The Icicle Melts

Artist: The Cranberries
Released on: No Need To Argue (Track #7)
Duration: 2:53


LYRICS

Whe-e-en
When will the icicle melt, the icicle, icicle
And whe-e-en
When will the picture show end, the picture show, picture show
I should not have read the paper today
Cause a child, child, child, child he was taken away (taken away)

There’s a place for the baby that died
And there’s a time for the mother who cried
And she will hold him in her arms sometime
Cause nine months is too long, too long, too long

naaa-na  na-naa
na-na  naa-na-na-na
na-na-naaa

laaa-la  la-laa
la-la  laa-la-la-la
la-la-laaa

Ho-o-ow
How could you hurt a child, how could you hurt a child
No-o-ow does this make you satisfied, satisfied, satisfied
I don’t know what’s happening to people today
When a child, child, child, child he was taken away (taken away)

There’s place for the baby that died
And there’s a time for the mother who cried
She will hold him in her arms sometime
Cause nine months is too long, too long, too long

laaa-la  la-laa
la-la  laa-la-la-la
laa-la-la-la

laaa-la  la-laa
la-la  laa-la-la-la
laa-la-la-la

There’s place for the baby that died (la, laaa)
And there’s a time for the mother who cried (la, laa)
And you will hold him in your arms sometime (laaa)
Cause nine months is too long, too long, too long
Too long


CREDIT INFORMATION

  • Music and Lyrics by Dolores O’Riordan
  • Produced and Engineered by Stephen Street assisted by Julie Gardiner
  • Recorded and Mixed at The Manor Studios, Oxford and the Townhouse Studios, London
  • All string written & directed by Dolores O’Riordan
  • Published by Island Music Ltd 1994

MEANING

  • In 1995, an article of Vox magazine reports that the song would appear to be a reaction to the murder of James Bulger. “I love children [affirms Dolores] you know, kids, they’re so innocent, and so afraid, and they’re the future of the world. How can people harm them?
  • In Hot Press on 26 January 1994, Dolores explained that she has written a song about “that child that was abducted. I was so moved by that case.

NOTES

  • The song was originally called “The Liverpool Child” as Dolores explains in an interview published in Hot Press on 26 January 1994.
  • A different studio version produced by Jim Lockhart was recorded in 1993 for the Dave Fanning Show. This was not a live and one-take recording like other media performances.
  • Lyrics on this page were transcribed by our team and aim to be the exact ones (even including all the la la la’s as much as possible).
  • Above photo of the official lyrics off the “NNTA” commercial CD, catalog number CID 8029 524 050-2

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