U2: Sunday Bloody Sunday Meaning

Song Released: 1983

Sunday Bloody Sunday Lyrics

Yes...

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...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Jan 9th 2011 !⃝

   Both top rated post's are slightly wrong in different ways. This is the offical version confirmed by someone there at the time.
   
   Bloody Sunday (Irish: Domhnach na Fola)—sometimes called the Bogside Massacre—was an incident on 30 January 1972 in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland, in which twenty-six unarmed civil rights protesters and bystanders were shot by members of the British Army. The incident occurred during a Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association march; the soldiers involved were the First Battalion of the Parachute Regiment (1 Para). Thirteen males, seven of whom were teenagers, died immediately or soon after, while the death of another man four and a half months later has been attributed to the injuries he received on that day. Two protesters were injured when they were run down by army vehicles. Five of those wounded were shot in the back.
   
   So no curling championshipd, and no balck 'n' tans. Just another pointless incedent in a totally bollocks (but never acknowledged)WAR
   
   All the best
   Mr Servicemen...

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   stephen

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   Oct 10th 2008 !⃝

   Bloody Sunday was one of the most significant events to take place during the Irish War of Independence, which followed the formation of a unilaterally declared Irish Republic and its parliament, Dáil Éireann. The army of the republic, the Irish Republican Army waged a guerrilla war against the Royal Irish Constabulary, its auxiliary organisations and the British Army, who were tasked with suppressing Irish separatism.
   
   In response to IRA actions, the British Government formed paramilitary forces to augment the RIC, the "Black and Tans" (a nickname arising from their mixture of uniforms), and the Auxiliary Division (generally known as the Auxiliaries or Auxies). The behaviour of both groups immediately became controversial (one major critic was King George V) for their brutality and violence towards not just IRA suspects and prisoners but Irish people in general. In Dublin, the war largely took the form of assassinations and reprisals on either side.
   
   The events on the morning of 21 November were an effort by the IRA in Dublin, under Michael Collins and Richard Mulcahy to wipe out the British intelligence organisation in the city. It was the police that were responsible for the British reprisals on the afternoon of Bloody Sunday
   
   
   bloody sunday ! =}

3. 3TOP RATED

   #3 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Apr 2nd 2009 !⃝

   "The metaphor is actually an amalgamation of Derry, 1972, but also a football riot in Dublin, WAY back in 1920."
   
   Sorry, but he notion of a football riot being Bloody Sunday is totally misguided and wrong. The event the poster is referring to is an act of reprisal by the British Forces, primarily the Black and Tans, to executions carried out by the IRA.
   
   It was an All Ireland hurling semi final in Croke Park in Dublin, and the Brtish Forces drove onto the field in their armoured cars and mercilessly open fire on not only the spectators, but the players as well killing a player as well. It was a pre-meditated act of murder on behalf of the British Forces, and should not be merely regarded as a football riot!
   
   Even to suggest that it happened "WAY back" in 1920 is misleading, as scars still run deep from this incident, it has only been a few years since foreign games have been allowed to be played at Croke Park (GAA Headquarters), and that members of British Security Forces have been allowed to participate in Gaelic Games. This incident was also the reason behind the furore over whether or not God Save The Queen should even be played at Croke Park when Ireland hosted England at rugby in 2007.
   
   Aside from the misleading comment on the events, I do think the original poster was correct in suggest that the song referenced both events, Dublin 1920 and Free Derry 1972, however due to the timing of the song, and similar songs in that era (with one of the same title by John Lennon) I think it does apply to 1972 more.
4. anonymous

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   Nov 4th 2012 !⃝

   This song is about Easter Rising an event staged in Dublin during Easter week 1916 to protest British rule and forcing the Irish to participate in WW1. This revolt would lead to a full-blown revolution that would result in most of Ireland gaining its independence. U2 has show in many other songs that they are opposed to violence. They appear to be upset about these events but that is because of the violence induced by both sides in the struggle wasn't worth it. They are happy that Ireland gained its freedom but they wonder at what cost. Given that the song was written in 1982 one can think back and reason that Ireland would have gained its independence in 1945 when England gave up most of its former colonies. This can be further thought to be taken, was it worth it the loss of Irish lives to gain independence sooner? Was it worth to gain part of Ireland at this time when the British would have given them all of Ireland several decades later?
5. anonymous

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   Aug 2nd 2011 !⃝

   The last poster is the only one who correctly answered this! It is the Enniskillen bombing to which bono is referring to in the song. I'm surprised to see even wiki has this listed incorrectly!
6. anonymous

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   May 18th 2011 !⃝

   Sunday Bloody Sunday is about the russians. Bloody Sunday where the secret police opened fire on helpless civilians who were going to plead there needs to the Tsar.
7. anonymous

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   Apr 18th 2011 !⃝

   As the song goes its very easily to interpret, part of his Rant in the middle of the song refers to Sunday November 8, 1987 and the remembrance day bombing which killed 11 persons and injured 63 others. This was a day old vets were gathering for a parade to remember those who served. The IRA took blame for the bombing. The town was Enniskillen. This explains the Bloody Sunday as he clearly refers to this bombing during his rant.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
8. anonymous

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   Aug 14th 2010 !⃝

   Although I am no expert I do know that in the live version of this so Bono does take a break to talk about a war going on... So in short this mustbe about some Irish war. The words that he says are...
   
   Let me tell you something, i'v had enough of Irsin Americans who havnt been back to there country in 20 or 30 years come up to me and talk about the resistance about the revolution back home, the glory of the revolution and the glory of dieing for the revolution. F*** the revolution. But they don't talk about the glory of killing for the revolution. Taking a man from his bed and gunning him down in front of his wife and his children, where's the glory in that. Where's the glory in bombing a remembrance day parade of old age patrains there metals taken out and polished up for the day. Where's the glory in that then leave them dieing crippled for life or dead under the rubbles of a revolution that the majority of the people in my country don't want.
   
   
   I believe that Bono is opposed to this war and has had friends and or family die in the war due to the lyrics " mothers brothers sisters torn apart"
9. anonymous

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   Aug 14th 2010 !⃝

   Although I am no expert I do know that in the live version of this so Bono does take a break to talk about a war going on... So in short this mustbe about some Irish war. The words that he says are...
   
   Let me tell you something, i'v had enough of Irsin Americans who havnt been back to there country in 20 or 30 years come up to me and talk about the resistance about the revolution back home, the glory of the revolution and the glory of dieing for the revolution. F*** the revolution. But they don't talk about the glory of killing for the revolution. Taking a man from his bed and gunning him down in front of his wife and his children, where's the glory in that. Where's the glory in bombing a remembrance day parade of old age patrains there metals taken out and polished up for the day. Where's the glory in that then leave them dieing crippled for life or dead under the rubbles of a revolution that the majority of the people in my country don't want.
   
   
   I believe that Bono is opposed to this war and has had friends and or family die in the war due to the lyrics " mothers brothers sisters torn apart"
10. anonymous

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    Jul 2nd 2010 !⃝

    This song will now make me think of the G20 riots that took place in Toronto, except it was on a Saturday. I also interpret it as the church-goer who never seeks fulfillment out of going to church with the line, "How long, how long must we sing this song." I listen to this song every Sunday lol.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
11. anonymous

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    May 9th 2010 !⃝

    THis song was written about the war in Ireland over religion. (The protestants and catholics) The song is about how something that is supposed to be holy, i.e. Sunday, has turned into a hateful and bloody day. It is truly a very sad song. :-(
12. anonymous

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    Nov 8th 2006 !⃝

    U2 is an Irish rock band.
    
    This song is about the war that used to rage and might still rage in Ireland.
    It tells the other people of the world the damage that a war can cause.
13. cooltwist

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    Feb 26th 2006 !⃝

    I have more of a question rather than an interpretation. I understand U2 is Irish so it would make sense that this song would be about the protestant and catholic bloodshed in Ireland, but is it possible they're making a reference to the Bloody Sunday of Russia in 1905? Thousands of peaceful protesting workers were fired upon, and their leader was a catholic priest. Just a thought; if I'm completely off the mark don't hate me for it.
14. DrunkenLlama

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    Jan 18th 2006 !⃝

    Well, folks are partially right and wrong about this one.
    
    The metaphor is actually an amalgamation of Derry, 1972, but also a football riot in Dublin, WAY back in 1920.
    
    Two messages can be extracted from the song. The first, most obviously, is Bono's anger not at any specific group, but at the irony of it all-Two sides who've each decided that not only are the semantics of their relationship with God the only proper ones, and they each love Him so much that they're willing to spill blood over it. ( One could also argue that he felt that neither side was really fighting because of their devotion to their faith but to their devotion to just plain old fighting because it's been so for such a long time).
    
    The other point is that Bono is sick of reliving these events...quit re-opening old wounds, and begin the healing ("How long, how long must we sing this song").
    
    The overall message is that the only side he's taking is that of peace. That was the point of "the victory Jesus won". He's pleading for both sides to leave past animosities behind, recognise that they're worshipping the same God, and to act on the priciples of God's word, not the fine print.
15. crutchead

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    Oct 10th 2005 !⃝

    This goes down to the roots of U2's earlier years as a struggling Christian band - accordingly after the struggle of releasing their sophomore Lp 'October', the band is enforced by their church to "either deny Christ or go with the band", thus they decide to disband - supposedly, but it nagged with the band members. The Edge wrote the first draft for the song, which ultimately got finished when the band decided to hook up again, and in turn decide to renounce (not their christian ideals) but their Church. Thus the rest is history...
    
    However, it is quite an inconsistancy on Bono's side to state that it is indeed about the common schtick regarding the thing which happened in the republic of Ireland, when initially the song goes as a parallel metaphore about the bloody crap with organized religions being mirrored with the political intrigue that happened with Ireland - perhaps due to that it is for a more popular appeal that Bono went that way about the song, I find the segment from the RATTLE AND HUM concert where they performed this song with Bono going on to speak angry , when it all seemed forced and at worst even pretensious, at least in my little point of view.
16. anonymous

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    Aug 31st 2005 !⃝

    The song is about 1972 Belfast where British paramilitaries shot and killed unarmed protestors.
    
    Bono has said that this song is a call for peace although many have viewed it otherwise.
17. Duran Fan

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    Jun 22nd 2005 !⃝

    About the fighting that took place between the Catholics and Protestants in Ireland.

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