chart-topping hit in many countries. Zombie even won the award for Best Song at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 1995. It also topped the United States Alternative Rock charts and became a mainstream hit in France, Australia, and Germany.

This song helped elevate The Cranberries to international fame, while also encouraging peace. Zombie had both a cultural and political impact on the violence that was happening in Ireland at the time. This made it one of the most important songs of the ‘90s.

This song took a completely different tone from what The Cranberries normally produce. It was grungier and heavier than any tracks they had previously released. They likely wanted to reflect the darker subject that the song is about.

Even though the song is about peace, there have been times when it has faced censorship and been taken off the radio. This was during sensitive periods such as the Iraq War and was due to its powerful anti-violence message and its ability to reflect strong emotions during times of conflict.

Even to this day, Zombie has an important place in music history, due to audiences being able to come together in regards to the human condition and violence.

Zombie remains The Cranberries most popular song and that is in part due to the message it delivers. It’s not just a great song, but also a song about truth and the destruction of violence.

 

Zombie Lyrics

 

Verse 1

Another head hangs lowly
Child is slowly taken
And the violence caused such silence
Who are we mistaken?

Pre-Chorus

But you see, it’s not me, it’s not my family
In your head, in your head, they are fightin’
With their tanks and their bombs and their bombs and their guns
In your head, in your head, they are cryin’

Chorus

In your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie
What’s in your head, in your head?
Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie-ie, oh

Du, du, du, du
Du, du, du, du
Du, du, du, du
Du, du, du, du

Verse 2

Another mother’s breakin’
Heart is takin’ over
When the violence causes silence
We must be mistaken

Pre-Chorus

It’s the same old theme, since 1916
In your head, in your head, they’re still fightin’
With their tanks and their bombs and their bombs and their guns
In your head, in your head, they are dyin’

Chorus

In your head, in your head
Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie
What’s in your head, in your head?
Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie-ie, oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, eh-eh-oh, ra-ra

 

Zombie Meaning

This song was inspired by the 1993 IRA bombings in Warrington, when two children were killed. Zombie has always been thought of as more than just a song due to its strong historical context.

The whole point of the song is to raise awareness about how violent wars can be and the impact they have on innocent people, especially. The Cranberries highlight this through the Irish Republican Army’s conflict with British forces.

The IRA was established in the early 20th century but became more prominent from the 1960s to the 1990s. Their aim was for Irish independence from Britain and this caused many violent conflicts.

The Warrington bombings were a reminder of the conflict’s evolution of terror attacks, especially due to the fact that they were targeted at civilians. The lead singer and songwriter of The Cranberries, Dolores O’Riordan, was so affected by this attack that she had to put her emotions into a song.

The song’s lyrics are so poignant, because they directly confront the tragedy of the bombings. O’Riordan used the song as a way to question the mindset of the people responsible for the bombing and expressed her sorrows over the killing of two innocent children.

This is shown through the lyrics, “Another head hangs lowly, child is slowly taken.” It reflects her despair on the subject and helps to firmly root Zombie as a classic song about the horrors of violence and the need for peace.

Zombie has had a lasting impact on its listeners and that is why the song is still so popular thirty years later. The Cranberries used its title, Zombie, and its chorus as a metaphor for the mindlessness that comes from killing innocent people, in particular those who lost their lives during the violence in Ireland.

 

Zombie Lyrics Meaning: Final Thoughts

Zombie is easily the most popular song The Cranberries ever wrote. It is also quite different from the type of music they usually create.

But the harder, more grungy feel matches the Zombie lyrics meaning. In fact, it adds to the impact of the words. The music video, which many find disturbing, further reinforces the message of the song. We also included the song in our article on songs about zombies, even though it does not actually have anything to do with ‘real’ zombies.

The one thing that stands out for most people when they first hear Zombie is O’Riordan’s powerful vocals. For another song with powerful female vocals, check out our analysis of the Dog Days Are Over lyrics meaning.