"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 look like you're having such a lovely time
I dont wanna get involved with your life
Keep pushing drugs, just say I wont
I'll do whatever neccessary to keep my lungs inside
(I cannot figure out, for the life of me,
Who will be worthy when I turn thirty
And I can reach the crowd
I could still sell out
If I get thirsty
If I lose self-esteem
Gotta have options)
The holes that I dug out 9 years ago
These are the holes that I dug out 9 years ago
(Gotta have options
If you don't know where you choose
You won't know where you belong
You don't know where you're from
You don't know what you want
Air: it get your head off
So you gotta have options
Yeah, you gotta have options)
I dont wanna get involved with your life
Keep pushing drugs, just say I wont
I'll do whatever neccessary to keep my lungs inside
(I cannot figure out, for the life of me,
Who will be worthy when I turn thirty
And I can reach the crowd
I could still sell out
If I get thirsty
If I lose self-esteem
Gotta have options)
The holes that I dug out 9 years ago
These are the holes that I dug out 9 years ago
(Gotta have options
If you don't know where you choose
You won't know where you belong
You don't know where you're from
You don't know what you want
Air: it get your head off
So you gotta have options
Yeah, you gotta have options)
Lyrics submitted by tylermacmore
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