Drink Before the War Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Well, you tell us that we're wrong
And you tell us not to sing our song
Nothing we can say will make you see
You got a heart of stone you can never feel


[Pre-Chorus]
You say, "Oh, I'm not afraid, it can't happen to me
I've lived my life as a good man
Oh no, you're out of your mind, it won't happen to me
'Cause I've carried my weight and I've been a strong man"

[Chorus]
Listen to the man in the liquor store
Yelling, "Anybody want a drink before the war?"

[Verse 2]
And your parents paid you through
You got a nice big car, nothing bothers you
Somebody cut out your eyes, you refuse to see, ah
Somebody cut out your heart, you refuse to feel
And you live in a shell, you create your own hell
You live in the past and talk about war
And you dig your own grave, yeah, but it's a life you can save, oh
So stop getting fussed, it's not gonna happen
And you'll cry, but you'll never fall, no, no, no, you're building a wall
Gotta break it down, start again
[Pre-Chorus]
No, no, no, it won't happen to us
We've lived our lives, basically we've been good men
So stop talking of war 'cause you know we've heard it all before
Why don't you go out there and do something useful?

[Chorus]
Oh, listen to the man in the liquor store
Yelling, "Anybody want a drink before the war?"

[Outro]
Anybody want a drink before the war? Ah-ah
Anybody want a drink before the war?

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About

Genius Annotation

A song presumably written with the Irish Republican Army in mind and included on Sinéad O’Connor’s debut album “The Lion and the Cobra”. Not released as a single from the album, the song has been featured in the 1990 American film “State of Grace” and an episode of the HBO series “Euphoria”.

Not unsurprisingly Sinéad’s own words about the song, which upon her death is arguably her second most popular, making it her mostly popular composition, period, are not in line with the “popular opinion”, or at least weren’t in 1997,

”Drink Before the War” I think is especially embarrassing. Some people really like it for some reason, but I hate it, basically … it’s like when you read your diary, when you’re 15 you think you are being really deep and meaningful, and actually you’re just talking a lot of bullocks. It’s just embarrassing.

-Sinéad O’Connor in a 1997 interview conducted by Lucy O'Brien

Credits
Co-Producer
Acoustic Guitar
Electric Guitar
Keyboards
Recording Engineer
Recorded At
Oasis Studios, Camden Town, Borough of Camden, Inner London, England
Release Date
November 4, 1987
Drink Before the War Covers
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