10 Songs About School Shootings And Gun Violence

Songs about school shootings and gun violence include 1. Pumped Up Kicks 2. Jeremy 3. Youth of the Nation and more. Such songs have only become more commonplace.

The main reason why is that school shootings are becoming so prevalent that not even a month will go by without news of a new one shocking the nation. However, the bipartisan government has done little to stop it or even aim at a solution.

In such dire times, people look towards art for some sort of comfort. Here we have a list of 10 songs about this sad occurrence by artists who have approached it in myriad ways.

Songs about School Shootings And Gun Violence

You May Like:

• Top 10 Most Popular Songs On TikTok 2023
• 20 Songs About Growing Up Too Fast
• 35 Cute Songs For Instagram Stories

1. Pumped Up Kids by Foster the People

Songs about school shootings include Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People. The song tells the story of Robert who carries out a shooting.

As the song unfolds, the listener gets to learn more and more about Robert’s life. The boy’s father is busy, often too busy to care for him, and it is clear the boy is isolated.

One day, Robert finds a gun in his father’s closet and decides to unload all his anger and frustration toward his schoolmates. The sensation makes him feel more powerful than he has ever felt.

Upon release, the song gained notoriety not only for its subject matter but also because of the impersonal, almost nursery rhyme like feel of the whole track.

2. Jeremy by Pearl Jam

Jeremy by Pearl Jam is another song that takes a look at the psyche of the shooter. The song was the third single from the band’s debut album.

The lead character in this song, Jeremy, much like Robert has a troubled family life. Jeremy the song actually goes much deeper into the situation and shows that the boy is a product of a loveless marriage.

To give himself an ounce of the love that his parents never gave him, he fantasizes about himself as some sort of king. In real life, he is quite violent and the victim of teasing and bullying.

Fed up with everything, Jeremy one day bursts into class and shoots himself. The song is based on the real-life story of Jeremy Wade Delle.

3. Youth of the Nation by P.O.D.

Youth of the Nation by P.O.D. is told from the point of the victims. In this song, P.O.D. talks about how children are affected by school shootings.

As the title suggests, the way the band approached this song is by looking at why kids who commit such crimes do the things they do. 

However, the song is also clear to point out the senseless amount of lives that are lost to the actions of these individuals. 

Though the narrator of the song, the victim, does sympathize with their killer, they ultimately realize that this is their lot in life because of who they are and where they were born.

4. I Don’t Like Mondays by The Boomtown Rats

I Don’t Like Mondays is a song by the Iris New Wave band The Boomtown Rat. The song is based on the 1979 Cleveland Elementary School Shooting.

A much lighter, yet still harrowing tale than the previous two songs, it tells the story of a girl who one day decides to shoot the school, seemingly out of nowhere.

Throughout the song, the girl’s father remarks that she never seemed the type to do such a heinous act, and when asked why she simply replied that she doesn’t like Mondays.

5. Come Out and Play by The Offspring

Come Out and Play by The Offspring ties school shootings with gang violence. The song describes how the latter can lead to the former.

In the lyrics, the band describes how gang mentality has seeped into the school system and people from different gangs often fight at the slightest drop of a hat.

Since the kids who are doing these violent acts are under 18, they won’t serve much time despite getting caught, and this only encourages them.

The song then states that the only way to keep children from dying and killing each other is to keep them separated.

6. The Nobodies by Marilyn Manson

The Nobodies by Marilyn Manson is another song about people’s reactions to school shootings. The song also delves into the psyche of the perpetrator.

The song was inspired by the 1999 Columbine High School Massacre, which incidentally, the singer, Marilyn Manson was blamed for by mainstream media.

However, in the bridge of the song Manson points the finger at the media who do nothing but pray and virtue signal whenever the news of a shooting happens.

The chorus of the song then details how so many of these kids feel like the world will only care about them after they’re dead.

7. Homecoming Queen’s Got a Gun by Julie Brown

Homecoming Queen’s Got a Gun by Julie Brown is the only humorous song on this list. The song was a novelty hit back in the 1980s.

The narrative of the song details the story of the Homecoming Queen Debbie, as told by the narrator who claims to be her best friend. Right after Debbie becomes the Homecoming Queen, she starts shooting at the entire school.

Since it is a satire, the terrible deeds that Debbie does is shown in a twisted but funny light.

Finally, when Debbie is shot down by the police, the narrator asks her for her motive, to which Debbie replies “It was all for Johnny.” Instead of a revelation, the narrator is confused for no one knows who Johnny is.

8. So Long by Everlast

So Long by Everlast is a dissection into the mind of a school shooter. The song aims to understand why they do what they do.

Unlike many other songs in this list, the subject of the song, Shorty, has a great relationship with his parents, especially his father. The father has spent much of his son’s childhood teaching him how to hunt.

Sadly, the boy is picked on at school to the point that one day, he tells his father he is going hunting and then shoots up all his bullies.

9. Stole by Kelly Rowland

Stole by Kelly Rowland tackles many subjects affecting youth in America. One of those subjects is gun violence brought about by bullying.

Rowland describes an unnamed boy who is quiet, smart, and always seemed like a nice boy with good intentions. However, as the song goes on, she describes how he never fit in.

The boy felt isolated by his peers, which led him to commit the heinous acts he did, which in turn made him feel strong and powerful.

But what distinguishes the song from others on this list is that Rowland names and talks about his victims, each of who had dreams and talents now always to be unfulfilled.

10. Thoughtless by Korn

Thoughtless by Korn is perhaps the most violent song on this list. The song tells the story of a victim turned assailant.

In disgustingly graphic detail, the song tells us about how the narrator has been abused by his peers in every way imaginable. The only way the narrator can cope is by writing about it.

Soon, just writing about it is no longer enough, and the narrator explodes, taking down everyone around him.

From friends to enemies, the song details how in his rage, the narrator just wants to destroy everyone and everything around him.