Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in … Read Full Bio ↴Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career they have been a power trio with drummer Tré Cool, who replaced John Kiffmeyer in 1990 before the recording of the band's second studio album, Kerplunk (1991). Before taking its current name in 1989, Green Day was called Blood Rage, then Sweet Children and they were part of the late 1980s/early 1990s Bay Area punk scene that emerged from the 924 Gilman Street club in Berkeley, California. The band's early releases were with the independent record label Lookout! Records. In 1994, their major-label debut Dookie, released through Reprise Records, became a breakout success and eventually shipped over 10 million copies in the U.S. Alongside fellow California punk bands Bad Religion, the Offspring, Rancid, NOFX, Pennywise and Social Distortion, Green Day is credited with popularizing mainstream interest in punk rock in the U.S.

Though the albums Insomniac (1995), Nimrod (1997) and Warning (2000) did not match the success of Dookie, they were still successful, with the first two reaching double platinum status, while the last achieved gold. Green Day's seventh album, a rock opera called American Idiot (2004), found popularity with a younger generation, selling six million copies in the U.S. Their next album, 21st Century Breakdown, was released in 2009 and achieved the band's best chart performance. It was followed by a trilogy of albums, ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, and ¡Tré!, released in September, November, and December 2012, respectively. The trilogy did not perform as well as expected commercially, in comparison to their previous albums, largely due to a lack of promotion and Armstrong entering rehab. Their twelfth studio album, Revolution Radio, was released in October 2016 and became their third to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The band's thirteenth studio album, Father of All Motherfuckers, was released on February 7, 2020, and was their final album released by Reprise. On October 24, 2023, the band announced that their fourteenth studio album, 'Saviors', will come out January 19, 2024.

In 2010, a stage adaptation of American Idiot debuted on Broadway. The musical was nominated for three Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Scenic Design and Best Lighting Design, winning the latter two. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, their first year of eligibility. Members of the band have collaborated on the side projects Pinhead Gunpowder, The Network, Foxboro Hot Tubs, The Longshot and The Coverups. They have also worked on solo careers.

Green Day has sold roughly 90 million records worldwide, them one of the world's best-selling artists. The group has been nominated for 20 Grammy awards and has won five of them with Best Alternative Album for Dookie, Best Rock Album for American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown, Record of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" and Best Musical Show Album for American Idiot: The Original Broadway Cast Recording.

Sweet Children
Green Day Lyrics

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See a young girl so soft and blonde.
Doesn't attack me but she did once.
Intoxication's in her veins.
Sweet young boy plays with her brain.
Lydia'll bring to life.
What are your chance not to oblige.
Putting his hand on her thigh.
Ability has now been ripped.

Take it away, I'd rather sit.
Sweet children, sweet children, sweet children. Remember when.
Johnny's playing fun and games, or else he's ?in the storage shed?.
Running from the light of day, or maybe lie and celebrate.
The funny circus from his head.
Follow me if you understand.
I'll trick her so she'll do it.
Then I'll sing and now we run.

Sweet children, sweet children, sweet children. Remember when.
Sweet children, sweet children, sweet children. Remember when

Overall Meaning

The song “Sweet Children” by Green Day features some intense and mysterious lyrics that may confuse a listener at first. These lyrics are packed with different emotions, experiences and stories that are displayed quite cleverly throughout the song. The first two lines of the song seem to narrate an event where the singer saw a soft and blonde young girl, who didn't attack him, but has in the past. The use of the word “attack” suggests that she is someone who is violent or aggressive at times. The next line that says, “Intoxication's in her veins,” indicates that the girl might have indulged in substance abuse. The next two lines are about a boy and girl in a relationship. The girl's innocence is spoken of being lost, possibly after the boy played with her mind.

Then, “Lydia'll bring to life. What are your chance not to oblige,” might depict that someone was responsible for the girl’s condition, and that person's name might be Lydia. She has the power to bring the girl to life, to change her situation. The singer wonders if there's a chance not to oblige, meaning if the girl has an option to refuse, perhaps to go back to how she was before. “Putting his hand on her thigh. Ability has now been ripped. Take it away, I'd rather sit,” seems to be the singer's observation of the boy and girl’s physical contact, which further emphasizes the girl's loss of innocence or power. The ability that she had has been ripped away, and the singer would rather not deal with it.

In the second part of the song, the focus shifts to Johnny, who is playing fun and games, perhaps trying to block out his reality. “Running from the light of day” indicates that Johnny might be running from something, a problem or responsibility he doesn't want to face. The next lines are “The funny circus from his head. Follow me if you understand. I'll trick her so she'll do it. Then I'll sing and now we run,” somewhat cryptic but seem to suggest that Johnny is playing mind games and tricking someone into doing something. The last lines of the song repeat the chorus, “Sweet children, sweet children, sweet children. Remember when,” which might remind the listener of a time when things were simpler, innocent and pure.

Line by Line Meaning

See a young girl so soft and blonde.
Observing a young, innocent girl with blonde hair.

Doesn't attack me but she did once.
Although she didn't physically attack me, she hurt me emotionally in the past.

Intoxication's in her veins.
She is under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Sweet young boy plays with her brain.
A manipulative boy is toying with her mind.

Lydia'll bring to life.
Lydia will add excitement and drama to the situation.

What are your chance not to oblige.
What are the odds of you not giving in to temptation?

Putting his hand on her thigh.
He's trying to make a move on her by touching her thigh.

Ability has now been ripped.
She has lost her ability to resist due to her intoxicated state.

Take it away, I'd rather sit.
I don't want to be a part of this situation anymore, please let me leave.

Sweet children, sweet children, sweet children. Remember when.
A nostalgic call to simpler times when life was easier.

Johnny's playing fun and games, or else he's ?in the storage shed?.
Johnny is either playing innocently or hiding in the shed, perhaps up to no good.

Running from the light of day, or maybe lie and celebrate.
Either literally running away from a situation or pretending everything is fine by celebrating.

The funny circus from his head.
His thoughts and actions are irrational and unpredictable, like a circus.

Follow me if you understand.
Come along if you're on the same page and understand what's going on.

I'll trick her so she'll do it.
I'll manipulate her into doing what I want her to do.

Then I'll sing and now we run.
After successfully manipulating her, we'll sing and quickly leave the scene.

Sweet children, sweet children, sweet children. Remember when.
Repeating the nostalgic call to simpler times.

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG, JOHN KIFFMEYER, MICHAEL PRITCHARD, MIKE DIRNT, MIKE PRITCHARD, MIKE RYAN PRITCHARD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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