21 Guns – English Lyrics

• By: Green Day
• Album: 21st Century Breakdown

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the powerful lyrics and profound emotional depth of Green Day's "21 Guns." This iconic arena rock ballad, renowned for its compelling narrative and themes of surrender and resilience, offers an excellent opportunity to engage with English through its poignant message and universally relatable struggles. Its clear yet poetic language provides a rich context for understanding modern rock vocabulary and expressions of inner conflict and hope.

[English]

♪♪

♪ Do you know what's worth fighting for ♪

♪ When it's not worth dying for? ♪

♪ Does it take your breath away ♪

♪ And you feel yourself suffocating? ♪

♪ 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 ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
fight /faɪt/ B1	noun - a violent confrontation or battle verb - to engage in a fight or struggle
ruins /ˈruːɪnz/ B2	noun - the remains of a building or place that has been destroyed
arms /ɑːrmz/ A2	noun - weapons for fighting or defending
pride /praɪd/ B1	noun - a feeling of satisfaction from achievements
control /kənˈtroʊl/ B2	noun - the power to influence or direct behavior or events
faith /feɪθ/ B2	noun - complete trust or confidence in someone or something
glass /ɡlæs/ A2	noun - a transparent material used to make windows and containers
fire /faɪər/ B1	noun - the process of combustion producing heat and light verb - to ignite or set on fire
hope /hoʊp/ B1	noun - a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen
time /taɪm/ A2	noun - the ongoing sequence of events; duration
breath /brɛθ/ B1	noun - the air taken into or expelled from the lungs
heart /hɑːrt/ A2	noun - the organ that pumps blood through the body