I have seen the diamond stylus,
Cut a groove from north to south,
Heard them calling from the islands for a better day,
One by one they tell their story,
One by one it's just the same,
"They've taken our leaders,
And all their believers are paralysed,
And now we can't turn back - somebody is watching you!
Don't turn round - yesterday's gone!
And even the children are waking at midnight in tears,
Didn't anyone hear? Mother, mother, mother..."
Hush child go to sleep, it's only the sound of a gun,
Hush child go to sleep, it's only the sound of a gun;
Looking out my bedroom window,
I remember early days,
When the shot that wounded millions took our breath away,
But now the shadow of a gunman,
With his balaclava eyes, is making the news,
Calling out the warnings on the telephone,
"You're in the line of fire - wish there was another way!
Line of fire - anything goes,"
And who is the winner, and what will the minister say,
At the end of the day? Never, never, never, never!
Hush child go to sleep, it's only the sound of a gun,
Hush child go to sleep, it's only the sound of a gun;
This is bella soma, this is bella soma...
Mother, mother, mother...
Hush child go to sleep, it's only the sound of a gun,
Hush child go to sleep, it's only the sound of a gun,
Hush child go to sleep, it's only the sound of a gun,
Hush child do not weep,
It's only the sound of a world on the run,
You're hearing the sound of a gun;
"Several people are curious about the words 'Bella soma' in this song. Well, 'soma' is from the book Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. It's the name of the drug that people used to take just to forget about all the pains and stresses of life; they disappear into a glorious, warm glow. I thought soma was a great word - I can remember pulling it out. 'Bella' means beautiful - so; beautiful drug. Basically, the phrase means that you can ignore the way that gunmen and terrorists are ruling the world - if you wish to, just take the bella soma - and ignore it. However, if you do feel strongly about it, then something has to be done, you have to bring pressure to bear. Certainly, living in Ireland as I do, that's something we're all very aware of."
The Getaway Gazette, September 1985
"It's about how, today, we have become very used to terrorism and murder. It's lamenting the fact that people have got used to it. It's about a child that wakes up amid the noise of gun-fire. The mother says 'Hush, child. Go to sleep - it's only the sound of a gun'. The mother has accepted as normal the sound of the gun. The song has the strongest and most familiar image of the 80s so far - the man in the balaclava with just the eyes showing. This is the standard uniform of terrorists all over the world - they say they're freedom fighters, but they haven't got the guts to show their faces."
The Getaway Gazette, April 1984
Albums
"The Sound Of A Gun" appears on the following albums:
