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“21 Guns”, the second single off 21st Century Breakdown, is a power ballad that questions war and shows a narrator looking for peace. When taken on its own out of the 21st Century Breakdown story-arc, the song’s lyrics can be interpreted as anti-war, however, when applied to the story of Christian a...
[Verse 1]
Do you know what's worth fightin' for
When it's not worth dyin' for?
Does it take your breath away
And you feel yourself suffocatin'?
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
[Chorus]
One, twenty-one guns
Lay down your arms, give up the fight
One, twenty-one guns
Throw up your arms, into the sky
You and I
[Verse 2]
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
[Chorus]
One, twenty-one guns
Lay down your arms, give up the fight
One, twenty-one guns
Throw up your arms, into the sky
You and I
[Bridge]
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?
[Guitar Solo]
[Verse 3]
When it's time to live and let die
And you can't get another try
Somethin' inside this heart has died
You're in ruins
[Chorus]
One, twenty-one guns
Lay down your arms, give up the fight
One, twenty-one guns
Throw up your arms, into the sky
One, twenty-one guns
Lay down your arms, give up the fight
One, twenty-one guns
Throw up your arms, into the sky
You and I
21 Guns was written by Billie Joe Armstrong & Mike Dirnt & Tré Cool & John Phillips & David Bowie.
21 Guns was produced by Billie Joe Armstrong & Mike Dirnt & Tré Cool & Butch Vig.
Billie Joe:
“21 Guns” is definitely one of the songs where you feel like you’re playing in front of a lot of people. It’s one of the things I wrote on piano and it ended up being just sort of this moment alone, you know. I think a lot of people think that song is about world peace or something. But...
It’s an anti-war song which also serves as a metaphor for Christian’s and Gloria’s (21st Century Breakdown’s main characters) tumultuous relationship.
Billie told Rolling Stone
I got really burned out, because I was pushing myself to take things to a new level musically and lyrically, and that got pretty serious and dark. I had this feeling of wanting to surrender. I was just kind of living like a tortured soul. And you end up kind of torturing t...