21st Century Breakdown – English Lyrics

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

Lyrics & Translation

Embark on a linguistic and cultural journey with Green Day's "21st Century Breakdown." This song offers a fantastic opportunity to learn English through its powerful and evocative lyrics, which tackle complex themes of modern life, politics, and personal struggle. By exploring the song's references to historical events and iconic musicians, you'll not only improve your vocabulary but also gain a deeper understanding of American culture and the anxieties of a generation. What makes this song special is its raw energy and its ability to transform a feeling of disillusionment into a passionate call for change.

[English]

♪♪

♪ Born into Nixon, I was raised in hell ♪

♪ A welfare child where the teamsters dwelled ♪

♪ The last one born and the first one to run ♪

♪ My town was blind from refinery sun ♪

♪ My generation is zero ♪

♪ I never made it as a working class hero ♪

♪ 21st century breakdown ♪

♪ I once was lost but never was found ♪

♪ I think I'm losing what's left of my mind ♪

♪ To the 20th century deadline ♪

♪ (Oohh) ♪

♪ I was made of poison and blood ♪

♪ Condemnation is what I understood ♪

♪ Video games of the Towers’ fall ♪

♪ Homeland security could kill us all ♪

♪ My generation is zero ♪

♪ I never made it as a working class hero ♪

♪ 21st century breakdown ♪

♪ I once was lost but never was found ♪

♪ I think I'm losing what's left of my mind ♪

♪ To the 20th century deadline ♪

♪ We are the class of the class of thirteen ♪

♪ Born in the era of humility ♪

♪ We are the desperate in the decline ♪

♪ Raised by the bastards of 1969 ♪

♪ My name is no one, the long lost son ♪

♪ Born on the fourth of July ♪

♪ Raised in the era of heroes and cons ♪

♪ That left me for dead or alive ♪

♪ I am a nation, a worker of pride (pride) ♪

♪ My debt to the status quo ♪

♪ The scars on my hands and the means to an end ♪

♪ It's all that I have to show ♪

♪ (hey, hey, hey) ♪

♪ I swallowed my pride and I choked on my faith ♪

♪ I've given my heart and my soul ♪

♪ I've broken my fingers and lied through my teeth ♪

♪ The pillar of damage control ♪

♪ I've been to the edge and I've thrown the bouquet (hey) ♪

♪ Of flowers left over the grave ♪

♪ I sat in the waiting room, wasting my time ♪

♪ And waiting for judgement day ♪

♪ Praise liberty ♪

♪ The freedom to obey ♪

♪ It's the song that strangles me ♪

♪ Well, don't cross the line ♪

♪♪

♪ Oh, dream, America, dream ♪

♪ I can't even sleep ♪

♪ From the light's early dawn ♪

♪ Oh, scream, America, scream ♪

♪ Believe what you see ♪

♪ From heroes and cons ♪

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
run /rʌn/ A1	verb - to move quickly on foot
blind /blaɪnd/ B1	adjective - unable to see
breakdown /ˈbreɪkdaʊn/ B2	noun - a failure
mind /maɪnd/ A2	noun - the part of a person that thinks, feels, and reasons
poison /ˈpɔɪzən/ B2	noun - a substance that causes death or injury when swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed
blood /blʌd/ A1	noun - the red liquid that circulates in the arteries and veins of humans and other vertebrate animals
security /sɪˈkjʊərəti/ B1	noun - the state of being free from danger or threat
desperate /ˈdɛspərət/ B2	adjective - feeling, showing, or involving a hopeless sense that a situation is so bad as to be impossible to deal with
decline /dɪˈklaɪn/ B2	noun - a gradual and continuous loss of strength, numbers, quality, or value
pride /praɪd/ B1	noun - a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the achievements of one's close associates, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired
scars /skɑːr/ B1	noun - a mark left on the skin or within body tissue where a wound, burn, or sore has not completely healed and fibrous connective tissue has developed
faith /feɪθ/ B1	noun - complete trust or confidence in someone or something
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - a hollow muscular organ that pumps the blood through the circulatory system by rhythmic contraction and dilation.
soul /soʊl/ B1	noun - the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal
damage /ˈdæmɪdʒ/ A2	noun - physical harm that impairs the value, usefulness, or normal function of something
freedom /ˈfriːdəm/ A2	noun - the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance.
dream /driːm/ A2	noun - a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep.

Key Grammar Structures

• Born into Nixon, I was raised in hell.

  ➔ Passive voice

  ➔ The phrase "I was raised" uses the passive voice to indicate that the subject received the action.

• My generation is zero.

  ➔ Simple present tense

  ➔ The phrase "My generation is" uses the simple present tense to express a general truth.

• I think I'm losing what's left of my mind.

  ➔ Present continuous tense

  ➔ The phrase "I'm losing" uses the present continuous tense to indicate an ongoing action.

• I was made of poison and blood.

  ➔ Passive voice

  ➔ The phrase "I was made" uses the passive voice to indicate that the subject was created by an external force.

• Praise liberty.

  ➔ Imperative mood

  ➔ The phrase "Praise liberty" uses the imperative mood to give a command or request.

• We are the desperate in the decline.

  ➔ Present simple tense

  ➔ The phrase "We are the desperate" uses the present simple tense to describe a state of being.

• I sat in the waiting room, wasting my time.

  ➔ Past continuous tense

  ➔ The phrase "wasting my time" uses the past continuous tense to indicate an action that was ongoing in the past.