"Zombie" is about the ethno-political conflict in Ireland. This is obvious if you know anything of the singer (Dolores O'Riordan)'s Irish heritage and understood the "1916" Easter Rising reference.
"Another head hangs lowly
Child is slowly taken
And the violence caused such silence
Who are we mistaken
-
Another mother's breaking
Heart is taking over"
Laments the Warrington bomb attacks in which two children were fatally injured on March 23rd, 1993. Twelve year old Tim Parry was taken off life support with permission from his mother after five days in the hospital, virtually braindead.
"But you see it's not me
It's not my family"
References how people who are not directly involved with the violence feel about it. They are "zombies" without sympathy who refuse to take action while others suffer.
You say I waste my life away
But I live it to the full
And how would you know anyway?
You're just mister dull
Why don't you get into the things we do today
You could lose twenty years right away
So we say
We don't need no, no, no, no
Parental guidance here
We don't need no, no, no, no
Parental guidance here
Every day you scream at me to turn the music low
Well if you keep on screaming
You'll make me deaf you know
You always chew me out because I stay out late
Until your three-piece suit comes back in date
Get one thing straight
We don't need no, no, no, no
Parental guidance here
We don't need no, no, no, no
Parental guidance here
There's no communication
I'm tired of explanation
Is this message getting through?
You went through the same thing too
Don't you remember what it's like to lose control?
Put on my jacket before you get too old
Let's rock n' roll
We don't need no, no, no, no
Parental guidance here
We don't need no, no, no, no
Parental guidance here
We don't need no, no, no, no
Parental guidance here
We don't need no, no, no, no
Parental guidance here
Oh no
One life
And I'm gonna live it up
But I live it to the full
And how would you know anyway?
You're just mister dull
Why don't you get into the things we do today
You could lose twenty years right away
So we say
We don't need no, no, no, no
Parental guidance here
We don't need no, no, no, no
Parental guidance here
Every day you scream at me to turn the music low
Well if you keep on screaming
You'll make me deaf you know
You always chew me out because I stay out late
Until your three-piece suit comes back in date
Get one thing straight
We don't need no, no, no, no
Parental guidance here
We don't need no, no, no, no
Parental guidance here
There's no communication
I'm tired of explanation
Is this message getting through?
You went through the same thing too
Don't you remember what it's like to lose control?
Put on my jacket before you get too old
Let's rock n' roll
We don't need no, no, no, no
Parental guidance here
We don't need no, no, no, no
Parental guidance here
We don't need no, no, no, no
Parental guidance here
We don't need no, no, no, no
Parental guidance here
Oh no
One life
And I'm gonna live it up
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