What does When We Stand Together mean?

Nickelback: When We Stand Together Meaning

Album cover for When We Stand Together album cover

Song Released: 2011


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When We Stand Together Lyrics

One more depending on a prayer
And we all look away
People pretending everywhere
It's just another day
There's bullets flying through the air
And they still carry on
We watch it happen over there
And then just turn it off

Hey, yeah,...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Aug 17th 2012 !⃝

    Very simple meaning, in one sentence:

    We live in an apathetic society.

    To explain deeper:
    First 4 lines:
    There are people praying for help, yet we just look away like it isn't our problem.

    People pretend it isn't their problem and go about their day. It actually is their problem since we do live in a global society. If you know anything about the psychology of a society, you know every detail is interconnected.

    Second 4 lines:
    There is war (murder) going on and we see it happen on TV, yet we just turn it off and sleep like babies.

    The chorus:
    Working for each other and not giving in to the greed is when we all win. This is a really important point to be understood. Working together to create peace is the only way to create real peace, there is no other way. In the current global structure (every man for himself), we will never have peace AND freedom.

    Third 4 lines:
    The "they" refers to the government, media, etc. who tell is everything is will be okay and most just believe it and go along with it; even though most feel that there is definitely something wrong here.

    Fourth 4 lines:
    The people who are better off (first world countries) create so much waste that we could feed the starving just with that trash, but all we (usually the government) always give them are empty words about peace and faith that do nothing (we can see they do nothing because half the world is living in sh*t).

    For the clause that starts with "The right thing to guide us":
    I'm actually not very sure about what this clause means, but if I were to take an educated guess, I would say: Those people starving have the same necessities as we do, as they are humans just like us. If we understand what we need (food, water, shelter), we know what they need. I know this may be something about listening to your heart, as some who posted here believe, but if you look at it from a psychological/neurological viewpoint, what I said is what it means to "listen to your heart."

    The moral of this poem/song is to not be an apathetic douche.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 30th 2011 !⃝

    It's about how countries need to get along and "stand together" instead of fighting in wars and stuff. If we all worked together we could do great things like ending poverty and starvation. I found a website where you answer questions in different categories. For each question right they donate ten grains of rice to hungry children. It adds up fast! It's called freerice.com

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    May 1st 2012 !⃝

    The song has a clear meaning; in the end we are all accomplices and do nothing about the current degenerated state of affairs in the world. When he asks how we all sleep at night he refers to the fact that even knowing about the daily woes in the world we do nothing. As well as for his statement about watching what happens in other parts of the world and still not caring. Furthermore he mentions an important point; if we stop being so passive and so indifferent about what happens in "our world" (we are all part of the big picture) and instead we unite as one we will be able to solve anything, making our world a much better place just as it was intended in the beginning. It is at this point we all win.

  4. anonymous
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    Nov 2nd 2020 !⃝

    I feel like it means even when theres racial stuff and other stuff like that we need to stand together no matter what is going on.

  5. anonymous
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    Oct 12th 2020 !⃝

    The interpretation of this song is pretty clear if you read the lyrics and look close enough.

    It's simple, we need to stand together then as separate units. Society is bad today but we can get through it if we work together.

  6. anonymous
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    Oct 23rd 2016 !⃝

    This song tell us what we do for the suffering people...we do nothing and media just comfort and then the cheat them. It is told that if we stand together ,we can overcome lots of daily problems of suffering people...liked this song... :)

  7. anonymous
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    Jan 26th 2016 !⃝

    Never going to happen you brainless Utopia morons. There will always be bad guys and there will always be the American people paying for everything, no one else, just the American tax payer. Why not just leave our borders open so Islam terrorist can come in and detonate a nuclear device and take out an entire city and make it uninhabitable for about 500 years. You think that will wake you dipshits up? I doubt it. You're all assholes!

  8. anonymous
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    Oct 21st 2014 !⃝

    its about how we just ignore the problems in society today when there are wars and poverty and starvation happening but it doesnt effect us so why should we worry about it.

  9. ibalisticsquid
    click a star to vote
    Jun 26th 2014 !⃝

    This song is about how countries must get on with each other and stop wars throughout the world and make the world a better place to live.

  10. anonymous
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    May 3rd 2012 !⃝

    It's about how countries need to get along and "stand together" instead of fighting in wars and stuff. If we all worked together we could do great things like ending poverty and starvation.This song is about creating peace and justice in the world and by standing together we can stop all ongoing everyday wars. thus this song is an anti-war song.

  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 15th 2012 !⃝

    the human race can fix itself if we learned to stand together instead of being seperated if we listen to "the right thing to guide us"; our hearts

  12. anonymous
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    Apr 11th 2012 !⃝

    The song means that you cant stand together or you will ruin the world..

  13. anonymous
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    Mar 24th 2012 !⃝

    this song is about creating peace and justice in the world and by standing together we can stop all ongoing everyday wars. thus this song is an anti-war song.

  14. anonymous
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    Nov 29th 2011 !⃝

    I believe that this song shows that people can help make a difference in the world by standing together. This shows that we are trying to make a difference in the world, and trying to make it a better place to be for everyone.

    I have found a website for donating canned foods and goods for people who starve almost everyday. If you would like to donate and try to help end world hunger, be sure to go to... www.stophungernow.org

    Hope this helps!! :)

  15. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 20th 2011 !⃝

    This song is basically about what the world could be if we all stood together. it's telling that the world should be better.

    "how can we fall asleep at night knowing something's clearly wrong, when we could feed a starving world with what we throw away"

    we should feel so ashamed that we don't sleep at night because there are people starving and war going on and everything.


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