Wake Me Up When September Ends

Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong wrote this about his father, who died of cancer on September 1st, 1982. At his father's funeral, Billie cried, ran home and locked himself in his room. When his mother got home and knocked on the door to Billie's room, Billie simply said, "Wake me up when September ends," hence the title.

this song makes me cry because it reminds me of my best friend who died in 9\11 i was there in the hospital with him he had burns all over him then a minute later he went to heaven at 9:00

This song makes me think of my mom. She passed last year. On the 27th of September. She had cancer. The chemotherapy took out all her white blood cells and the blood cancer cells. In the end, she passed because of infection. This song is so sad. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

This was the first song that Billie Joe has ever written about the death of his dad, which happened when he was...10? I'm not sure. And I think his dad died in september and so mabye he just hates that time of year because it reminds him of it...and every year he wishes he could just sleep all the way through september to avoid thinking about it. I don't know really, just and opinion.

It makes sense that it is about his father. Billy is 37, and his dad died when he was 10, which was on september 10. Billy wrote the song seven years after his dad died hence the line " seven years has gone so fast". Later in the song, he says "twenty years has gone so fast". 10 plus 7 plus 20 is thirty-seven, wich I will remind you, is Billy's current age. It would also make sense that he wishes he could sleep through September, because perhaps he is reminded of his father in september, wich would probably be kinda depressing. PS September is at the end of Summer "Summer has come and passed", so at the end of summer, he is "drenched in his pain again". -Julie,age 12

Good interpretation on the date, September 10th: the last day of innocence. I like it. I like it a lot.

Billie-Joe said himself this song was the first he wrote about his father's death, but I think it's that and a whole lot more. To me it's about the realization of inevitably losing everything you care about, and so in that way it also is the heartache over Whatsername (who breaks up with him in Letterbomb).

It's a realization that can depress you enough to make you want to sleep for an entire month.

This songs about his dad dying...there was somethin on tv about the cd, and it said that.

It's about Billie's father's death, but I'm sure that he wrote it so that it tries in with the story of St. Jimmy.

freewebs.com/thejakesite

When I saw the video, my first impression was that the main character killed his father so that he and his girlfriend could be together, thats why she was so upset. He was then shipped off to the military

well I must have been the only one here to see the music video. It shows him joining the military and being in probably his first part of combat. and in the beginning of the video he gets into a fight with his girlfriend for joining.