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Israel Lyrics
Little orphans in the snow
With nowhere to call a home
Start their singing
Singing
Waiting through the summertime
To thaw your hearts in wintertime
That's why they're singing
Singing
Waiting for a sign
To turn blood into wine
The sweet taste in your mouth
Turned bitter in its glass
Israel
In Israel
Israel
In Israel
Shattered fragments of the past
Meet in veins of the stained glass
Like the lifeline
In your palm
Red and green reflects the scene
Of a long forgotten dream
There were princes
And there were kings
Now hidden in disguise
Cheap wrappings of lies
Keep your heart alive
With a song from inside
Even though we're all alone
We are never on our own
When we're singing
Singing
Hohhhh
Hohhhh
There's a man who's looking in
And he smiles a toothless grin
Because he's singing
Singing
See some people shine with glee
But their song is jealousy
Their hate is clanging
Maddening
In Israel
Will they sing Happy Noel?
In Israel
In Israel
Israel
In Israel
In Israel
Will they sing Happy Noel?
Song Info
Submitted by
cylon_0_0 On Apr 09, 2005
More Siouxsie and the Banshees
Happy House
Kiss Them For Me
Spellbound
Hong Kong Garden
Cities In Dust
SIOUXSIE: "No it's not about religion as such, it’s more general. A disillusioned person, or whole race who’ve ceased to understand or believe in what they held to be the truth. It tries to put across, you shouldn’t cover what you feel inside by teaching or attitudes imposed on you. It emphasises the strength of the individual." Source: Sounds 28/02/81.
So basically it is about questioning your beliefs and don't just follow things that are forced on you by authority.
i.e. zionism.
i.e. zionism.
@skunkweed Zionism is the movement for Jewish independence, as much a "belief" as the movement for Japanese or American independence. That said, the restoration of David's kingdom is intrinsic part of the Jewish religion.
@skunkweed Zionism is the movement for Jewish independence, as much a "belief" as the movement for Japanese or American independence. That said, the restoration of David's kingdom is intrinsic part of the Jewish religion.
A nice trope -- red and green being both the traditional Christmas colors and two of the national colors of the Palestinians.
This is a brilliant observation. I never thought of the Palestinian connection. I am happy to find other people who ponder this song as much as I have.
This is a brilliant observation. I never thought of the Palestinian connection. I am happy to find other people who ponder this song as much as I have.
@smendler "national colours" of the Arab Revolt created in WWI by Sir Mark Sykes and adopted in whole or in part by most Arab states.
@smendler "national colours" of the Arab Revolt created in WWI by Sir Mark Sykes and adopted in whole or in part by most Arab states.
@smendler You misinterpret by taking it out of context. The next line is about a much earlier time of primitive princes and kings. Christmas was not celebrated until the 4th century. The Palestinian flag not created until 1964. The more primal interpretation of the colors is that green represents Nature, and the red spattered upon it is the blood of the people and animals who were being forced into the slavery of agriculture for meat production (hence why the dream of a garden of eden is long forgotten, tainted by the first civilization that would oppress society with laws, patriarchy, and forcing...
@smendler You misinterpret by taking it out of context. The next line is about a much earlier time of primitive princes and kings. Christmas was not celebrated until the 4th century. The Palestinian flag not created until 1964. The more primal interpretation of the colors is that green represents Nature, and the red spattered upon it is the blood of the people and animals who were being forced into the slavery of agriculture for meat production (hence why the dream of a garden of eden is long forgotten, tainted by the first civilization that would oppress society with laws, patriarchy, and forcing meat eating upon everyone).
It's quite anarchist in nature and indeed exposes the world's first fascist propagandists to boot, the ones who practically invented hate, with more words to demonize people than any other (and prior to any other language doing so, something that spread culturally).
@smendler That's not what a trope is.
@smendler That's not what a trope is.
@smendler Nonsense. It's a Bohemian battle cry to Israelites heart on truth in front you.
@smendler Nonsense. It's a Bohemian battle cry to Israelites heart on truth in front you.
The song reminds us of the violent, hateful nature of contemporary Israel, the allusions to blood, despair, a religious philosophy fragmented and it's continuous decay in a world of reason where Israeli society is unsustainable under a Zionist movement fascinated with ethnic cleansing and annihilation of it's neighbours.
Israel does not wage wars of aggression. The situation of the Palestinians is self-made. The have rejected and spurned every opportunity to make peace. The Arabs will not accept a Jewish country on "Arab" lands and will fight with any means necessary to accomplish that goal of eliminating Israel. This is why they send their children as suicide bombers. What kind of culture is that of the Arabs??
Israel does not wage wars of aggression. The situation of the Palestinians is self-made. The have rejected and spurned every opportunity to make peace. The Arabs will not accept a Jewish country on "Arab" lands and will fight with any means necessary to accomplish that goal of eliminating Israel. This is why they send their children as suicide bombers. What kind of culture is that of the Arabs??
The situation of the Palestinians is not self-made. The "War of Independence" in 1948 saw 1,380,000 Palestinians driven off their land by the Israeli army in an act of ethnic cleansing (Tanya Reinhart, 2002).
The situation of the Palestinians is not self-made. The "War of Independence" in 1948 saw 1,380,000 Palestinians driven off their land by the Israeli army in an act of ethnic cleansing (Tanya Reinhart, 2002).
Israel does wage wars of aggression. E.g. The 1967 invasion and occupation of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights + The 1982 invasion of Lebanon which left 11,000 people dead (Ibid).
Israel does wage wars of aggression. E.g. The 1967 invasion and occupation of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights + The 1982 invasion of Lebanon which left 11,000 people dead (Ibid).
The vast majority of Palestinians actually will accept a Jewish country on "Arab" lands. A survey by the Bir Zeit Uni in 2002 found that "77% of Palestinians believe both Palestinians and Israelis...
The vast majority of Palestinians actually will accept a Jewish country on "Arab" lands. A survey by the Bir Zeit Uni in 2002 found that "77% of Palestinians believe both Palestinians and Israelis have the right to live in peace and security" (ibid, p. 229).
Arab culture is not the reason for suicide bombers; it is the sustained degradation and dehumanization of the Palestinian people which forces some individuals to become radicalized due to utter desperation and despair.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but the Arabs of that territory were told by the Arab armies that if they left their land, the Jews would be "pushed into the sea" and all of the land would be restored to Arab hands.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but the Arabs of that territory were told by the Arab armies that if they left their land, the Jews would be "pushed into the sea" and all of the land would be restored to Arab hands.
67 is hardly an act of aggression when you consider that Jordan, Syria, and Egypt were all about to attack. I suppose aggression is what it's called when Israel wins wars by large margins. Secondly, way before 67 the nations of Egypt and Jordan occupied the Gaza Strip and West Bank, respectively, without so much as a...
67 is hardly an act of aggression when you consider that Jordan, Syria, and Egypt were all about to attack. I suppose aggression is what it's called when Israel wins wars by large margins. Secondly, way before 67 the nations of Egypt and Jordan occupied the Gaza Strip and West Bank, respectively, without so much as a word from anyone. I wonder why.
And you're right, it is not Arab culture. It is the Muslim religion that has spawned suicide bombers. Suicide bombers not only come from the West Bank and Gaza, but the entire world (including western nations). Their common denominator is Islam.
Lastly, there was no desperation and despair before this whole situation, so how can Arab riots and attacks on Christians and Jews be explained before the creation of the State of Israel?
Can I have some evidence for the first claim you made. I don't understand what event you are referring to and it does not seem like a logical thing for "the Arab armies" to tell the civilian population to LEAVE if their goal was to push the Jews into the sea.
Can I have some evidence for the first claim you made. I don't understand what event you are referring to and it does not seem like a logical thing for "the Arab armies" to tell the civilian population to LEAVE if their goal was to push the Jews into the sea.
Jordan, Syria and Egypt were not about to attack Israel in 67. The war was a "preemtive strike" to demonstrate Israel's military capability to America and to secure resourcouces in the middle east by destroying secular Arab nationalism, particularly Egyptian nationalism led by Nasser. Preemtive wars are...
Jordan, Syria and Egypt were not about to attack Israel in 67. The war was a "preemtive strike" to demonstrate Israel's military capability to America and to secure resourcouces in the middle east by destroying secular Arab nationalism, particularly Egyptian nationalism led by Nasser. Preemtive wars are illegal in international law unless approved by the UN first, and Isreal's attacks were not. The UN Security Council Resolution 242 from 67 made clear the "inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war" made by Isreal.
Islam is not the cause of suciide bombers either. As I said, it is only utter desperation and desper that leads human beings to do such terrible things. Here is an article full of examples of non-Muslim sucicde attackers: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_attack Note that there is a fatwa in Islam forbidding suicide bombing.
I am not sure what your last point about Arab riots on Christians and Jews pre-Isreal is referring to. Can you specify which events you are referring to in particular please. Thanks.
sorry for shit spelling
sorry for shit spelling
To the OP - that was very much my reaction to the lyrics. The false show of joy depicted is reminiscent of fascism in general, and to me that expresses the notion that Israel has become the very demon it was victimized by. In a more personal dimension, it's very accessible. The cycle of victim-to-oppressor is sort of a universal theme that might be found in history anywhere from a Greek tragedy to a Japanese existential film.
To the OP - that was very much my reaction to the lyrics. The false show of joy depicted is reminiscent of fascism in general, and to me that expresses the notion that Israel has become the very demon it was victimized by. In a more personal dimension, it's very accessible. The cycle of victim-to-oppressor is sort of a universal theme that might be found in history anywhere from a Greek tragedy to a Japanese existential film.
To NomadMonad - First of all, I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around a neo-conservative speculating on the musings of Siouxsie...
To NomadMonad - First of all, I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around a neo-conservative speculating on the musings of Siouxsie and the Banshees. Did you come here looking for a debate, or do you actually listen to their music? I digress. I don't know what country or religion you think you belong to, and I don't fully understand what Zionism means to you. But I believe that history and public opinion have evidenced that the current state of Israel, from the first military occupation to the now prison-state it's become, are a true reflection of the collective will of the Jewish people. And I don't say this without having some precedence - I actively practiced Judaism and associated with Jewish people from the ages of 19 to 21, before returning to my more familiar Buddhist upbringing, and I gained a lot of perspective on the Hebrew concept of faith. And honestly, while there were plenty of Jews I met who were very politically minded and pro-Israel, the majority of Jews whom I met told me something that I reflexively believed from the beginning: according to their prophecies, God had promised to restore Israel to them at a future time. Many Jews are still waiting for that to happen. Because it wasn't God who delivered the Jews back to Israel (where, by the way, many Jews were already living alongside Muslims with relative neighborliness), was it? The motion to create the current state of Israel was driven by bankers, even though the Anti-Defamation League assures us that Prescott Bush was NOT investing in Nazi Germany's military during WWII.
@Mazort "...the now prison-state it's become, are a true reflection of the collective will of the Jewish people."
@Mazort "...the now prison-state it's become, are a true reflection of the collective will of the Jewish people."
I think we should be wary of anyone attributing "collective will" to whole populations unless it is for positive, uncontentious rhetorical purposes (e.g., "The people of Utopiland have, through their collective will, successfully overcome the challenges of banana fever".) To say a sizeable population, defined by their religion, has a "collective will" to do something you believe is evil verges on racism. You claim to be a Buddhist -are you part of the "collective will" to murder, rape and expel Rohingya...
I think we should be wary of anyone attributing "collective will" to whole populations unless it is for positive, uncontentious rhetorical purposes (e.g., "The people of Utopiland have, through their collective will, successfully overcome the challenges of banana fever".) To say a sizeable population, defined by their religion, has a "collective will" to do something you believe is evil verges on racism. You claim to be a Buddhist -are you part of the "collective will" to murder, rape and expel Rohingya people?
" The motion to create the current state of Israel was driven by bankers..."
...actually, it was driven by the will of many Jewish people to establish their own state post-World War 2, supported by massive popular support in Western Europe, the USA and allied nations. And the policy of the UK, then occupying Palestine, to withdraw. The USA and USSR both voted to establish Israel, the UK abstained.
For historical reasons that are very well understood a small minority of Jewish people became successfully established in banking. The use of 'bankers' as a synonym for 'Jews', the allegation that Jewish people somehow control or disproportionately influence the wider banking system, or that "the banks" collectively conspire to favour some peoples over others (disregarding the fact that banks are in competition with each other, and there are many banks, both state-owned and privately owned, from many nations), are crude, easily falsified racist (and populist) tropes that long pre-date the founding of the state of Israel. Much used by the Nazis.
I don't care about your interpretation of Siouxsie and the Banshees' lyrics. And I'm not commenting on Israeli-Palestinian relations, or the merits or otherwise of any religion.
I just hate racism, and I believe you are parroting racist beliefs.
@Mazort You twisted horrible racist
@Mazort You twisted horrible racist
@Mazort Nonsense. It's a Bohemian battle cry to Israelites heart on truth in front you.
@Mazort Nonsense. It's a Bohemian battle cry to Israelites heart on truth in front you.
i think the song is about refugees, people who once fled, raised a state where given broken dreams. ( turned his blood into wine, (old history), but later the (current time) the wine turned bitter in the glass in this new "promised" land. People are still enslaved by political false dreams.. but there is an old men walking bye, he has no tooth left, there is something still there of freedom most of us dont see. After that it is wondering happy noel.. do people still understand what freedom means.
Israel is a best portrait for this, but there are many places like it, where people flee and try to find something better, and are given "new dreams" to work hard pay rent
Not being a historian at all, I love the group, saw them in San Francisco back in the day (The Warfield?) The song always perplexed me, gave me things to think about. On one hand I felt it was pro Israel, the color reference reminded me of the U2 song (War?). It seems to me a song of encouragement to any and all oppressed people, a song of joy and sadness. Enjoying all the comments ✌????
The more I study the lyrics the more it suggests it really does have something to do with the history and founding of (contemporary)Israel
👍, Its a Bohemian battle cry to Israelites heart on truth in front of them.
👍, Its a Bohemian battle cry to Israelites heart on truth in front of them.
Israel is where it all began, you know. And 'Happy Noel' screams Christmas to me. The whole lyrics, it evokes this sense of happiness because, like it says, they're singing, not literally singing per se, but just celebrating life.
Don't know what it's about, but I love Siouxsie's voice and I just wanted to comment on how well-written this piece is, and I don't know how big they were in the 80's, during their reign, but as far as 80's music goes, as far as any ALT band goes, they are awesome and should get more airtime.
As follows:
Little orphans in the snow With nowhere to call a home Start their singing
This is the orphaned children after the Holocaust who went to Israel.
Waiting through the summertime To thaw your hearts in wintertime That's why they're singing...
This is European holiday makers visiting Israel during winter months.
Waiting for a sign to turn blood into wine The sweet taste in your mouth--turned bitter in its glass Israel...in Israel
As Israel has become successful and has survives the wars waged against her, jealousy and resentment emerge.
Sorry, don't mean to be on your back again but I think you missed some of the nuances of the lyrics which make it such a great song. You are totally correct about the first part being about Jewish children orphaned by the Holocaust. I think this part really evokes sympathy for the Jewish people and gives hope about the establishment of a place where they can sing and call home. The Jewish people will "turn blood into wine"; they will overcome the violence done to them and celebrate the future.
Sorry, don't mean to be on your back again but I think you missed some of the nuances of the lyrics which make it such a great song. You are totally correct about the first part being about Jewish children orphaned by the Holocaust. I think this part really evokes sympathy for the Jewish people and gives hope about the establishment of a place where they can sing and call home. The Jewish people will "turn blood into wine"; they will overcome the violence done to them and celebrate the future.
However, I interpreted the following lines differently....
However, I interpreted the following lines differently. To me the sense of hope and healing quickly changes in the lines: "The sweet taste in your mouth--turned bitter in its glass". If the song was about Israel surviving and being successful it would have been the other way around, from bitter to sweet, but its not.
The reason for this, I think, comes through in later lines and has to do with the situation of the Palestinians:
Red and green reflects the scene Of a long forgotten dream There were princes and there were kings Now hidden in disguise--cheap wrappings of lies
Red and green are Palestinian colors. I think this stanza is a reference to the way that the past has been manipulated in Israel to neglect the histories of the Palestinians for political gain.
The toothless man at the end is one of the children from the start, but his song has become full of "jealousy". The hope from the start has degenerated completely: "Their hate is clanging--maddening". The Palestinians are now as hated and homeless as the Jews once were.
She ends up asking "In Israel will they sing Happy Noel", which suggests that peace and happiness is possible in the future, but it is only a distant prospect, just a song that hasn't been sung yet.
Uh...knowing Siouxsie, happy noel does not refer to happiness and peace in the future.
Uh...knowing Siouxsie, happy noel does not refer to happiness and peace in the future.
"In Isreal will they sing happy noel" most likely refers to christianity/book of revelation..in the book of revelation, jesus returns to earth...and specifically jerusalem...and the jews must either "come to jesus" or go to hell (I resist saying "convert" because revelation was allegedly written prior to christianity coming into existience). of course, this is being stated in a sardonic sense, mocking all parties involved in religious nonsense (christian, muslim, jew). but that particular phrase probably refers to this revelation of st john scenario....
"In Isreal will they sing happy noel" most likely refers to christianity/book of revelation..in the book of revelation, jesus returns to earth...and specifically jerusalem...and the jews must either "come to jesus" or go to hell (I resist saying "convert" because revelation was allegedly written prior to christianity coming into existience). of course, this is being stated in a sardonic sense, mocking all parties involved in religious nonsense (christian, muslim, jew). but that particular phrase probably refers to this revelation of st john scenario.
I agree with you Adr10723 about the orphaned children - but on a larger scale it is ALL of the surviving European Jews who realized they had no home in Europe after WWII and therefore returned to Israel in 1948. I don't agree with all of Perko's pro-Palestinian sentiments, but his comments have made me see aspects of the lyrics in a radically new way. The lines you cite [The sweet taste...turned bitter in its glass]always remind me of these lines in Revelation Ch.10: 7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the...
I agree with you Adr10723 about the orphaned children - but on a larger scale it is ALL of the surviving European Jews who realized they had no home in Europe after WWII and therefore returned to Israel in 1948. I don't agree with all of Perko's pro-Palestinian sentiments, but his comments have made me see aspects of the lyrics in a radically new way. The lines you cite [The sweet taste...turned bitter in its glass]always remind me of these lines in Revelation Ch.10: 7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
Hey Antioch - how can you say that Revelation was written BEFORE Christianity?
The song is about what Israel is about. It's not a battlefield, it's where Jesus Christ was born, and it was during christmas.
@NeonsOfMe91 or It's a Bohemian battle cry to Israelites heart on truth in front you.
@NeonsOfMe91 or It's a Bohemian battle cry to Israelites heart on truth in front you.