Unfortunately I see there`s an argument about the meaning of this song. This song is very important for me so I thought a lot about its meaning.

In the opera of the American Idiot, this song tells about the desperate Jesus of Suburbia who lost his only friend and so a part of himself died. But I think there`s a very personal note in this song that was already mentioned.
Surely Billie Joe wrote this song about his father`s death,
he died 20 years ago. " 20 years have gone so fast" The rain falling from the stars might be the tears of him. The most interesting part is " As my memories rests, but never forgets what I lost"
His father died many years ago and he was forced to live his life, he had problems and a lot of things to care about, but if he remembers the time of his father he is faced with all the pain again. This is a message to his father: I won't forget you, all my effort is a tribute for you! So it`s also a song about losing a person he really loved, you see, there's the connection to the video where the girl loses her boyfriend in war.

As a third meaning I thought about peole in general. In times of prejudice and terrorism its a message to all the people to wake up, to begin feel individual. September is presented as a bad dream connected with the hope to wake up.

Also I think everybody has an own meaning for this song, everybody who has lost someone he loved, who wishes for better times to come.

As an personal statement, I really love this song for the hope and thoughts he gave to me.

Greez, from Germany