"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.
Aa yume mite boku-tachi wa aishiau no sa
Aa mezamete boku-tachi wa koroshiau no ka
Saa nemutte boku-tachi wa aishiau no sa
Kobore ochiru ame yuki ni kawaru koro
Kogoeru yubisaki kimi no hoho ni
Masshiro na sekai nemureru kimi no yume ka maboroshi
Tatta hitosuji monokuroomu no hoho ni beni sasu
Dakiyoseta nara iki mo dekinai hodo
Kasaneta kuchibiru kimi no nioi
Masshiro na sekai nemureru kimi no yume ka maboroshi
Tatta hitosuji monokuroomu no hoho ni beni sasu
Mai odorimashou mai odorimashou
Haru wo matsu ni wa toosugite
Mai odorimashou mai odorimashou
Yume wo mita dake sou sore dake
Aa mezamete boku-tachi wa koroshiau no ka
Saa nemutte boku-tachi wa aishiau no sa
Kobore ochiru ame yuki ni kawaru koro
Kogoeru yubisaki kimi no hoho ni
Masshiro na sekai nemureru kimi no yume ka maboroshi
Tatta hitosuji monokuroomu no hoho ni beni sasu
Dakiyoseta nara iki mo dekinai hodo
Kasaneta kuchibiru kimi no nioi
Masshiro na sekai nemureru kimi no yume ka maboroshi
Tatta hitosuji monokuroomu no hoho ni beni sasu
Mai odorimashou mai odorimashou
Haru wo matsu ni wa toosugite
Mai odorimashou mai odorimashou
Yume wo mita dake sou sore dake
Lyrics submitted by horrorcunt
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This song is timeless, and nearly 20 years after its creation, still possesses the mystique it did the first time i heard it ~1994. To me, at first blush, all those years ago, it had some kind of homo-erotic allure. The line "so that the others may do" tells of something which must be done for others to follow suit. It felt like like some kind of roxy-glam-pop invitation to sexual liberation.
Upon further introspection I think the song may not have an intrinsic meaning, but simply represents a sort of "holding open the door" for people who otherwise might be affronted by this song/band's unusual style. I know, as a sort of armchair rock-historian, that there have been few bands so daring and so true to the sound that wanted to emerge from within, whether the creator wanted it or not. This band handled it with elegance and grace seldom, if ever, seen.

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The man has pseudo-friends who constantly criticize his actions. They moralize him, "teach" him and advise him to make a significant change in his life, because the way he is and what he does is not what they say it should be. They may find his life lame or immoral. They hold themselves up as role models. The man replies that he will make his own choices and decisions and he does not agree to unconditionally make himself under the influence of questionable quality advice. He justifies this by saying that there is always someone for whom he will be important, no matter what he does and no matter what he is. Although it is not said directly, I read it as meaning that he will always be important to himself in every way and he will always have his own support.
"Everyone is different and maybe that's a good thing, but you exceeded that mark 1000 times" - I remember very well how sad the words I once heard (from my peers and it was in negative context) at school made me feel.

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