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Released in 1991

War - The Air Raid Siren Slices Through...

Written by Paul McCartneyCarl Davis

Last updated on July 9, 2019


Album This song officially appears on the Liverpool Oratorio Official album.

Timeline This song was officially released in 1991

Master album

Related songs

The Air Raid Siren Slices Through…” is the third track of the first movement – entitled “War” – of Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio, released in 1991.

I: WAR. 1942. A world at war. Sirens sound as bombs fall over Liverpool and despairing couples shelter underground. Amid the blaze and the chaos of an air raid, a child is born. And there is hope.

“Liverpool Oratorio” liner notes

Lyrics

SHANTY

The air raid siren slices through

A night in 1942.

A couple sheltering in the gloom

Know all too well this waiting room

For often they have in the past

Been huddled close against the blast

Of doodle bugs and bombs galore,

They can't put up with any more.


So it was that I was born

Into this world one summer morning

And breaking through this brand new day

I hear the sound of warning.


CHORUS

(War, Ah)

Officially appears on

Live performances

War - The Air Raid Siren Slices Through...” has been played in 6 concerts.

Latest concerts where “War - The Air Raid Siren Slices Through...” has been played


Going further

Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 2) 1990-2012

This new book by Luca Perasi traces Paul McCartney's post-Beatles output from 1990 to 2012 in the form of 250 song entries, filled with details about the recordings, stories behind the sessions and musical analysis. His pop albums, his forays into classical and avant-garde music, his penchant for covering old standards: a complete book to discover how these languages cross-pollinate and influence each other.

The second volume in a series that has established itself as a unique guide to take the reader on a journey into the astonishing creativity of Paul McCartney.

Read our exclusive interview with Luca Perasi

Buy on Amazon

Paul McCartney writing

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