Green Day: 21 Guns Meaning

Song Released: 2009

21 Guns Lyrics

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...

1. suvman1

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   May 28th 2010 !⃝

   i think this song is about a fight for something meaningful. it is a pointless fight and it shows that somethings just aren't worth the fuss. it shows that you just learn from your mistakes and move on with life. (i'm not the greatest for interpretations so please dont be to harsh.)
2. anonymous

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   May 22nd 2010 !⃝

   If you read the other interpretations you will find that we must surrender and be at peace but this is also a pointless, mindless song. Proborally song with good intentions but but still pointless. Unless we take this song and put it into practice ourselves with our friends put up our hands and say this is pointless and I want to be your friend not your enemy.
   
   This song isn't about what happened from the past and its not just for young men getting blown to bits or to war leaders its to everyone so if enough people take this song to heart and start useing the message in there daily lives maybe we won't need to fight in wars but then again if wars don't stop at least we have tried and stop the fight/war between our friends. And have made this worlda tiny bit better.
3. anonymous

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   Apr 30th 2010 !⃝

   Thats what I love about this song it gives meaning to different people for me its what an addict deals with.
   
   "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"
   
   Its like has has the addiction taken over your mind because your addiction breaks your the spirit of your soul and when that happens your faith is walking on broken glass. The hangover doesnt pass because you will always have a battle with the your addiction. when your still using your life is in ruins.
4. anonymous

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   Apr 14th 2010 !⃝

   as a US Marine, and dont get me wrong there's many ways this song can be heard, its all up to the individual... but it has a strong meaning to me as well as many others i serve with. i dont know many people who believe the war we're on right now is right, Marines and other people in the service, we're just doing what we're told. a lot of us signed up because we believe in protecting this country when needed and coming to aid others as well. but when its a conflict over something so senseless, its not worth dying for, and we see and hear about our brothers and sisters being killed for something we dont believe in every day. the pain this can cause, and the things that pain can do to you physically and mentally are terrible to witness or feel. to me, this song conveys that pain, and pleas for it to come to an end, as far as individuals and worldwide.
5. anonymous

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   Mar 19th 2010 !⃝

   The 21 gun salute is the right of every military soilder that when they die in battle or not. My great grandpa died he was 82 years old he got a 21 gun salute. so i think the song is saying "is it really worth dieing for" because getting the 21 gun salute means you died.
6. h.bob56

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   Mar 15th 2010 !⃝

   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

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
7. Ainrana

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   Mar 6th 2010 !⃝

   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.
8. zanna

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   Mar 5th 2010 !⃝

   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.
9. anonymous

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   Mar 1st 2010 !⃝

   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.
10. Toni

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    Feb 4th 2010 !⃝

    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.
11. MCP

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    Jan 28th 2010 !⃝

    In my opinion i think, the story talk about a couple want to stay together for ever!!!
    I like this song is very cool and it is about a war.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
12. rcpratapsinh

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    Jan 28th 2010 !⃝

    I think the song is about war, but I also think that it´s 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 it´s 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 won´t stop that people to start a fight, even if it´s a fight against someone at school, or at work.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
13. souza

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    Jan 28th 2010 !⃝

    my opinion is that is alcoholics people and too much war in the world and they are sayin to stop
    they are sayin to people to stop killin in tha streets they are triyn to say that people needs to be hopefull.
    The lyrics to me in the 1st verse it says that people when kill they feel bad and with remorse

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
14. rfantonio

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    Jan 28th 2010 !⃝

    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.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
15. gjftddftsefdxgh

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    Jan 28th 2010 !⃝

    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!

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway

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