Whoever has experienced grief knows that is a painful feeling and seems that the world stops, all the memories keep just coming in and out while the sadness of the moment continues. Today we will reflect on Wake Me Up When September Ends, a song by the American band Green Day that shows mourning and hope at the same time.
The song is about Billie Joe Armstrong´s dad, who passed away after losing a battle against cancer; this happened in September and that is how the title of the song was taken, as if a young Billie was dealing with the tremendous pain and his expectations and hopes were that he was just in a dream and when the month was over he could be with his father again. Just as being in denial and anger, which are part of the 5 stages of grief that anybody experience after losing a beloved one. The five stages theory was developed by the psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross.
Between the sadness, the song shows and intrinsic hope in it, looking for some peace, acknowledging and accepting it at the end; this is exemplified on the lyrics “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”.
Throughout the entire song (from their 2004 album “American Idiot”), a roller coaster of emotions is experienced, just like when we loss someone. So, whoever has been on that situation, keep the good memories with you, stay strong; you are not alone. As there´s always hope after September ends.
