its amazing how far music can come.. 24 years after it released and its one of the most heartfelt songs ive heard
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
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
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
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
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?
When it's time to live and let die
And you can't get another try
Something inside this heart has died
You're in ruins
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
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
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
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
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
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?
When it's time to live and let die
And you can't get another try
Something inside this heart has died
You're in ruins
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
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Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
It's about a fighter. It's multifaceted, and not just anti-war. The fighter has been soldiering for years now. The thoughts in his mind are asking him now whether the cause he's fighting for is worth all it takes from him. Before he began to question himself, the fight brought him a great deal of pride.
But something happened. This experience, whatever it was, has manifested itself in every thought inside the lover's mind. He's done everything he can think of to carry on with the fight like before, but this memory is in the way.
That's just my interpretation, but what the hell do I know?
I like this interpretation..closest possible one I've read...and I agree. it doesn't have to even be about war. its about people in a struggle against something be it a soldier from a war or a teenager fighting for freedom from their parent's control.
i agree you prob have the closest interpitation. also.. i dont know what the one is... but 21 guns are fired at a soldiers funeral. being a soldier myself.. i have seen it.
you could be right irondal2, but also if you've seen the video, it has a big part in the 21st century breakdown storyline (don't forget the CD is a rock opera) the characters Christian and Gloria are kind of brought to an end in the Climax of the story in the music video. Because after they give up their cause, and what they were fighting for (21 guns) it all turns to Mass Hysteria, and the whole "I don't wanna live in the modern world" Christian believes that all that's good in America has died "American Eulogy"
I personally believe that the "one" is the person. The person the twenty-one guns are being fired for, the one that died. And if you read several of the comments on this page and piece them together, you'll notice that everything wraps up and fits rather neatly into one little package. I could quote each of the biggest pieces of that puzzle here, but I think it'd have more meaning to piece it together yourself. ;)
for? or at?
well the 21 gun salute is not just for burials, they are used at the ingauration of the president, it is the highest honor that anyone can recieve, besides the medal of honor. I really love your thoughts, the first time i acctually heard the song was sung for the 60th anniversery of the Korean war. It has a beautiful message, that can fit into almost any life. It is not just about how "patriotic" someone is or isn't, but an experience that changed a point of view.