Released: May 25, 2009

Songwriter: John Phillips David Bowie Mike Dirnt Tré Cool Billie Joe Armstrong

Producer: Green Day Butch Vig

[Verse 1]
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

[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

[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

[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
Something 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

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.