# The Cranberries

The Cranberries were an Irish rock band formed in Limerick, Ireland, in 1989 by lead singer Niall Quinn, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan, and drummer Fergal Lawler. Quinn was replaced as lead singer by Dolores O'Riordan in 1990. The band classified themselves as an alternative rock group, but incorporated aspects of indie pop, post-punk, folk rock, and pop rock into their sound.

## Song lyrics

All lyrics written by Dolores O'Riordan.

### Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? (1993)

* Oh, my life Is changing every day, In every possible way.And oh, my dreams, It's never quite as it seems, Never quite as it seems.
** "Dreams"
* I know I've felt like this before, But now I'm feeling it even more Because it came from you.Then I open up and see The person falling here is me: A different way to be.
** "Dreams"
* You're spinning me around, My feet are off the ground. I don't know where I stand. Do you have to hold my hand? You mystify me. You mystify me. You mystify me.
** "Sunday"
* If you, if you could return Don't let it burn, Don't let it fade. I'm sure I might be rude, But it's just your attitude. It's tearing me apart. It's ruining everything. And I swore, I swore I would be true. And honey, so did you. So why were you holding her hand? Is that the way we stand? Were you lying all the time? Was it just a game to you?But I'm in so deep. You know I'm such a fool for you. You've got me wrapped around your finger. Do you have to let it linger? Do you have to, do you have to, do you have to let it linger?
** "Linger"

### No Need to Argue (1994)

* Unhappiness where's when I was young And we didn't give a damn Cause we were raised To see life as fun and take it if we can. My mother, my mother, She'd hold me. She'd hold me when I was out there. My father, my father, He liked me, well he liked me. Does anyone care?
** "Ode to My Family"
* Lying in my bed again And I cry cause you're not here. Crying in my head again And I know that it's not clear. Put your hands, put your hands Inside my face and see that it's just you. But it's bad and it's mad And it's making me sad Because I can't be with you.
** "I Can't Be with You"
* 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 fightin'. With their tanks and their bombs and their bombs and their guns, In your head, in your head, they are cryin'. In your head, in your head Zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie
** "Zombie"
* Another mother's breakin' Heart is takin' over. When the violence causes silence, We must be mistaken.
** "Zombie"
* It's the same old theme Since nineteen-sixteen...
** "Zombie"
* There's no need to argue No need to argue anymore There's no need to argue anymore
** There's no need to argue

### To the Faithful Departed (1996)

* To all those people doing lines: Don't do it, don't do it. Inject your soul with liberty, It's free, it's free.
** "Salvation"
* And in the night I could be helpless, I could be lonely Sleeping without you.And in the day Everything's complex, There's nothing simple When I'm not around you.
** "When You're Gone"
* It's not worth anything more than this at all; I live as I choose or I will not live at all.
** "Free to Decide"
* I'm still remembering the day I gave my life away. I'm still remembering the time You said you'd be mine. Yesterday was cold and bare Because you were not there. Yesterday was cold, My story has been told.
** "I'm Still Remembering"

### Bury the Hatchet (1999)

* Suddenly, something has happened to me As I was having my cup of tea. Suddenly, I was feeling depressed; I was utterly and totally stressed. Do you know you made me cry? (Woah-oh) Do you know you made me die?
** "Animal Instinct"
* You'd better believe I'm comin', You'd better believe what I say. You'd better hold on to your promises Because you bet, you'll get what you deserve. She's going to leave him over, She's gonna take her love away. So much for your eternal vows. Well, it does not matter anyway.
** "Promises"
* There was a game we used to play: We would hit the town on Friday night, Stay in bed until Sunday. We used to be so free. We were livin' for the love we had, Livin' not for reality.
** "Just My Imagination"
* They had an accident, But they never noticed anyway. A lack of originality, Couldn't focus on the day. So much for the radio, Everybody sounds the same. Everybody wears the same clothes now, And everybody plays the game.
** "Copycat"

### Wake Up and Smell the Coffee (2001)

* Close your eyes, close your eyes, Breathe the air, out there. We are free, we can be wide open.For you opened my eyes to the beauty I see. We will pray, we will stay wide open.Don't analyse, don't analyse. Don't go that way, don't live that way. That would paralyse your evolution.
** "Analyse"
* We better think about the things we say. We better think about the games we play. The world went round, yeah, around and round.We better think about the consequences. We better think about the global census. If time went down, yeah, if time went down.
** "Time Is Ticking Out"

## Quotes about the Cranberries

* The Irish alternative rock outfit broke musical boundaries for their cheery melodic and dreamy approach to rock songwriting. [...] The pop-like quality to The Cranberries otherwise melancholic songwriting — not to mention O’Riordan’s signature yodel vocal style — set them apart from many of the prominent rock acts at the time, and it’s certainly an aspect that’s kept the band’s music so admired for the last three decades.
** Quentin Thane Singer of Forbes (June 15, 2024)

## External links

* Official website