U2

Bloody Sunday

Sunday Bloody Sunday is a song from the music group U2, it’s an Irish group who was formed in 1976. This song went of the 11 March of 1983 and tells the story of The Troubles and escpecially the Bloody Sunday. Here is the lyrics of the song:

Yeah
Hmm hmm

I can’t believe the news today
Oh, I can’t close my eyes
And make it go away
How long
How long must we sing this song?
How long? How long

’cause tonight we can be as one
Tonight

Broken bottles under children’s feet
Bodies strewn across the dead end street
But I won’t heed the battle call
It puts my back up
Puts my back up against the wall

Sunday, bloody Sunday
Sunday, bloody Sunday
Sunday, bloody Sunday

And the battle’s just begun
There’s many lost, but tell me who has won?
The trench is dug within our hearts
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart

Sunday, bloody Sunday
Sunday, bloody Sunday

How long
How long must we sing this song?
How long? How long

’cause tonight we can be as one
Tonight tonight

Sunday, bloody Sunday
Sunday, bloody Sunday

Wipe the tears from your eyes
Wipe your tears away
Oh, wipe your tears away
I wipe your tears away
(Sunday, bloody Sunday)
I wipe your blood shot eyes
(Sunday, bloody Sunday)

Sunday, bloody Sunday (Sunday, bloody Sunday)
Sunday, bloody Sunday (Sunday, bloody Sunday)

And it’s true we are immune
When fact is fiction and TV reality
And today the millions cry
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die

The real battle just begun
To claim the victory Jesus won
On

Sunday, bloody Sunday
Sunday, bloody Sunday

Now we have to replace the historic context to understand the song. The Troubles is a ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland between 1968 and 1998, at the beginning the conflict was political and nationalist (but it had also an ethnic dimension although it wasn’t religious). On the one hand, loyalist who are mostly protestants and considered themselves British, wanted Northern Ireland remain within the United Kingdom. On the other hand, Irish nationalists/republicans who are mostly catholics, considered themselves Irish and wanted to leave the United Kingdom. It was a complex conflict with numerous armed and political actors.

The song tells the story of the Bloody Sunday wich took place the 30 January of 1972. It was a shooting Attack in wich British soldiers shot 26 anonymus civilians during a paceful protest march against internment without trial. 14 people died: 13 were killed instantatly and an another man four months later by his injuries.

Analysis of the song:

The first stanza: The singer, Bono, can’t believe his eyes. He saids that he can’t rest insensitive and powerless : « I can’t believe the news today, I can’t close my eyes and make it go away ». He calls up the gathering of Irish people.

The second stanza: the tone is darker and the anger present « Puts my backup against the wall ». Bono describes a battlefield full of dead people  » Broken bottles under children’s field »

The musical bridge: The singer asks stop crying « Wipe the tears from your eyes », we have to keep hope.

Chorus: The singer repeats « Sunday, bloody Sunday », it’s a mark of insistence.

Third stanza: It’s a criticism of the media wich trivialize the violence to the point that it doesn’t shock anymore  » And it’s true we are imune when fact is fiction and TV reality ». However some poeple are still crying into indifference  » And today the millions cry ».

But the battle continues, not the one who will see the Victory of catholics or protestants but the one who will see the victory of Jesus « to claim the victory Jesus won ».

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