21 Guns
Producers
21 Guns Lyrics
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
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
About
“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 and Gloria, its meaning is far less global; instead, they’re referring to their relationship and all its conflicts.
The name “21 Guns” comes from the 21 Gun Salute, the customary gun salutes that are performed by the firing of cannons or artillery as a military honor.
Billie told Q Magazine:
It brings up 21st Century Breakdown in a lot of ways, and the 21-gun salute for someone that’s fallen, but done in an arena rock ‘n’ roll sort of way.
The song reached No. 3 on the Alternative Songs chart and No. 17 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It also reached #7 on the Billboard Pop Songs chart. It was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo/Group with Vocals and Best Rock Song in 2010.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
“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 I think also there’s like maybe sort of surrendering to the static to try to find some kind of inner peace or, you know, finding strength in silence. You know, surrendering doesn’t always have to mean that you’re giving up. But maybe it means you’re just trying to find a little humanity.
I think that’s a good description. I mean, that’s a really powerful moment, and I think it’s gonna be a really powerful moment live too. On the record it’s one of those moments where you kinda feel like you’ve purged a lot of emotion and you’re surrendering to your emotions. Pretty heavy content.
– via Blunt Magazine
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 the people that are around you, whether it’s your family or your friends, and nobody understands what it is that you’re going through, and maybe that’s just being an artist or the pains of getting older. So, that’s sort of what that song is about, where you just get so lost in what you’re doing that at some point all you’re doing in life is just trying to find your way back. Maybe back to sanity. Sometimes you have to figure out what’s worth fighting for, because you might just be fighting yourself. I think that that’s the one thing that’s a theme throughout a lot of my songs: the feeling of being lost.
- 9.Peacemaker
- 11.Murder City
- 15.The Static Age
- 16.21 Guns
- 18.See the Light
- 21.That’s All Right