Gorillaz – Kids With Guns

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  General Comment:i think it is a comment on tabloid journalistic styles (designed to be inflammatory and which generally turn out to be fictitious) the "is she real" shows there is some doubt over what is being said. the argument that this is about the increasing violence in young people though it may be valid but the fact is violence is on the decrease (despite what the media and tabloids may wish us to believe). An interesting study into this idea of the world being perceived as a violent place is the "mean world syndrome" where frequent tv news viewers expressed the opinion that crime was on the rise when in fact it was not.

  Flag lacklustreon April 10, 2013   Link

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  General Comment:also does anyone else think it should say "push it real" instead of is she real. at least towards the end

  Flag imissbeckysamplifieron November 21, 2012   Link

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  General Comment:i basically agree with everyones opinion here, the song is a little ambiguous in meaning which is what makes it so beautiful. but i couldnt help but think of the child soldiers in africa during the song, how they were put on drugs and brainwashed, living in a life unreal and committing demonic acts

  Flag imissbeckysamplifieron November 21, 2012   Link

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  My Interpretation:I think this songs about young adults commiting violent acts and doing bad. the way society has raised us is "turning us into monsters" and about the violent or crazy desires of us and things we do.. But all in all that is simply my opinion.

  Flag missmeggleson November 03, 2012   Link

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  My Interpretation:I think this song is pretty straight forward, but there's a lot of depth if you look into it. To me, the song seems to be concerning school shootings and other random acts of violence committed by young adults (simplistically, kids with guns). But I think the simplicity of this song is significant as Damon Albarn emphasizes "they turn into monsters" because they've got something to say "no" to (anything). They turn us into fire, literally, through random acts of violence, but they're also kind of damning us and "turning us into monsters" because we and the media become fixated with these events and the attention only reinforces their moments of senseless violence. But all and all, "it's all desire" and I think that's the over arching theme of the song. Love this song and the thought put into this album. I would bet Damon read Fanon before writing this. Gorillaz never seize to please.

  Flag 4Doctodrgnon August 09, 2012   Link

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  General Comment:I think this song is about as television begins to show violence more and more its beginning our children think there's nothing abnormal about going and shooting up there school or whatever they want to shoot up, because they get picked on or for whatever reason, because they saw something similar on TV, television is turning this next generation of children into "mesmerizer skeletons", as TV and other influences (i'm not going to blame it all on TV there r millions of things out there that r making them think violence is normal even reading about some war were having could desensitize someone, and even though i my self love all music i hate to say some of it is to blame 2, the devil was the choir leader in heaven be4 he was kicked out, he heard, sung, and wrote music that was so beautiful we cant even fathom it, so he definitively knows what hes doing) desensitize our children and turn them into monsters that go and shoot up schools then it affects every1 else by turning them into rule and safety monsters by making people worry about something similar happening again, and maybe there kid gets killed or hurt this time, so we put up these metaphoric, and physical protective locks making freedom more difficult to reach, and its all for desire of safety ("its all desire") "easy does it easy does it they got something to say no to" is a bit of sarcasm saying don't do something that your kids would say no 2 or disagree with in other words don't tell them what to do, you might be the next person they come after. (note) Im not saying all kids r bad infant very few of them r but every family should try practicing this when you hear on the news some person killed somebody or see something violent in a movie don't just think o i cant do anything about it, or its just a movie IT SHOULD BE A BIG DEAL!!!! im saying that as a hypocrite but that's how it should be, not saying it ever will.

  Flag Rocky5597on July 24, 2012   Link

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  General Comment:Is this song based on or in any way a reference to Ed Wood's The Violent Years? The line, "Kids with guns..." is said by the police chief near the end of the film after Paula wrecks her car.

  Flag 5leafcloveron April 07, 2012   Link

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  General Comment:I believe the correct lyric is "It's all desire." But yeah I think its making a statement about our hedonistic generation and how society allows for it and peer pressure, etc. For example, the "Drinking out/Pacifier/Vitamin Souls/The street desire..." etc is clearly a reference to substance abuse. Anyway, that's what I get from the song, but the wonderful thing about artwork is that despite what the artist is trying to convey, those looking and listening will almost always get something different for themselves based on their own understanding of life :)

  Flag ydizzleon January 02, 2012   Link

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  Lyric Correction:Also it's "Easy does it, easy does it, they've got something to say mental" not No to.

  Flag SpaceTruckin92on March 28, 2011   Link

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  Lyric Correction:Kind of irks me that there's no lyrics down for Neneh Cherry's section. Her lyrics are "After day, after night, oh no no don't kill me now" and then repeated about 3 songs during the final section of the song

  Flag SpaceTruckin92on March 28, 2011   Link

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