Zombie (Alt. Version) – English Lyrics

• By: The Cranberries

Lyrics & Translation

This song is an excellent choice for English learners due to its clear, emotive pronunciation and relatively straightforward but powerful vocabulary regarding peace and conflict. By listening, you can explore the use of metaphor in protest music while experiencing the unique, melodic Irish-inflected vocal style of Dolores O'Riordan.

[English]

Another head hangs lowly

Child is slowly taken

And the violence caused such silence

Who are we mistaken

But You see it's not me,

It's not my family

In your head, in your head

They are fighting

With their tanks, and their bombs

And their bombs, and their guns

In your head

In your head they are crying

In your head, in your head

Zombie, zombie, zombie

What's in your head, in your head

Zombie, zombie, zombie

Another mothers breaking

Heart is taking over

When the violence causes silence

We must be mistaken

It's the same old theme since 1916

In your head,

In your head they're still fighting

With their tanks, and their bombs

And their bombs, and their guns

In your head

In your head they are dying

In your head, in your head

Zombie, zombie, zombie

What's in your head, in your head

Zombie, zombie, zombie

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
violence /ˈvaɪələns/ B2	noun - behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill
mistaken /mɪˈsteɪkən/ B1	adjective - wrong in one's opinion or judgment
zombie /ˈzɒmbi/ C1	noun - a corpse said to be revived by witchcraft, or a person who is listless or behave in a mechanical way
fighting /ˈfaɪtɪŋ/ A2	verb - taking part in a violent struggle involving the exchange of physical blows or the use of weapons
silence /ˈsaɪləns/ B1	noun - complete absence of sound
tanks /tæŋks/ B2	noun - heavy armored fighting vehicles carrying guns
bombs /bɒmz/ A2	noun - containers filled with explosive material
guns /ɡʌnz/ A2	noun - weapons incorporating a metal tube from which bullets are fired
crying /ˈkraɪɪŋ/ A1	verb - shedding tears typically as an expression of distress or pain
dying /ˈdaɪɪŋ/ A2	verb - ceasing to live
breaking /ˈbreɪkɪŋ/ A2	verb - to separate into pieces as a result of a blow or shock
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - the organ that pumps blood, often symbolic of feelings
lowly /ˈloʊli/ B2	adjective - of low status or humble, or hanging downwards
theme /θiːm/ B2	noun - an idea that recurs in a work of art or literature
slowly /ˈsloʊli/ A1	adjective - at a low speed

Key Grammar Structures

• Another head hangs lowly

  ➔ Adverbial use of adjectives

  ➔ "Lowly" here functions as an adverb describing how the head hangs, though it maintains an adjective form.

• Child is slowly taken

  ➔ Passive Voice (Present Simple)

  ➔ The structure "is taken" emphasizes the action being done to the child rather than who is doing it.

• The violence caused such silence

  ➔ Past Simple Tense

  ➔ The verb "caused" indicates a completed action in the past that led to the result of silence.

• Who are we mistaken

  ➔ Adjective Complement / State of being

  ➔ Here "mistaken" functions as an adjective describing the subject "we" and their current state of error.

• They are fighting

  ➔ Present Continuous Tense

  ➔ The structure "are fighting" expresses an action that is currently ongoing.

• It's the same old theme since 1916

  ➔ Prepositional phrase of time with "since"

  ➔ "Since" is used to denote a specific point in the past from which the theme has continued.

• Another mothers breaking

  ➔ Possessive apostrophe omission (poetic license)

  ➔ Grammatically, it should be "mother's", showing that the heart belongs to the mother.

• What's in your head

  ➔ Wh- question with "is"

  ➔ The contraction "What's" combines "What" and "is" to ask for information about the state of one's thoughts.