Actually the real meaning of this song was told by Green Day themselves in an interview with MSN (I saw it on YouTube) The guys were going to a bar to drink one night, and there was a teenager who had been handcuffed by the police for some reason then he was shot and killed. The guys got there right after this happenend. This is why in the song it says "I'm wide awake after the riot" because they got there right after the "riot" (not really a riot but the commotion at the bar) Billie wrote this song about the events that happened that night and he said this song sticks in his head more than any other on the new album.
Actually the real meaning of this song was told by Green Day themselves in an interview with MSN (I saw it on YouTube) The guys were going to a bar to drink one night, and there was a teenager who had been handcuffed by the police for some reason then he was shot and killed. The guys got there right after this happenend. This is why in the song it says "I'm wide awake after the riot" because they got there right after the "riot" (not really a riot but the commotion at the bar) Billie wrote this song about the events that happened that night and he said this song sticks in his head more than any other on the new album.