"21 Guns" by Green Day
(2009), 21st Century Breakdown
Written by Billie Joel Armstrong
Frontman and chief songwriter Billie Joe Armstrong told Q magazine, in May 2009: "It brings up 21st Century Breakdown in a lot of ways, and the 21 gun-salute for someone that's fallen, but done in an arena rock 'n' roll sort of way."
Jordan Richardson of Blogcritics commented: "It's the album’s anti-war hymn, reaching heroic heights with a sleek sort of sappiness that fits flawlessly. The range and sentiment may dishearten those looking for a little more Dookie from their Green Day, but I’ve never heard Billie Joe sound so good and so earnest as he pulls his frail voice upwards to knock out some stunning high notes."
(2009), 21st Century Breakdown
Written by Billie Joel Armstrong
Frontman and chief songwriter Billie Joe Armstrong told Q magazine, in May 2009: "It brings up 21st Century Breakdown in a lot of ways, and the 21 gun-salute for someone that's fallen, but done in an arena rock 'n' roll sort of way."
Jordan Richardson of Blogcritics commented: "It's the album’s anti-war hymn, reaching heroic heights with a sleek sort of sappiness that fits flawlessly. The range and sentiment may dishearten those looking for a little more Dookie from their Green Day, but I’ve never heard Billie Joe sound so good and so earnest as he pulls his frail voice upwards to knock out some stunning high notes."
“21 Guns”- Green Day
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
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 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
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
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
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
Guiding Questions:
How does this song present the war? Pro-war or anti-war and how do you know?
What language of the song stands out to you, catches your attention, etc?
Is this song in support of or critical of the stated foreign policy?
How does the song answer one of the driving questions?
Do you agree with the message of the song or not? Why
"21 Guns" War Song Analysis
“21 Guns” represents an anti-war song because it was basically about a soldier that wanted to go fight for their country because of the pride the soldier feels. When the soldier gets to war he realizes that he’s fighting for people who are sitting in their offices fooling around. The soldier then panics because he hears gunfire and wants to go home; he has to decide if the pain of dying outweighs the pride of the soldier. The song represents an anti-war protest because it describes the mental, emotional, and physical effects of the war on the soldier. There are multiple lyrics that stand out in the song such as, “Do you know what's worth fighting for, When it's not worth dying for?” These lyrics of the song catch the attention of the listeners because it is a thought-provoking inquiry on the reason America has gone to war stating, is it worth going to war while knowing that soldiers will die and that will effect their families back home.“Does the pain weigh out the pride?” The song reflects the thoughts that a soldier has when faced with a gun attack in war. The song describes that when faced with guns, soldiers realize they want to go home but they don’t want to minimize their pride even if there will be pain (of dying). “One, 21 guns, Lay down your arms,Give up the fight, One, 21 guns”. These lyrics have multiple meanings and interpretations and are especially important since the lyrics are the chorus of the song. One, 21 guns can mean that with war, there is death and when you have one gun (participation in war), you get 21 guns (you die) either physically or emotionally. Another meaning could be that 21 guns is a reference to a ceremony about a soldier who has died and the tradition for a salute in which 21 rounds are fired by an honor of guard of 7 rounds of 3 shots. “And you lost all sense of control, And your thoughts have taken their toll, When your mind breaks the spirit of your soul”. The lyrics explain the mental insanity that occurs in a soldiers mind when the world has gone insane with war. The more the soldier thinks, the more freaked out they become and start to lose it.“When it's time to live and let die, And you can't get another try, Something inside this heart has died”. As one of the final verses, the lyrics display messages of peace and the soldier wishes they could live and let war memories die since a lot of side effects of war is involved with PTSD. The lyrics also imply that the soldier wants to re-do his life and have the option of not going to war at all. When the song says “Something inside his heart has died”, it is referring to the impact of war on an individual and society. The war experience is nothing that can be repaired as if something in the heart and soul has died.
"21 Guns" does not directly support or criticize the foreign policy of the Iraq war, however, it is evidently anti-war and therefore the foreign policy of the Iraq war is looked down upon if you against the war since Bush wanted to go to combat to protect America from potential threats that could arise. With the foreign policy that Bush announced, comes with thousands of soldiers having to live through the horrific war experience described in the song. The song strongly answers the driving question of “How war affects the individual” and “What is the cost of war?” The song answers the affect of the individual because the whole song recounts the mind of a soldier in war and the side effects that come including the mental and emotional damage of guilt, terror, sadness, regret, and fear. The song also answers the driving questions that asks about the cost of war since the soldiers have to put their lives on the line even though they might die. The cost of war is a soldier, one soldier impacts family at home, that impacts their friends, and city etc. The cost of war is ones humanity; the song describes things that are “lost” to the war when it states “Something inside this heart has died”.
In my opinion, I agree with the lyrics and message of 21 guns because aside from the turmoil of the countries and money lost, I think that the affect on the individual and their families’ is far worse. I think that society should comprehend the message as a wake up call for war; a country shouldn’t risk a life. Although, soldiers generally have a choice in signing up for the army, I think that the soldiers should be more informed about the horrible experiences felt before, during, and after the war because the soldier in the song was caught off guard when faced with scary experiences. I also agree with the song because I do not think America should go to war for potential threats, I understand going to war if another country forces it upon America or if we get directly attacked. However, I think it is supercilious to go to war for potential threats that aren’t necessarily true.
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
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 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
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
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
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
Guiding Questions:
How does this song present the war? Pro-war or anti-war and how do you know?
What language of the song stands out to you, catches your attention, etc?
Is this song in support of or critical of the stated foreign policy?
How does the song answer one of the driving questions?
Do you agree with the message of the song or not? Why
"21 Guns" War Song Analysis
“21 Guns” represents an anti-war song because it was basically about a soldier that wanted to go fight for their country because of the pride the soldier feels. When the soldier gets to war he realizes that he’s fighting for people who are sitting in their offices fooling around. The soldier then panics because he hears gunfire and wants to go home; he has to decide if the pain of dying outweighs the pride of the soldier. The song represents an anti-war protest because it describes the mental, emotional, and physical effects of the war on the soldier. There are multiple lyrics that stand out in the song such as, “Do you know what's worth fighting for, When it's not worth dying for?” These lyrics of the song catch the attention of the listeners because it is a thought-provoking inquiry on the reason America has gone to war stating, is it worth going to war while knowing that soldiers will die and that will effect their families back home.“Does the pain weigh out the pride?” The song reflects the thoughts that a soldier has when faced with a gun attack in war. The song describes that when faced with guns, soldiers realize they want to go home but they don’t want to minimize their pride even if there will be pain (of dying). “One, 21 guns, Lay down your arms,Give up the fight, One, 21 guns”. These lyrics have multiple meanings and interpretations and are especially important since the lyrics are the chorus of the song. One, 21 guns can mean that with war, there is death and when you have one gun (participation in war), you get 21 guns (you die) either physically or emotionally. Another meaning could be that 21 guns is a reference to a ceremony about a soldier who has died and the tradition for a salute in which 21 rounds are fired by an honor of guard of 7 rounds of 3 shots. “And you lost all sense of control, And your thoughts have taken their toll, When your mind breaks the spirit of your soul”. The lyrics explain the mental insanity that occurs in a soldiers mind when the world has gone insane with war. The more the soldier thinks, the more freaked out they become and start to lose it.“When it's time to live and let die, And you can't get another try, Something inside this heart has died”. As one of the final verses, the lyrics display messages of peace and the soldier wishes they could live and let war memories die since a lot of side effects of war is involved with PTSD. The lyrics also imply that the soldier wants to re-do his life and have the option of not going to war at all. When the song says “Something inside his heart has died”, it is referring to the impact of war on an individual and society. The war experience is nothing that can be repaired as if something in the heart and soul has died.
"21 Guns" does not directly support or criticize the foreign policy of the Iraq war, however, it is evidently anti-war and therefore the foreign policy of the Iraq war is looked down upon if you against the war since Bush wanted to go to combat to protect America from potential threats that could arise. With the foreign policy that Bush announced, comes with thousands of soldiers having to live through the horrific war experience described in the song. The song strongly answers the driving question of “How war affects the individual” and “What is the cost of war?” The song answers the affect of the individual because the whole song recounts the mind of a soldier in war and the side effects that come including the mental and emotional damage of guilt, terror, sadness, regret, and fear. The song also answers the driving questions that asks about the cost of war since the soldiers have to put their lives on the line even though they might die. The cost of war is a soldier, one soldier impacts family at home, that impacts their friends, and city etc. The cost of war is ones humanity; the song describes things that are “lost” to the war when it states “Something inside this heart has died”.
In my opinion, I agree with the lyrics and message of 21 guns because aside from the turmoil of the countries and money lost, I think that the affect on the individual and their families’ is far worse. I think that society should comprehend the message as a wake up call for war; a country shouldn’t risk a life. Although, soldiers generally have a choice in signing up for the army, I think that the soldiers should be more informed about the horrible experiences felt before, during, and after the war because the soldier in the song was caught off guard when faced with scary experiences. I also agree with the song because I do not think America should go to war for potential threats, I understand going to war if another country forces it upon America or if we get directly attacked. However, I think it is supercilious to go to war for potential threats that aren’t necessarily true.