Green Day – Wake Me Up When September Ends (Official Audio)
Inspiration Behind Wake Me Up When September Ends:
Billie Joe Armstrong wrote this song as a personal tribute to his late father, who died of esophageal cancer on September 10, 1982. When you feel helpless, unable to do anything to prevent the inevitable, life can be cruel. Armstrong was just 10 at the time of his dad’s death, leaving lasting memories of the pain he endures each September. The title comes from a conversation that Billie Joe had with his mother following the funeral. Armstrong locked himself in his room and cried, telling his mother, “Wake Me Up When September Ends.”
Biblical Application:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted, Matthew 5:3-4.
Exegesis of Wake Me Up When September Ends:
Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends
A reference to his father’s final simmer, fighting a losing battle with cancer. When Billie Joe’s father finally died, he just couldn’t accept or believed that this happened to him.
Like my father’s come to pass
Seven years has gone so fast
Wake me up when September ends
Referring to the anniversary of his father’s death.
Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again
Becoming who we are
The rain is likely a metaphor for crying his eyes out following his dad’s funeral. A heavy rain drenched Billie Joe, yet the pain of his father’s death didn’t wash away.
As my memory rests
But never forgets what I lost
Wake me up when September ends
September brought a heaviness upon Billie Joe’s heart.
Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends
This death forced Billie Joe to grow up faster than he wanted. Living throguh another September brought a spirit of gloom over Bille Joe’s life.
Ring out the bells again
Perhaps church bells from the funeral.
Like we did when spring began
Wake me up when September ends
Billie Joe took his father’s death hard.
Here comes the rain again
Falling from the stars
Drenched in my pain again
Becoming who we are
Something that never seemed to go away.
As my memory rests
But never forgets what I lost
Wake me up when September ends
Billie misses his father.
Summer has come and passed
The innocent can never last
Wake me up when September ends
Calendars and certain dates leave a haunting memory of the past.
Like my father’s come to pass
Twenty years has gone so fast
Wake me up when September ends
Billie Joe completed this song when he was 30 or added to this after the 20th anniversary of his father’s death.
Wake me up when September ends
Wake me up when September ends
Billie Joe wishes he could skip September every year.
Final Thoughts:
One of my friends from the cross-country had a rough sophomore year. Whenever I saw Carl in the hallway, he would hit me in the shoulder as if we were playing the Punch Buggy Game. This is how Carl reacted to a dying mother. After her death, Carl and I became close friends. The more time we spent together, Carl began to treat my mother lije an adopted mother. This is how Carl slowly recovered from the pain of losing his mom.
by Jay Mankus
