Something that really surprised me about this song, "21 Guns," was the comments posted below the Youtube video. The first time I listened to "21 Guns," it was kind of obvious that this was a politically charged war-protest song. However, the majority of commenters genuinely thought that it was simply a song about a couple breaking up and making up—just a pop song about relationships. Although I can see that element in the video because of the young couple portrayed, I think that this song is something much deeper, and even deeper than a simple protest to war.
I think that imagery in the video plays a big part in the full message of the song; the girl has a fragile beauty about her even though she dresses in a tough-looking leather jacket and has her dark hair pulled back. I think that the most moving scene is when the bullets come piercing through the walls of their apartment while she shrieks and covers her ears. At the same time this is happening, the lyrics sing:
One, 21 guns
Lay down your arms, give up the fight
One, 21 guns
Throw up your arms into the sky, you and I
Lay down your arms, give up the fight
One, 21 guns
Throw up your arms into the sky, you and I
There are multiple layers to this song: 1) It could be taken as advice to couples about knowing when it’s just not working anymore and when to let the relationship go; 2) It could be a typical war-protest song advising the leaders of our country to be cautious when entering war, and not to start battles over trivial matters; however, I don’t believe that this is your typical protest song at its deepest level; I think it is about an internal battle more than anything.
In other words, it may actually be a song speaking to veterans. Its message may be a song of encouragement, a song to let them know that it’s ok to admit fear, it’s alright to be scared, and it’s normal to be scarred (not a misspelling, I mean to have internal scars). I think the scene with the young girl serves to represent the shattering of a person’s innocence that battle and the horrors of war invariably bring, and that the entire song is a message to American veterans simply saying, “We know that this is what you’ve been through, and it’s time to take down your armor, time to let go of the tough-guy attitude, time to allow yourself to mourn for everything you’ve lost and grieve every scar (whether physical or emotional) that you’ve gained.”
Sources:http://www.elyrics.net/read/g/green-day-lyrics/21-guns-lyrics.htmlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r00ikilDxW4
