Green Day: 21 Guns Meaning
Song Released: 2009
21 Guns Lyrics
When it's not worth dying for?
Does it take your breath away
And you feel yourself suffocating?
Does the pain weigh out the pride?
And you look for a place to hide?
Did someone break your heart...
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the only part of the song i understand is "21 guns" its just saying that those people out there are making the ultimate sacrifice for you, the "21 guns" salute is given at most military funeral services.
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I think that the song has two meanings. The lyrics say "Do you know whats worth fighting for, when its not worth dying for..." and that could relate to the Iraq war and how its not worth dying for. Or, if you've seen the video, it relates to Christian and Gloria, who are made up people in the bands new album. The other meaning is like...you've had a fight with someone, and it's not worth dying mentally. Either way, its a beautiful song.
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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Here, they're talking about hopelessness, uncertainty, and the ever-present pain.
I like this line XD
I'm pretty sure this song is about the pain of growing up and learning that things are never how they seem when you're a kid.
Do you know what's worth fighting for?
When it's not worth dying for?
Does it take your breath away
And you feel yourself suffocating?
This verse is finding out about the most important things to you and not wasting your time on things that mean nothing.
Does the pain weigh out the pride?
And you look for a place to hide?
Did someone break your heart inside?
You're in ruins
When you grow up you go through bad times and sometimes they are more powerful than the good times. It feels like you can't do anything right or life is pointless and you just want to hide.
One, 21 guns
Lay down your arms, give up the fight
One, 21 guns
Throw up your arms into the sky, you and I
When the bad times are more powerful than the good, you learn to not trust anyone and try to be inpendent, but sometimes you need someone.
When you're at the end of the road
And you lost all sense of control
And your thoughts have taken their toll
When your mind breaks the spirit of your soul
If the bad times you go through are really bad, you start thinking it's never going to get better and you want to die.
Your faith walks on broken glass
And the hangover doesn't pass
Nothing's ever built to last
You're in ruins
If you're hurting inside, then you may start trying to destroy yourself using drugs and alcohol.
One, 21 guns
Lay down your arms, give up the fight
One, 21 guns
Throw up your arms into the sky, you and I
Did you try to live on your own
When you burned down the house and home?
Did you stand too close to the fire
Like a liar looking for forgiveness from a stone?
Sometimes you just want to be on your own completely but it never works.
When it's time to live and let die
And you can't get another try
Something inside this heart has died
You're in ruins
Sometimes even though people want to help the pain you've gone through is so bad no one can help you, even if you want them to.
One, 21 guns
Lay down your arms, give up the fight
One, 21 guns
Throw up your arms into the sky
One, 21 guns
Lay down your arms, give up the fight
One, 21 guns
Throw up your arms into the sky, you and I -
I have to agree with every one that it is about Gloria dieing, and probably has to do with the death salute thing. But if I had to put my mind of a different track, and what I think it means.
Life is a gamble, you take chances and you lose them. First thing I think of when I here 21 is blackjack.
"One, 21 guns" All it takes is 1 out of those chances to put, "Your[self] in ruins." Like in Russian roulette, done with guns. I think it means taking risks in life, and how everything is a hit and miss chance. Either way this song has to do with someone dieing. -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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"Do you know what's worth fighting for,
When it's not worth dying for?
Does it take your breath away
And you feel yourself suffocating?
Does the pain weigh out the pride?
And you look for a place to hide?
Did someone break your heart inside?
You're in ruins"
Because the album 21st Century Breakdown is a somewhat concept album, (to do with the story of Christian and Gloria, stuck living in the days of Bush) I think this part is referring to Gloria going through a break-up. She's in so much pain right now, which is clear from the 1st verse. Also, it seems that because of the pain, she's kind of cut herself off from the world.
"One, 21 guns
Lay down your arms
Give up the fight
One, 21 guns
Throw up your arms into the sky,
You and I"
The chorus seems to refer to the 21-gun salute when someone dies in the line of duty... I'm thinking Gloria dies.
Keeping in mind that this is the chorus, and probably isn't the chronological point where she dies.
"When you're at the end of the road
And you lost all sense of control
And your thoughts have taken their toll
When your mind breaks the spirit of your soul
Your faith walks on broken glass
And the hangover doesn't pass
Nothing's ever built to last
You're in ruins"
Here, they're talking about hopelessness, uncertainty, and the ever-present pain.
"One, 21 guns
Lay down your arms
Give up the fight
One, 21 guns
Throw up your arms into the sky,
You and I"
Here, the chorus seems to have another significance, maybe it went over my head before but the obvious call for peace.
Of course, not many like Christian would actually see the devastating effects of war unless it affects them directly, in the case of Gloria, who he fell in love with at some point, dying.
"Did you try to live on your own
When you burned down the house and home?
Did you stand too close to the fire?
Like a liar looking for forgiveness from a stone"
Here's a dose of cynicism for you... Christian talking about Gloria hurting herself unintentionally while searching for salvation.
"When it's time to live and let die
And you can't get another try
Something inside this heart has died
You're in ruins"
I think he's talking about himself here... line one, coming to terms with Gloria's death, line two, pretty self-explanatory: life offers no second chances--like a quarter, you can spend it any way you like, but it's not much and you can only spend it once, line three and four, he's feeling the pain over Gloria's death... He's in ruins.
One, 21 guns
Lay down your arms
Give up the fight
One, 21 guns
Throw up your arms into the sky
One, 21 guns
Lay down your arms
Give up the fight
One, 21 guns
Throw up your arms into the sky,
You and I
And the call for peace... definitely related to the war in Iraq, in my opinion. -
Its probably about 2 people: Gloria and Christian, that are stuck in the era where Bush was still president (since these songs weren't written during Obama's time). They are dealing with all the chaos of war and terrorist attacks all mixed in with the economy issues. All the while, Gloria deals with a break up(did someone break you're heart inside? You're in ruins). But Christian meets her and they fall in love. But during a terrorist attack, Gloria is killed and Christian is left alone. 21 Guns is refering to the 21 gun salute. And after she dies, Christian is scared and confused also wishing that either they would've taked him instead or taking him with her.
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i saw the video, it has the reference to pills and alcohol on the wall.. I honestly thought the song was about chasing a high, putting yourself at risk of overdose and death, and basically surrendering to quit messing around with the stuff...but im a drug addict and an alcoholic...so im sure im looking to hard.
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It is actually about 2 people finding each other in the midst of chaos. Check out the video on myspace that goes behind the scenes of the making of the music video, and that explains it as well.
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The whole album is the story of Christian and Gloria, a couple living in the mess George Bush left behind. The song has 2 possible meanings. 1. The war and terrorist attacks. Green Day pleads they stop. 2. The death of Gloria. The song is named "21 guns" because of the salute with 21 guns used to honor a dead.
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It's obviously about peace and against war. In terms of first decade of the 21st centuryas the ablum title suggested, it could be related to the war in Iraq and terrorism.
beginning:
"Do you know what's worth fighting for
When it's not worth dying for?"
chorus:
"Lay down your arms
Give up the fight"
"Throw up your arms into the sky
You and I"
War does not achieve any good, even with whatever good reasons to start one. (examples: religion, ideas) In other words, there are no good reasons to wage a war.
At the end of each verses:
"You're in ruins--"
Verse:
"When you're at the end of the road
And you lost all sense of control
And your thoughts have taken their toll
When your mind breaks the spirit of your soul
Your faith walks on broken glass
And the hangover doesn't pass
Nothing's ever built to last"
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