Father of All Motherfuckers
Graffitia
Song Meaning
Billie Joe Armstrong (on the song): Graffitia is "about Rust Belt factories in the 80's getting closed and about black kids getting shot by Chicagoan police officers due to prejudice."
The closing track on Father of All... is also its most lyrically political. "Another black kid was shot in town / A man with the badge and a daytime show / Darkness falls on Graffitia / Death of a town in the afterglow" directly addresses police violence; the verse before it ("Another one down at the mining town / Breakin' it down for the lame wager") connects it back to the economic devastation of post-industrial America. The made-up name "Graffitia" is the song's symbol for the kind of forgotten city where both stories happen at once.
The repeated chorus question - "Are we the last forgotten? Are we the long lost love?" - is the album's most direct emotional moment, and a reminder that even on a "party record" Billie Joe couldn't entirely keep his eye off what was actually going on outside the studio. It works exceptionally well as a bridge to The American Dream Is Killing Me, the song that opens Saviors four years later.
The closing track on Father of All... is also its most lyrically political. "Another black kid was shot in town / A man with the badge and a daytime show / Darkness falls on Graffitia / Death of a town in the afterglow" directly addresses police violence; the verse before it ("Another one down at the mining town / Breakin' it down for the lame wager") connects it back to the economic devastation of post-industrial America. The made-up name "Graffitia" is the song's symbol for the kind of forgotten city where both stories happen at once.
The repeated chorus question - "Are we the last forgotten? Are we the long lost love?" - is the album's most direct emotional moment, and a reminder that even on a "party record" Billie Joe couldn't entirely keep his eye off what was actually going on outside the studio. It works exceptionally well as a bridge to The American Dream Is Killing Me, the song that opens Saviors four years later.
Have your own interpretation of "Graffitia"? Leave a comment below.
Lyrics
Another one down at the mining town (Woah-oh)
Breakin' it down for the lame wager
Callin' the shots from the capital (Woah-oh)
But all that we got was the banks of hope
Are we the last forgotten?
Are we the long lost love?
Are we the last forgotten?
Are we the long lost love?
This city isn't big enough for dreamers
We were all believers
It's the perfect crime
(Only the lonely and wasted)
Another black kid was shot in town (Woah-oh)
A man with a badge and a daytime show
Darkness falls on Graffitia (Woah-oh)
Death of a town in the afterglow
Are we the last forgotten?
Are we the long lost love?
Are we the last forgotten?
Are we the long lost love?
All souls go to heaven in Graffitia
Singin' Hallelujah
It's the perfect crime
(Only the lonely and wasted)
If we're goin' down for a good time
Life during wartime
It's the perfect crime
(Only the lonely and wasted)
Are we the last forgotten?
Are we the long lost love?
Are we the last forgotten?
Are we the long lost love?
Are we the last forgotten? (Another one down at the mining town)
Are we the long lost love? (Breakin' it down for the lame wager)
Are we the last forgotten? (Callin' the shots from the capital)
Are we the long lost love? (All that we got was the banks of hope)
Another one down at the mining town
Are we the last forgotten?
Callin' the shots from the capital
Are we the last forgotten?
Another one down at the mining town
Are we the last forgotten?
Callin' the shots from the capital
Breakin' it down for the lame wager
Callin' the shots from the capital (Woah-oh)
But all that we got was the banks of hope
Are we the last forgotten?
Are we the long lost love?
Are we the last forgotten?
Are we the long lost love?
This city isn't big enough for dreamers
We were all believers
It's the perfect crime
(Only the lonely and wasted)
Another black kid was shot in town (Woah-oh)
A man with a badge and a daytime show
Darkness falls on Graffitia (Woah-oh)
Death of a town in the afterglow
Are we the last forgotten?
Are we the long lost love?
Are we the last forgotten?
Are we the long lost love?
All souls go to heaven in Graffitia
Singin' Hallelujah
It's the perfect crime
(Only the lonely and wasted)
If we're goin' down for a good time
Life during wartime
It's the perfect crime
(Only the lonely and wasted)
Are we the last forgotten?
Are we the long lost love?
Are we the last forgotten?
Are we the long lost love?
Are we the last forgotten? (Another one down at the mining town)
Are we the long lost love? (Breakin' it down for the lame wager)
Are we the last forgotten? (Callin' the shots from the capital)
Are we the long lost love? (All that we got was the banks of hope)
Another one down at the mining town
Are we the last forgotten?
Callin' the shots from the capital
Are we the last forgotten?
Another one down at the mining town
Are we the last forgotten?
Callin' the shots from the capital
Live History
Live History
- Total Plays
- 1 time / #298 most played
- Most Recent
- October 19, 2023 Las Vegas, NV
- Earliest Known
- October 19, 2023 Las Vegas, NV
10 tracks
Comments
Song Comments