I'm gonna fight 'em off
A seven nation army couldn't hold me back
They're gonna rip it off
Takin' their time right behind my back
And I'm talkin' to myself at night
Because I can't forget
Back and forth through my mind
Behind a cigarette

And the message comin' from my eyes
Says, "Leave it alone"

Don't wanna hear about it
Every single one's got a story to tell
Everyone knows about it
From the Queen of England to the Hounds of Hell
And if I catch it comin' back my way
I'm gonna serve it to you
And that ain't what you want to hear
But that's what I'll do

And the feelin' comin' from my bones
Says, "Find a home"

I'm goin' to Wichita
Far from this opera forevermore
I'm gonna work the straw
Make the sweat drip out of every pore
And I'm bleedin', and I'm bleedin', and I'm bleedin'
Right before the Lord
All the words are gonna bleed from me
And I will think no more

And the stains comin' from my blood
Tell me, "Go back home"


Lyrics submitted by ruben, edited by smallwonderrobot, goddamnboxes, Maxitos, LHGL, bbbert

Seven Nation Army Lyrics as written by John Anthony White

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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Seven Nation Army song meanings
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209 Comments

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  • +16
    General Comment

    Meg White: "Jack basically wrote (Seven Nation Army) around the idea of this guy who comes into town and all his friends are gossiping about him. It gets so bad, he wants to leave town and then he decides not to."

    Jack did eventually leave Detroit

    pmo1983on January 01, 2010   Link
  • +13
    General Comment

    I think that this song is about something lingering in his mind, something that he did and regrets, something that people won't stop talking about, and he just wants to forget it, but people won't let him.

    "i'm gonna fight 'em off a seven nation army couldn't hold me back they're gonna rip it off taking their time right behind my back"

    This line refers to people who keep talking about "it", something that he did or something that happened. He wants to try and fight them off, he wants them to leave him alone, but they don't.

    "and i'm talking to myself at night because I can't forget back and forth through my mind behind a cigarette and the message coming from my eyes says leave it alone"

    He's trying to relax, and make himself forget about it. He keeps telling himself to leave it alone and forget about it, but he can't because it's just so vivid in his mind.

    "Don't want to hear about it every single one's got a story to tell everyone knows about it from the queen of england to the hounds of hell"

    This is basically talking about his frustration. Everyone knows about it and they keep reminding him, when all he wants to do is forget about it. It could be a rumor or some kind of gossip going around, that people have exaggerated and made into a big thing, when it shouldn't be.

    "and if i catch you comin' back my way i'm gonna sell it to you and that ain't what you want to hear but that's what i'll do "

    This line is pretty much talking about how he is angry and wants to take revenge on the person who is most to blame for this, whoever is trying to make his life hell.

    "and the feeling coming from my bones says mind your own "

    Mind your own? Hmm well I looked up the lyrics on a different sight and it said FIND A HOME not MIND YOUR OWN. Well...if it says "find a home", then I think that's referring to running away...running away from his problems, physically or mentally, just trying to get away from it all. If it says "mind your own", well I guess that could make sense too. It could just be again talking about trying to forget about it and not worry about it.

    "i'm going to wichita far from this opera forever more i'm gonna work the straw make the sweat drip out of every pore "

    This is again talking about trying to run away from the problem. "Opera" meaning the drama, the problem, the hell. He wants to get away from it. When it talks about "working the straw", it could mean that he wants to work and just keep working to try and help him forget about his past, just sort of start a new life.

    "and i'm bleedin' and i'm bleedin' and i'm bleedin' right before the lord all the words are gonna bleed from me and i will sing no more "

    Well I'm not EXACTLY sure what this means...I guess it just means that he is going to keep working until he rids himself of his past, and won't think anymore. (I thought it said THINK instead of SING...I still choose to believe that, because I like it better)

    "and the stains coming from my blood tell me go back home"

    No matter what he does...he can try to forget about his problems, he can run away from his problems...but eventually, he will always have to go back home, and go back and just deal with them.

    This is just how I choose to interpet the song. I actually read in an interview with The White Stripes, and they had an explanation similar to that. Mine might not make too much sense though, because sometimes I have trouble explaining myself. For some reason, it annoys me when people "love" the song, and have NO IDEA what it's about. They don't even TRY to decipher the lyrics, and make some sense of them. Come on people, show some effort.

    noon June 21, 2003   Link
  • +11
    General Comment

    The lyrics kinda point to how he's getting sick of the popularity he's reaching. The "bleedin' right before the Lord" part could mean he's put on trial for everyone to see, kinda like a judgement thing. The part where he says "the stains coming from my blood tell me go back home" and " far from this opera forever more " sound like he's trying to escape the lime light and get away from it all, back to his small time roots.

    wannabeprettyon June 17, 2003   Link
  • +8
    General Comment

    The beat is infectious as hell...

    vulnaviaon August 26, 2012   Link
  • +6
    General Comment

    i'm gonna fight 'em off a seven nation army couldn't hold me back

    He's talking about fighting off the people that are out to get him in one way or another, whether it be to physically hurt him, mentally hurt him, or just try to make him feel like crap.

    they're gonna rip it off taking their time right behind my back

    The people he's trying to fight off are gonna tell what they think to be true about something and "rip off" with their rumors and plot against him

    and i'm talking to myself at night because I can't forget back and forth through my mind behind a cigarette

    He can't get it out of his mind about these people that are out to get him

    and the message coming from my eyes says leave it alone

    His eyes are displaying emotions of stop "f*cking with me" and leave it alone

    Don't want to hear about it every single one's got a story to tell

    Everyone's got their own story about something, different points of views and conclusions but he doesn't care

    everyone knows about it from the queen of england to the hounds of hell

    Everyone knows everybody else's story

    and if i catch you comin' back my way i'm gonna sell it to you

    If people come his way asking about it he's gonna give them his version of the story

    and that ain't what you want to hear but that's what i'll do and the feeling coming from my bones says find a home

    He has to go find a place to be comfortable in where he can rest his bones for a while

    i'm going to wichita far from this opera forever more

    Getting far away from the drama so he can concentrate on himself

    i'm gonna work the straw make the sweat drip out of every pore

    Concentrating on work his help him better himself and give him more self worth

    and i'm bleedin' and i'm bleedin' and i'm bleedin' right before the lord

    Proving himself

    All the words are gonna bleed from me and I will THINK no more. and the stains coming from my blood tell me go back home

    He will think freely as in say what he is thinking at all times instead of holding it back and he can show it to the world.

    Noah0501on September 11, 2011   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    i think it's about the band being on the road all the time and how he's kinda getting tired of it and just wants to take a vacation for a while....

    ganjaboyon June 10, 2003   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    The title comes from what Jack thought the Salvation Army was called when he was a child.

    wesczon June 14, 2003   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    this song is great, kind of mysterious, not a set meaning on this one. this song is one where the artist wants it to mean different things to different people. he does not establoish a clear image of his problem in this song, just the whole frustration and confusion. if he would want this song to have a set meaning, he would have made himself clear, but he has not done that... thats my view on this wonderful song

    -KEVIN

    specialK255on April 12, 2004   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    WROONG!

    emelie11on January 25, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    hey my interpretation of this song is bit different.... Just thought it may have something to do with the media and interviews... As in how everyone's got a story to tell about them... Everyone has something to say about the band, he is doing interviews so much that he's talking in his sleep... he's going to wichita to getaway from it all... sell his message.... i dont know,thats just my thoughts... it'd be awesome if the actual bands could come on here and clarify it all.... anyone know if they're coming to australia any time soon?!

    regan_89on June 23, 2003   Link

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