Summer has come and passed/
The innocent can never last.
Wake me up when September ends.
Billy Joe Armstrong’s father died when he was young. Green Day’s “Wake Me Up When September Ends” tells his father’s story. One interesting aspect of this song is that Billy Joe speaks of his dad specifically from his own perspective. In the first verse it is 7 years after his father’s death, by the last verse it has been 20 years.
September is literally a sad time for the author-it is the month his dad died- and he wants to be woken up when September is over. Here it is 20 years later, and he still gets sad in September: he is still not over the death of his father. Perhaps that pain never completely leaves you. Whether he is describing his feelings now–after 20 years or remembering his feelings as a younger man, the pain is still vivid.
This is a softer song for Green Day, but darker. It touches on a subject that we all have to deal with (loss) and handles it in an interesting way. His vocals are strong and the instrumentation is perfect. In the beginning of the song we have a light acoustic guitar alone. Instruments are added until towards the end of the song we are in the full grunge Green Day sound that is so recognizable. This song offers a little bit of everything for the Green Day fan.
Wake Me Up When September Ends Lyrics
Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends
Like my fathers come to pass
Seven years has gone so fast
Wake me up when September ends
Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again
Becoming who we are
As my memory rests
But never forgets what I lost
Wake me up when September ends
Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends
Ring out the bells again
Like we did when spring began
Wake me up when September ends
Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again
Becoming who we are
As my memory rests
But never forgets what I lost
Wake me up when September ends
Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends
Like my father’s come to pass
Twenty years has gone so fast
Wake me up when September ends
Wake me up when September ends
Wake me up when September ends
Songwriters: Michael Pritchard / Frank E. / Iii Wright / Billie Joe Armstrong