In contrast to the violent nature of the verses , the emergence of major chords creates a feeling of hope during Bono 's " How long , how long must we sing this song ? " refrain . During the chorus , the Edge 's backing vocals further develop this tread , using a harmonic imitative echo . The snare drum is absent from this section , and the guitar parts are muted . This part of the song deviates musically from the raw aggression seen in the song 's verses and gives the song a more uplifting structure . Bono once commented that " love is ... a central theme " of " Sunday Bloody Sunday " The band have said the lyrics refer to the events of both Bloody Sunday in 1972 and Bloody Sunday in 1920 , but are not specifically about either event . The song takes the standpoint of someone horrified by the cycle of violence in the province . Bono rewrote the Edge 's initial lyrics , attempting to contrast the two events with Easter Sunday , but he has said that the band were too inexperienced at the time to fully realise that goal , noting that " it was a song whose eloquence lay in its harmonic power rather than its verbal strength . " Early versions opened with the line " Do n't talk to me about the rights of the IRA , UDA . " U2 's bassist , Adam Clayton , recalls that better judgment led to the removal of such a politically charged line , and that the song 's " viewpoint became very humane and non-sectarian ... which , is the only responsible position . " The chosen opening line , " I ca n't believe the news today " crystallises the prevailing response , especially among young people , to the violence in Northern Ireland during the 1970s and 1980s . In successive stanzas , the lyrics paraphrase religious texts from Matthew 10:35 ( " mother 's children ; brothers , sisters torn apart " ) , Revelation 21:4 ( " wipe your tears away " ) , and bring a twist to 1 Corinthians 15:32 ( " we eat and drink while tomorrow '' they '' die " , instead of " let us eat and drink ; for tomorrow '' we '' die " ) . The song finishes with a call for the Irish to stop fighting each other , and " claim the victory Jesus won ... on a Sunday bloody Sunday . " U2 were aware when they decided to record " Sunday Bloody Sunday " that its lyrics could be misinterpreted as sectarian , and possibly place them in danger . Some of the Edge 's original lyrics explicitly spoke out against violent rebels , but were omitted to protect the group . Even without these lyrics , some listeners still considered it to be a rebel song — even one which glorifies the events of the two Bloody Sundays to which the lyrics refer
Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday (1920)
Sunday Bloody Sunday