Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2

1. I can't believe the news today, 18. Tonight, tonight.

2. I can't close my eyes and make it go away. 19. Sunday, bloody Sunday...
3. How long, how long must we sing this song?
4. How long? How long? 20. Wipe the tears from your eyes,
5. ‘Cause tonight we can be as one, tonight. 21. Wipe your tears away,
6. Broken bottles under children's feet, 22. Oh wipe your tears away
7. Bodies strewn across a dead end street, 23. Oh wipe your tears away
8. But I won't heed the battle call, 24. (Sunday Bloody Sunday)
9. It puts my back up, puts my back up against the 25. Wipe your blood shot eyes.
wall. 26. (Sunday Bloody Sunday)
10. Sunday, bloody Sunday... 27. Sunday, bloody Sunday...

11. And the battle's just begun, 28. And it's true we are immune.
12. There's many lost, but tell me who has won? 29. When fact is fiction and TV reality,
13. The trenches dug within our hearts, 30. And today the millions cry,
14. And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart. 31. We eat and drink while tomorrow they die.
15. Sunday, bloody Sunday... 32. The real battle just begun.
33. To claim the victory Jesus won,
16. How long, how long must we sing this song? 34. On a Sunday bloody Sunday,
17. How long, tonight we can be as one. 35. Sunday bloody Sunday...

INTRO ANALYSIS

WHAT INSTRUMENT CAN YOU HEAR?

WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE?

FIRST STANZA

LINE 1 WHAT ARE THE SINGER’S FEELINGS ON HEARING THE NEWS?

WHICH NEWS IS HE TALKING ABOUT? EXPLAIN WHAT IT DEALT WITH.

WHICH ARE THE DIFFERENT MEANINGS OF “BLOODY”?

IN YOUR OPINION, WHICH OF THESE MEANINGS ARE USED IN THE EXPRESSION “BLOODY SUNDAY”?

LINE 2 HOW DOES HE FEEL AFTER WATCHING THE NEWS? CAN HE JUST SWITCH OFF TV AND FEEL
CAREFREE?

WHAT’S THE SECOND MEANING OF “I can't close my eyes”?

eyes”?

WHO WERE THE VICTIMS?

WHY DOES HE INSIST ON THE PRESENCE OF KIDS? WHAT DOES IT IMPLY ABOUT THE VICTIMS? HOW
VIOLENT, DANGEROUS WERE THEY?

The reference to kids stresses how …………………………………………….. the victims were.

It underlines how …………………………………………….. the victims were.
It shows how …………………………………………….. the victims were.

SO WHAT DOES IT IMPLY ABOUT THE BRITISH TROUPS?

It underlines how ……………………………………………the British troups were.
It stresses how …………………………………………….. the British troups were.

WHAT IS THE ADJECTIVE DEAD ASSOCIATED WITH IN THE LYRICS? PEOPLE?

WHAT’S A “DEAD END STREET”?

STREET” WHAT’S A “DEAD END”? WHAT DOES THIS IMAGE SUGGEST ABOUT
THE CONFLICT? HOW USEFUL IS IT?
SO HOW DOES THE SINGER BONO FEEL TO THE SITUATION IN HIS NATIVE COUNTRY?

FOCUS ON Lines 3; 4 “How

How long, how long must we sing this song? How long? How long?”
HOW DOES THE SINGER FEEL TO VIOLENCE NOW?

EXPLAIN Line 8 “But

But I won't heed the battle call,” WHAT WILL THE SINGER DO TO STOP THIS CONFLICT?

WHY WILL HE REFUSE TO FIGHT? QUOTE THE SONG

WHAT DOES “IT” REFER TO (line 9) ?

HOW DOES THAT CONFLICT MAKE HIM FEEL?

EXPLAIN WHAT “It puts my back up against the wall”

wall” MEAN? HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOUR BACK IS
AGAINST A WALL? CAN YOU MOVE AWAY?

WHAT DOES HE SUGGEST DOING INSTEAD OF FIGHTING? QUOTE THE SONG!

WHO DOES “We” REFER TO line 5?

WHAT DOES “ONE” SUGGEST?

WHAT DOES THE MODAL “CAN” IMPLY ABOUT BONO’S VISION OF THE FUTURE?

SECOND STANZA

11. And the battle's just begun,

12. There's many lost, but tell me who has won?
13. The trenches dug within our hearts,
14. And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart.

EXPLAIN THE SENTENCE “But tell who has won?”line

won?” 12

READ THE WHOLE SONG AGAIN AND FIND WHICH LINES ECHO LINES 11;12:

EXPLAIN THIS REFERENCE TO JESUS’ VICTORY!

VICTORY WHAT DID HE DIE FOR?WHAT DOES JESUS’ VICTORY
SYMBOLIZE?

SO WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE FIGHT FOR/DEFEND ACCORDING TO BONO?

WHAT IMAGE DOES THE SINGER USE TO SHOW HOW DIFFICULT IT WILL BE?

STANZA 4

WHO IS THIS STANZA ADDRESSED TO?

WHAT IS BONO’S MESSAGE TO THEM?

WHAT COLOUR ARE THEIR EYES? WHY? JUSTIFY WITH A QUOTE.

WHICH EXPRESSION DOES THE ADJ “BLOODSHOT” REMIND US OF? WHAT IS THE EFFECT PRODUCED BY
THE USE OF“BLOODSHOT” TO QUALIFY THE EYES?

LAST STANZA

ACCORDING TO THE SINGER, HOW DO PEOPLE REACT TO THE TRAGEDIES SHOWN ON TV? QUOTE 2
ELEMENTS FROM THE SONG !

WHAT DOES “IMMUNE” IMPLY ABOUT THE REASON FOR THIS INDIFFERENCE? FINISH THE SENTENCES:
People are used to seeing ……………………………………………………………………….
People are used to …………………………………………………………………………………
People have got used to …………………………………………………………………………..
They have got used to seeing or hearing about ………………………………………………….

WHAT TRAGIC EVENT OR WHO DOES BONO ALLUDE TO WHEN HE MENTIONS EATING, DRINKING AND
DYING?

CONSIDERING THESE FACTS REPHRASE LINE 31!

While we………………………………………., they ………………………………………...…………..
We ………………………………………...………….. while they…………………………………….,

WHAT IS THE PART PLAYED BY THE MEDIA AND TV IN THAT INDIFFERENCE? QUOTE THE SONG!

WHAT ARE FACTS SUPPOSED TO BE? WHAT ABOUT TV?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN ABOUT TV VIEWERS AND REALITY AND FICTION? CAN THEY DISTINGUISH
BETWEEN FACTS AND FICTION?

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN ABOUT THE OFFICIAL VERSION OF FACTS PRESENTED ON TV?

WHAT ABOUT BLOODY SUNDAY’S COVERAGE?

ON THE WHOLE, WHAT IS BONO’S POINT OF VIEW ON THIS WAR?

DOES HE SIDE WITH IRA (Irish Republican Army)?

BRANCHING OUT

IS IT A PESSIMISTIC OR AN OPTIMISTIC SONG?

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF U2 OR OTHER STARS’ INVOLVEMENT IN INTERNATIONAL OR NATIONAL

EVENT? IS IT THEIR ROLE?
KEY

LYRICS ANALYSIS
WHAT INSTRUMENT CAN YOU HEAR? They are playing the drums
WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE? It sounds like a beat used to keep a military band in step.
WHAT IS IT COMPOSED OF? 5 stanzas and one chorus Sunday bloody Sunday...

FIRST STANZA.
- Line 1 WHAT ARE THE SINGER’S FEELINGS ON HEARING THE NEWS?
He feels surprised, astonished, amazed, taken aback, shocked. He can’t believe his eyes, he can’t believe it’s true,
he must be upset, devastated, crushed.
WHAT DOES HE THINK! How dreadful/apalling! What dreadful news!
WHICH NEWS IS HE TALKING ABOUT? The news about Bloody Sunday
EXPLAIN WHAT IT WAS ABOUT!
Civilians demonstrating in a peaceful march for the defence of civil rights killed by British paratroopers.
WHICH ARE THE DIFFERENT MEANING OF “BLOODY” IN THE CHORUS?
The word “bloody” is a direct reference to the blood that was shed that particular day (to shed=verser)
WHICH ARE THE OTHER MEANINGS OF THE ADJECTIVE BLOODY?
- Cruel, merciless
- In British English, it is a swearword used to emphasize an emotion such as anger
IN YOUR OPINION, WHICH OF THESE MEANINGS ARE USED IN THE EXPRESSION “BLOODY
SUNDAY”? all

- LINE 2, HOW DOES HE FEEL AFTER WATCHING THE NEWS?

CAN HE JUST SWITCH OFF TV AND FEEL CAREFREE? No
He can’t forget the scenes of horror he has seen. He can’t forget what he has seen on TV.
He can’t get rid of these dreadful scenes. He is obsessed with these images.

WHAT’S THE SECOND MEANING OF “I can't close my eyes”?

He can’t turn a blind eye to reality. He can’t ignore the truth. He must face the appaling truth.

- READ THE FIRST STANZA AND FIND WHAT IMAGES HE HAS GOT IN MIND! QUOTE THE
LYRICS!
Lines 6; 7 “Broken bottles under children's feet”, “Bodies strewn across a dead end street,”
REPHRASE! WHAT CAN HE SEE?
He can see children in the debris and corpses/dead bodies lying in the street.
DEAD BODIES/ BROKEN BOTTLES- WHAT DO THESE IMAGES UNDERLINE?
HOW VIOLENT WAS THE EVENT? These images show how violent the event was.
WHO WERE THE VICTIMS? Children and civilians
WHY DOES HE INSIST ON THE PRESENCE OF KIDS? WHAT DOES IT IMPLY ABOUT THE VICTIMS?
HOW VIOLENT, DANGEROUS WERE THEY?
The reference to kids stresses how innocent, defenceless, powerless the victims were.
They were not responsible for this conflict.
SO WHAT DOES IT IMPLY ABOUT THE BRITISH TROUPS?
It underlines how pitiless, heartless, merciless (bloody) the British troups were.

WHAT IS THE ADJECTIVE DEAD ASSOCIATED WITH IN THE LYRICS? PEOPLE?

It qualifies a street in “a dead end street”
WHAT’S A “DEAD END STREET”? A street with no way out, which doesn’t lead anywhere
WHAT’S A “DEAD END”? A situation with no way out, which doesn’t lead anywhere.
WHAT DOES THIS IMAGE SUGGEST ABOUT THE CONFLICT? HOW USEFUL IS IT?
It shows how useless, pointless the conflict is/ the Troubles are.
It’s no use killing/massacring/ slaughtering innocent civilians. There’s no point in shooting dead/ firing kids.
SO HOW DOES THE SINGER BONO FEEL TO THE SITUATION IN HIS NATIVE COUNTRY?
The singer strongly disapproves of/condemns/denounces the situation in his native country. He condemns the
Troubles.

- PICK OUT OTHER LINES SHOWING THAT HE CONDEMNS THE CONFLICT!

Lines 3; 4“How long, how long must we sing this song? How long? How long?”
(Line 8 “But I won't heed the battle call,”
Line 9 “It puts my back up, puts my back up against the wall”)

FOCUS ON Lines 3; 4“How long, how long must we sing this song? How long? How long?”
WHAT DOES HE DO IN THIS SONG? He denounces/deplores violence.
WHAT DOES THE MODAL MUST EXPRESS?
He is forced to deplore violence and hatred. He can’t but deplore violence as long as people keep on fighting.
HOW DOES HE FEEL TO VIOLENCE NOW?
He is fed up with violence.
He is sick and tired of that conflict that has been going on for too long . He feels weary.
REPHRASE LINE 3!
When will this conflict stop? It’s high time this showdown stopped/ were over.
It’s high time we put an end to the vicious circle of violence and hatred.
He wishes people stopped killing each other/fighting. He wishes the Irish people lived in peace.

SO WHAT WILL THE SINGER DO TO STOP THIS CONFLICT?

EXPLAIN Line 8 “But I won't heed the battle call,”
He will ignore the battle call. He won’t fight.
He refuses to take part in the battle. He doesn’t want to be involved in the battle.

WHY WILL HE REFUSE TO FIGHT? l 9“It puts my back up, puts my back up against the wall”
WHAT DOES “IT” REFER TO? The battle call/ the conflict/ violence
HOW DOES THAT CONFLICT MAKE HIM FEEL? It makes him feel sick=It puts my back up
EXPLAIN WHAT “It puts my back up against the wall” MEAN? HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOUR
BACK IS AGAINST A WALL? CAN YOU MOVE AWAY?
That conflict makes him feel he can’t escape from the vicious circle of violence, hatred and prejudices.

WHAT DOES HE SUGGEST DOING INSTEAD OF FIGHTING?

Line 5 ‘Cause tonight we can be as one, tonight.
WHO DOES “We” REFER TO? The Irish people as U2 is an Irish band
WHAT DOES “ONE” SUGGEST? Unity, reconciliation
→The Irish people- Protestants and Catholics- should unite instead of fighting.
He suggests uniting instead of waging war. Why not unite? What about uniting?
WHAT DOES THE MODAL “CAN” IMPLY ABOUT BONO’S VISION OF THE FUTURE?
Unity is still possible, there is hope. The singer is hopeful, optimistic.
The modal “can” underlines the hope of a possible reconciliation in the future.

SECOND STANZA
11. And the battle's just begun,
12. There's many lost, but tell me who has won?
13. The trenches dug within our hearts,
14. And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart.

WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THAT BATTLE ON THE IRISH PEOPLE?

- 12. “There’s many lost
- 13. The trenches dug within our hearts
- 14. And mothers, children, brothers torn apart”

- 12. “There’s many lost→ A lot of people have already died.

A lot of people have been killed since the beginning of the conflict
the number of casualties / the death toll is very high
The country is mourning its dead.

- 13. The trenches dug within our hearts:

WHO USUALLY DIG TRENCHES? Soldiers/fighters
WHERE ARE TRENCHES USUALLY DUG? On battlefields/ on battlegrounds
WHAT DO THEY SYMBOLIZE? Wars, conflicts, deaths, separations, borders, scars, hatred
WHERE ARE THEY DUG HERE? In people’s hearts= symbol of love
EXPLAIN THIS COMPARISON!
People’s hearts which sybolize love are compared to battlegrounds, battlefields.
→ Not only are trenches dug on the battlegrounds but also in people’s hearts.
People have been hurt and hatred replaces love.
People can’t love each other any more. This conflict has left scars in people’s hearts.

- 14. And mothers, children, brothers torn apart”

→Families/ members of the same family are divided by this conflict.
The war has separated many members of the same family.
EXPLAIN THIS SENTENCE! WHY DOES HE REFER TO MEMBERS OF A FAMILY?
He compares the Irish people to the members of a same family.
In this war, the enemies are all Irish, both sides are Irish, they all belong to the same family.
WHAT IMAGE DO THE MEMBERS OF THE SAME FAMILY EVOKE? Unity, love, support
Instead of being united and supporting each other, family members are separated, divided, torn by the conflict.
This war is against nature.

EXPLAIN THE SENTENCE “But tell who has won?”line 12

In this war, there’s no winner as both sides belong to the same family.
Whoever wins the war, the Irish people will be mourning members of their family.
the Irish people can’t but suffer

READ THE WHOLE SONG AGAIN AND FIND WHICH LINES ECHO LINES 11;12:
11. And the battle's just begun,
12. There's many lost, but tell me who has won?
→ 28. The real battle just begun.
29. To claim the victory Jesus won,
30. On a Sunday bloody Sunday,
WHO SHOULD WIN THAT BATTLE ACCORDING TO BONO? Jesus
EXPLAIN THIS REFERENCE TO JESUS’ VICTORY! WHAT DID HE DIE FOR?
He died for our sins to save the world. He refused violence and went towards peace.
WHAT DOES JESUS’ VICTORY SYMBOLIZE?
Jesus’ victory symbolizes the victory of love over hatred (the defeat of hatred), the victory of peace over violence.
SO WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE FIGHT FOR/DEFEND ACCORDING TO BONO?
They should fight for values such as peace and love. They had better defend peace and love.
HOW DIFFICULT WILL IT BE TO DEFEAT VIOLENCE AND HATRED? Very hard
WHAT IMAGE DOES THE SINGER USE TO SHOW HOW DIFFICULT IT WILL BE?
The real battle (of love, peace versus hatred and violence)
→Although it will be difficult, we must follow in the footsteps of Jesus, refusing violence and going towards
peace.

ACCORDING TO BONO, WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE DO OR SHOULDNT DO?

The Irish people shouldn’t kill each other, shouldn’t fight. They had better unite as the members of the same
nation and learn to live in peace. It means there is a way out of the conflict.

STANZA 4 (THE LAST BUT ONE)

20. Wipe the tears from your eyes,
21. Wipe your tears away,
 22. Oh wipe your tears away
23. Oh wipe your tears away
24. (Sunday Bloody Sunday)
25. Wipe your blood shot eyes.
26. (Sunday Bloody Sunday)
WHO IS THIS STANZA ADDRESSED TO?
It is addressed to the Irish people who is crying/weeping/shedding tears, mourning its dead.
WHAT IS BONO’S MESSAGE?
Stop crying/weeping/shedding tears. It’s time you stopped crying, weeping, shedding tears.
WHAT COLOUR ARE THEIR EYES? JUSTIFY WITH A QUOTE.
Their eyes are red to quote line 25 “bloodshot eyes”. (bloodshot=injectés de sang)
WHY HAVE THEY GOT RED EYES? GESTE CRY!
They have been crying for a long time. They have been weeping/ shedding tears for years.
PRESENT PERFECT PROGRESSIF: on s’intéresse aux conséquences sur le SUJET DE L’ACTIVITE
≠They have cried too much. PRESENT PERFECT On s’intéressesse à la quantité de larme, pas au sujet qui
pleure.
WHICH EXPRESSION DOES THE ADJ “BLOODSHOT” REMIND US OF?
It reminds us of “Bloody Sunday” which has just been repeated above (line 24).
WHAT IS THE EFFECT PRODUCED BY THE USE OF“BLOODSHOT” TO QUALIFY EYES? It stresses
that blood and violence are everywhere, even in people’s eyes.
They’ve seen so much blood, so many dreadful scenes, so many atrocities on Bloody Sunday that they’ve got
blood in their eyes now.
They’ve been watching blood and atrocities for such a long time that they’ve got blood in their eyes now.
APART FROM BLOOD, WHICH LEXICAL FIELD IS PRESENT IN STANZA 4?
The lexical field of vision, sight (eyes, tears)
WHICH SENTENCE OF THE 1st STANZA DOES IT REMIND YOU OF?
Line 2 “I can’t close my eyes and make it go away”?
(WHAT DO THESE EXPRESSIONS LINKED WITH VISION AND VIOLENCE IN STANZA 4 SHOW?
All the expressions and images linked with “vision” show the singer’s inability to forget the violence, the scenes
of horror he has seen. He’s obsessed with these images which he keeps recalling.)
LAST STANZA Be/get used to+ing simultaneity: while+ing, ing
28. And it's true we are immune.
29. When fact is fiction and TV reality,
30. And today the millions cry,
31. We eat and drink while tomorrow they die.
32. The real battle just begun.
33. To claim the victory Jesus won,
34. On a Sunday bloody Sunday,

ACCORDING TO THE SINGER, HOW DO PEOPLE REACT TO THE TRAGEDIES SHOWN ON TV?
QUOTE 2 ELEMENTS FROM THE SONG !
28. And it's true we are immune.
30. We eat and drink while tomorrow they die.
EXPLAIN IN YOUR OWN WORDS!
-“we are immune”→ People don’t react to what they are shown on TV anymore
They feel indifferent to/ unconcerned about people’s sufferings and plight
predicament and hardships
DOES THE SINGER APPROVE OF THAT REACTION? SO WHAT IS HE DOING HERE?
He blames/reproaches TV viewers for their indifference /not reacting to what they see on TV.
He blames people for being indifferent to the others’ predicament and hardships

WHAT DOES “IMMUNE” IMPLY ABOUT THE REASON FOR THIS INDIFFERENCE?
People are used to seeing violence on TV.
People are used to watchingwar horrors from the comfort of their living room.
People have got used to images of war, war horrors terrorist attacks…
They have got used to seeing or hearing about people suffering/ crying/ dying/ sacrificing their lives on TV.
Violence has become commonplace on TV.

-“We eat and drink while tomorrow they die.”

WHAT TRAGIC EVENT OR WHO DOES BONO ALLUDE TO WHEN HE MENTIONS EATING,
DRINKING AND DYING?
He refers to/ alludes to ten Republican prisoners including Bobby Sands, an elected MP, who went on a hunger
strike to be recognized as political prisoners and not as terrorists and died in 1981.

CONSIDERING THESE FACTS REPHRASE LINE 31!

While we are eating and drinking, they are going on hunger strikes and they are dying.
While we are treating ourselves at home, they are suffering and sacrificing their lives.

WHAT IS THE PART PLAYED BY THE MEDIA AND TV IN THAT INDIFFERENCE?

QUOTE THE SONG! Line 29 “When fact is fiction and TV reality”
WHAT ARE FACTS SUPPOSED TO BE? Reality WHAT ABOUT TV? Fiction
WHAT DOES IT MEAN ABOUT TV VIEWERS AND REALITY AND FICTION?
CAN THEY DISTINGUISH BETWEEN FACTS AND FICTION?
TV viewers can’t distinguish between what is real and what is fake.
They can’t make any difference between what is real and what is not real on TV.
They can’t make out reality from fiction.
WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN ABOUT THE OFFICIAL VERSION OF FACTS PRESENTED ON TV?
The official version of facts presented on TV is false, it doesn’t reflect reality.
He blames TV for distorting reality. We can’t trust what we are told on TV. TV viewers are deluded.
WHAT ABOUT BLOODY SUNDAY’S COVERAGE?
Civilians of the peaceful demonstration were said to be armed although they were not.

ON THE WHOLE, WHAT IS BONO’S POINT OF VIEW ON THIS WAR?

It’s cruel, bloody and pointless. Peaple should unite to put an end to this conflict.
DOES HE SIDE WITH IRA (Irish Republican Army)? No, this is a nonpartisan condemnation of the bloodshed
in Northern Ireland. He denounces the atrocities of that war without taking sides.
IS IT A PESSIMISTIC OR AN OPTIMISTIC SONG? This song is pessimistic and optimistic at the same time.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF U2 OR OTHER STARS’ INVOLVEMENT IN INTERNATIONAL OR
NATIONAL EVENT? IS IT THEIR ROLE?

Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2

1. I can't ………..……………… the …………………….… today,

2. I can't close my …………………… and make it go ……………………….
3. How long, how long ………………… we …………………….. this song?
4. How long? How long?
5. ‘Cause tonight we ……………………. be as ……………….. , tonight.
 6. Broken ……………………….. under ………………………. 's feet,
7. ……………………………………… strewn across a dead end …………………..,
8. But I won't heed the ……………………….. call,
9. It puts my ………………. up, puts my ……………….. up against the ……………… .
10. Sunday, bloody Sunday...

11. And the …………………… 's just ……………………..,

12. There's many ……………………… , but tell me who has ……………………?
13. The …………………. dug within our …………………,
14. And ……………………., ………………………., …………………., ………………….. torn apart.
15. Sunday, bloody Sunday...

16. How long, how long ………………… we ……………….. this song?

17. How long, tonight we …………………. be as ………………..
18. Tonight, tonight.
19. Sunday, bloody Sunday...

20. Wipe the ………..…….. from your …………………,

21. Wipe your …………….. away,
22. Oh wipe your ……………….. away
23. Oh wipe your ………………... away
24. (Sunday Bloody Sunday)
25. Wipe your blood shot …………………...
26. (Sunday Bloody Sunday)
27. Sunday, bloody Sunday...

28. And it's true we are ………………..…...

29. When fact is …………………….. and TV ……..…………..,
30. And today the millions ……………..……….,
31. We …………………….. and …………….….. while tomorrow they ………………...
32. The real …………….….. just ……….……………...
33. To claim the victory …………………….. won,
34. On a Sunday bloody Sunday,
35. Sunday, bloody Sunday...

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
- NICRA (Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association) formed in 1967 to combat the widespread political and
social discrimination against Catholics in Northern Ireland, which is one of the roots of the conflict.
-On 9 August 1971, the unionist government of Northern Ireland, with the support of the British government,
introduced internment without trial, a policy consisting in imprisoning suspected IRA sympathisers without trial
(By the end of 1971, around 900 people, virtually all of them Nationalists, had been imprisoned without a trial).
At the same time that internment was introduced, a six-month ban on public demonstrations was imposed.
- The NICRA called a peaceful demonstration in Derry. On Sunday, 30 January1972, some 20,000 civilians
marched through the town of Derry in Northern Ireland to protest against “internment”as well as against the ban
on the right to demonstrate .
The march was "illegal" according to British government authorities and while the civilians were demonstrating,
British paratroopers fired on the unarmed and peaceful marchers, killing thirteen Catholic people, some shot in
the back.
The British-government-appointed Widgery Tribunal found soldiers were not guilty of shooting dead the 13
civilians in cold blood. Those responsible for this massacre were never punished.
-In 1981 another tragic event took place in Ulster: ten Republican prisoners who had demanded to be recognized
as political prisoners and not as terrorists went on a hunger strike and died. Among them was Bobby Sands, an
elected MP.

The popular Irish group U2 composed the song “Sunday Bloody Sunday” in 1983 in which the band addressed
the long-standing "troubles" in Northern Ireland. Fearful to be seen as taking one side over another, Bono (the
leader of the group) insisted on introducing the song during concerts by saying "This is NOT a rebel song!", and
wrapped himself in a white flag while he sang it to symbolize the song call’s for peace.

KEY
Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2
36. I can't believe the news today,
37. I can't close my eyes and make it go away.
38. How long, how long must we sing this song?
39. How long? How long?
40. ‘Cause tonight we can be as one, tonight.
41. Broken bottles under children's feet,
42. Bodies strewn across a dead end street,
43. But I won't heed the battle call,
44. It puts my back up, puts my back up against the wall.
45. Sunday, bloody Sunday...

46. And the battle's just begun,

47. There's many lost, but tell me who has won?
48. The trenches dug within our hearts,
49. And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart.
50. Sunday, bloody Sunday...

51. How long, how long must we sing this song?

52. How long, tonight we can be as one.
53. Tonight, tonight.
54. Sunday, bloody Sunday...

55. Wipe the tears from your eyes,

56. Wipe your tears away,
57. Oh wipe your tears away
58. Oh wipe your tears away
59. (Sunday Bloody Sunday)
60. Wipe your blood shot eyes.
61. (Sunday Bloody Sunday)
62. Sunday, bloody Sunday...

63. And it's true we are immune.

64. When fact is fiction and TV reality,
65. And today the millions cry,
66. We eat and drink while tomorrow they die.
67. The real battle just begun.
68. To claim the victory Jesus won,
69. On a Sunday bloody Sunday,
70. Sunday bloody Sunday...