anonymous January 7th, 2010 09:35PM  
The first part
Do you know what's worth fighting for?
When it's not worth dying for?

this is asking if war is worth dying for

I think the song is about person fighting in the war who witnessed the funeral of the man he killed, and is starting to feel guilty and question war.

Does it take your breath away
And you feel yourself suffocating?
this part is saying doesn't the killing startle you? Freak you out?

Does the pain weigh out the pride?
Does knowing you killed someone diminish the false glamor of war and the triumph of killing?

And you look for a place to hide?
now your running away from it all

Did someone break your heart inside?
You're in ruins
youve killed someone and the knowledge is ruining you

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 think this part is unrelated to the verses more like a shout out saying you see, war is bad, give it up, give it all up.

When you're at the end of the road
And you lost all sense of control
And your thoughts have taken their toll
Its breaking you all up
When your mind breaks the spirit of your soul

Your faith walks on broken glass
Could be your patriotism is disappearing because you can't believe in your country for starting a war

And the hangover doesn't pass
Your not just forgetting what happened

Nothing's ever built to last
You're in ruins

Did you try to live on your own
separating your self from the world because of your guilt

When you burned down the house and home?
house and home might be your belief that war was right, now that's gone

Did you stand too close to the fire
might mean attending the funeral
Like a liar looking for forgiveness from a stone?
thinking that you could redeem yourself that way

When it's time to live and let die
And you can't get another try
you killed someone you can't press an undo button

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
Stop it, stop fighting. This is what war and killing does to you

CV January 28th, 2010 02:14PM  
My opinion is a story about battle, wars and two people in love!

gjftddftsefdxgh January 28th, 2010 02:16PM  
I think green day want to describe a couple that stay together in the end, and they pass all the problems and in chaos they stay together, they stay together in bad and good moments, in the war and in peace... They are always together.... I think the song is so fantastic and great, and the video is brilliant!

rfantonio January 28th, 2010 02:18PM  
I think this song talk about a couple who is angry. I think also talks about war. Green Day talk about world peace.

Green Day trying to point out the peace with very enthusiastic forms.I think the rhythm is very positive and the lyrics are very negative.

rcpratapsinh January 28th, 2010 02:18PM  
I think the song is about war, but I also think that itīs about a couple trying to get a relationship in the middle of a huge confusion.Sometimes it looks that the song is to stop war but sometimes it looks that itīs to give up fighting against the war, but I think it is to stop against it, but I think that this song is not going to change anything un the world, because even if someone will listen to it, it wonīt stop that people to start a fight, even if itīs a fight against someone at school, or at work.

Toni February 4th, 2010 11:32AM  
I could be way off here, but I don't feel the whole war scene despite the 21 gun salute reference. I feel it being a personal battle...Do you know what's worth fighting for(life, loved ones, sobriety) when its not worth dying for...does it take your breath away-suffocating.
Does the pain weigh out the pride...
Did someone break your heart inside... Ur in ruins. I think it could also refer to a bad relationship..give up the fight...surrender...(throw up your arms) when your at the end of the road and you lost of sense of control when your mind breaks the spirit of your soul... nothing is ever built to last. 21 guns originally represented peace...or the the death of a soldier...stand to close the the fire-like a liar looking for forgiveness...(from the storm? is it?- I dunnno) when its time to live and let die and you can't get another try, something inside this heart has died, your in ruins....this is a personal battle, its really a deep song in my opinion and was surprised by all of the negative responses I noticed.

anonymous March 1st, 2010 08:11PM  
There are many interpretations, but the official music video, I feel, is an extremely bad one. I think it is about a soldier (like the cover suggests) who suffers from a mental or emotional disorder (like depression), and has a troubled past ("Did you try to live on your own?..." verse), who goes AWOL or surrenders or gets captured (chorus), and possibly gets executed. It is a great song with a lot of emotion behind it.

zanna March 5th, 2010 04:30PM  
I am so glad to hear so many people not see what I see in this song. I have know too many people who feel what I saw in this song. The song is about giving up on life through suicide. The 21 guns represent the persons belief that those they care about them would see them as heros if they were to leave the world and would honor them like a 21 gun salute honors someone who has died in a war. People who commit suicide feel they are fighting loosing battle that is not worth fighting. Coming from someone who has known more than one person who has committed suicide I saw this in the song right away. Unfortunantly the people I know when they got to this point didn't ask for help like they needed to. Hopefully if this song spoke to you in this way and you are feeling these feelings you will ask for help.

Ainrana March 6th, 2010 04:40AM  
I think that this is about that you should control your anger. If you're not willing to die for an argument, if it's not going to negatively change the world, and/or if it broke your heart, than it's really not worth fighting over.

h.bob56 March 15th, 2010 04:24AM  
is it not the old stuff symbolic of the resistance to change the fear of the future the new love and life. "1 21 gun" salute to liberate the being