Sunday Bloody Sunday - U2

Song Analysis

U2, which began as four teenagers jamming in a basement, is now regarded as the “World’s Biggest Band”. The Irish rock group from Dublin has pushed the boundaries of rock for over thirty years, and still has plenty of great music to put out there. Their lyrics have mostly focused on political and social awareness, as seen in some of their albums, War, Under a Blood Red Sky, and The Unforgettable Fire. One of the most well known songs off of War is “Sunday Bloody Sunday”, a powerful combination of poetry and storytelling that portrayed the horrors caused by the dangerous civil rights movement going on in Northern Ireland at the time.

Although this song is obviously a political protest song, Bono, the lead singer of U2, always made sure to note that it was “not a rebel song”. The lyrics are made up of alliteration, imagery, a creative rhyme scheme, and much symbolism. The line “broken bottles under children’s feet” is a great example of both alliteration and imagery used together. In an even more slightly morbid imaging, the next line “bodies strewn across the dead end street” gives the listener a grim picture of the violence that took place in Northern Ireland during this time period. Bono uses figurative language when he says “I won’t heed the battle call”; this means that he will not submit and join everyone else with the violence. Ambiguity is found in the line “there’s many lost, but tell me who has won”. “Many lost” can mean either the number of people who has died or mean who has lost the battle. Figurative language is found again in the line “the trench is dug within our hearts”, seeing as a trench could not literally be dug into some one’s heart. The trench can be a symbol for the heartbreak being experienced because of the war. Throughout the song Bono asks, “how long must we sing this song?”, really meaning: how long will this violence last? The entire song is an allusion to the Bloody Sunday incident in Derry, a city in Northern Ireland, where civil rights protesters were viciously shot and killed by British troops. This protest song is more of a peace promoting song than an anti-war one.

“Sunday Bloody Sunday” is one of U2’s signature songs, as well as one of the most performed on stage. Its social relevance and political stand-points makes it one of the most celebrated protest songs of its generation. It is not just a metaphor for peace, but also was an eye-opener to many people living in that time period to the horrific events that were going on in the world. Bono even emphasized his yearning for peace in his live performances of the song, during which he wrapped a white flag around his body. This gesture became a symbol for U2’s reputation as a socially outspoken, peace-keeping musical act.

Check out a video of U2 performing "Sunday Bloody Sunday" LIVE

Lyrics:

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
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


Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday



Wipe the tears from your eyes
Wipe your tears away
Oh, wipe your tears away
Oh, wipe your tears away
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Oh, 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
Sunday, Bloody Sunday

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

Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday