Released: October 14, 1997

Songwriter: Mike Dirnt Tré Cool Billie Joe Armstrong

Producer: Green Day Rob Cavallo

[Verse 1]
I was a young boy that had big plans
Now I'm just another shitty old man
I don't have fun, and I hate everything
The world owes me, so fuck you
Glory days don't mean shit to me
I drank a six-pack of apathy
Life's a bitch, and so am I
The world owes me, so fuck you

[Chorus]
Wasted youth, and a fistful of ideals
I had a young and optimistic point of view
Wasted youth, and a fistful of ideals
I had a young and optimistic point of view

[Verse 2]
I've decomposed, yet my gut's getting fat
Oh my God, I'm turning out like my dad
I'm always rude, I've got a bad attitude
The world owes me, so fuck you
The wife's a nag, and the kid's fucking up
I don't have sex, 'cause I can't get it up
I'm just a grouch sitting on the couch
The world owes me, so fuck you

[Chorus]
Wasted youth, and a fistful of ideals
I had a young and optimistic point of view
Wasted youth, and a fistful of ideals
I had a young and optimistic point of view
('Til I grew up)

[Instrumental Break]

[Verse 1]
I was a young boy that had big plans
Now I'm just another shitty old man
I don't have fun, and I hate everything
The world owes me, so fuck you
Glory days don't mean shit to me
I drank a six-pack of apathy
Life's a bitch, and so am I
The world owes me, so fuck you
The world owes me, so fuck you
The world owes me, so fuck you

Green Day

Formed in East Bay, California in 1986 and still going strong today, Green Day is one of the biggest punk rock acts in the world. Along with other punk bands in California such as The Offspring, Sublime, Bad Religion and Rancid, they have been credited with popularizing and reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the U.S. in the 90s.

First starting in 1986 as Sweet Children, longtime friends Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar and lead vocalist) and Mike Dirnt (bass guitar) teamed up with John Kiffmeyer to produce their debut EP 1,000 Hours. They eventually dropped the name Sweet Children and called themselves Green Day due to the band members' fondness for cannabis (it even inspired a song featured on their first album) and for their second studio album Kerplunk they replaced Kiffmeyer with German-born drummer Tré Cool, who had been drumming since the age of 12 in a punk band, The Lookouts.

It was their 1994 record Dookie that sent the band to stardom and gave them mainstream success. Dookie, alongside their following albums Insomniac (1995) and Nimrod (1997) were certified double platinum. Eventually, the band started to fall in popularity with their 2000 record Warning which only reached gold.