Before The Lobotomy
Green Day / Cast of American Idiot Lyrics

Dreaming
The singer is dreaming of a place and time where their family comes from.

I was only dreaming
The dream feels like a distant memory to the singer.

Of another place and time
The dream is an escape from their current reality.

Where my family's from.
The artist longs to connect with their roots and family history.

Singing
The artist hears singing.

I can hear them singing.
The singing is nostalgic and comforting to the singer.

When the rain had washed away
There has been a loss or destruction of something that had meaning to the singer.

All these scattered dreams
The dream world the artist longs for is in disarray.

Dying
There is a sense of despair and sadness.

Everyone's reminding
Others are also experiencing this despair and sadness.

Hearts are washed in misery
People are overwhelmed with pain and suffering.

Drenched in gasoline
There is a danger present that could cause everything to explode.

Laughter
There is a lack of joy.

There is no more laughter
The singer mourns the loss of joy.

Songs of yesterday
Memories of happier times.

Now live in the underground
These memories are buried and hidden.

Christian sang the eulogy
A religious figure is involved in burying memories, possibly with an ulterior motive.

Sign my love a lost memory
The singer wants to keep the memories alive, but they are disappearing.

From the end of the century
The memories are from a previous era.

Well, it's enough to make you sick
The situation is unpleasant and hard to stomach.

To cast a stone and throw a brick
The artist feels anger and frustration at those who are burying memories.

When the sky is falling down
There is a sense of impending doom.

It burned your dreams into the ground
The dangerous situation destroyed what was important to the singer.

Christian's lesson is what he's been sold
Religious figures have imparted a specific worldview to the artist.

We are normal and self-controlled
The singer is expected to be obedient and not question authority.

Remember to learn to forget
The singer is expected to forget whatever is inconvenient for those in power.

Whiskey shots and cheap cigarettes
The singer is using substances as a coping mechanism.

Well I'm not stoned
The artist is not on drugs.

I'm just fucked up
The situation is so upsetting that they feel out of it.

I got so high I can't stand up
The singer is using drugs to escape reality.

I'm not cursed 'cause I've been blessed
The singer might feel lucky despite their circumstances.

I'm not in love 'cause I'm a mess
The artist isn't capable of emotional attachment because of their mental state.

Like refugees
The artist feels displaced and vulnerable.

We're lost like refugees
Others share in the artist's feelings of displacement and vulnerability.

The brutality of reality
Reality is harsh and difficult.

Is the freedom that keeps me from
Accepting the harshness of reality is freeing for the artist.

The refrain:
The chorus is a repetition of lines that express the singer's feelings of nostalgia, loss, sadness, and despair.

Dreaming/Singing/Dying/Laughter
This quartet of words describes the singer's longing for the past, and their desire to return to happier times.

Conclusion:
The song speaks to feelings of loss, despair, and being trapped, but also suggests that accepting the harshness of reality can be freeing. The repeated use of images and phrases reinforces the themes of nostalgia, loss, and sadness. The song invites the listener to share in these feelings of displacement and vulnerability, while acknowledging that accepting reality is a necessary step towards finding freedom.