'Tonight, I'll dream we are in heaven': Sinéad O'Connor in her own words

A look at some of the iconic Irish woman's quotes and lyrics over the years.

Sinéad O'Cpnnor used her platform and her lyrics to work through her own struggles, to speak truth to power, and to highlight issues that were most important to her. Picture: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews

Sinéad O'Connor was known for speaking her mind, as much as for her singing.

She used both her platform and her lyrics to work through her own struggles, to speak truth to power and to highlight the issues most important to her.

In his tribute to O'Connor, President Michael D Higgins said: "Those who had the privilege of knowing her could not help but be struck by the depth of her fearless commitment to important issues which she would bring to public attention no matter how uncomfortable those truths may have been."

He said that her contribution joins those great achievements of Irish women who contributed to our lives, its culture, and its history in their own unique but unforgettable ways.

Here we look at just some of the iconic Irish woman's quotes and lyrics over the years.

Sinéad O'Connor. Picture: Domnick Walsh/Eye Focus

On being labelled a troublemaker:

I don't do anything in order to cause trouble. It just so happens that what I do naturally causes trouble. I'm proud to be a troublemaker.

On strength and perseverance:

They tried to bury me. They didn't realise I was a seed.

On being a young woman entering the music scene in the 90s when the industry was still dominated by men:

I got into the record business at a time when record executives were a little frisky, let's put it that way. Not in a manner that they would cross a line if you said no but they would certainly try their very best. In some ways, you had to protect yourself straight off. You would be better to have a bag over your head really. But they wanted me to grow my hair really long and wear mini skirts and all that kind of stuff because they reckoned I would look much prettier. So I went straight around to the barber and shaved the rest of my hair off.

Singing War by Bob Marley on Saturday Night Live as she ripped a photo of Pope John Paul II in 1992:

And we know we shall win/As we are confident in the victory/Of good over evil 

On why she ripped up the picture of the Pope:

My intention had always been to destroy my mother’s photo of the pope. It represented lies and liars and abuse. The type of people who kept these things were devils like my mother.

Sinéad O'Connor ripping up a photo of Pope John Paul II in 1992. 

On whether god exists:

I don't like the word god, I think it's off-putting. It has become an off-putting word. I definitely think there is a presence which responds to the human voice. I don't think it cares if you call it Fred or Daisy, you know? But there is something out there. Definitely.

On mental health:

We need to be compassionate and gentle toward those of our brothers and sisters who have been hurt and are wounded and fragile, while also strong and alive. We should not mock those who are brave enough to show their wounds.

On her own sexuality:

Here’s the thing: I think if you fall in love with someone, you fall in love with someone and I don’t think it would matter what they were. They could be green, white and orange, they could be whatever the opposite of gay or straight is. I don’t believe in labels of any kind, put it that way. If I fall in love with someone, I wouldn’t give a shit if they were a man or a woman.

Sinéad O'Connor. Picture: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin

On why she refused to attend the Grammys in 1991:

I believe very much that the music industry as a whole operates and is concerned mainly with material success. A lot of artists are responsible for encouraging the belief among people that material success will make them happy. One of the ways that the industry encourages commercial success and materiality is by having award ceremonies which honour those who have achieved material success rather than people who have told the truth or have done anything to pass information to people or inspire people or just be truthful about anything.

On inspiring other artists:

If I hope for anything as an artist, it’s that I inspire certain people to be who they really are. My audiences seem to be people who have been given a hard time for being who they are.

Lyrical honesty 

Horse on the Highway 

Come home, come home, young one 

Put down the streets and come 

For they do not belong to you 

And paradise so sweet, lies at your mother's feet 

And I am not complete without you 

Tonight I'll dream we are in heaven 

Sitting underneath an apple tree

I am Stretched on your Grave 

When my family thinks 

That I'm safe in my bed 

From night until morning 

I am stretched at your head 

Calling out to the air 

With tears hot and wild 

My grief for the girl 

That I loved as a child

One More Day 

Dry all your tears 

Come what may 

And in the end, the sun will rise on one more day 

Black Boys on Mopeds 

Margaret Thatcher on TV 

Shocked by the deaths that took place in Beijing 

It seems strange that she should be offended 

The same orders are given by her

 

  

England's not the mythical land of Madame George and roses 

It's the home of police who kill black boys on mopeds 

8 Good Reasons 

Everybody wanting something from me 

They rarely ever wanna just know me 

I became the stranger no one sees 

Cut glass I've crawled upon my knees 

But I got eight good reasons to stick around 

The Emperor's New Clothes 

There's millions of people 

Who offer advice and say 

How I should be 

But they're twisted and they will never be 

Any influence on me

Three Babies 

And of course 

I'm like a wild horse 

But there's no other way 

I could be