Seven Nation Army

Song meaning of Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes

During a soundcheck for one of the White Stripes' Australian tours, Jack White was fiddling with his guitar when he came across the heaviest hard-rock riff.

White once remarked, "I didn't have lyrics for it until later, and I was just calling it 'Seven Nation Army' — that's what I called the Salvation Army back in the day."

"So, that was just a way for me to remember which [riff] I was talking about." By the time he had finished the song's lyrics, which addressed rumours that he and and his ex wife, White Stripes drummer Meg White were seeing someone else, he had given the phrase new life: "I'm gonna fight 'em all/A seven nation army couldn't hold me back." The riff is the same.

The song's lyrics were inspired by the increased publicity towards the White Stripes. According to Jack White, the song tells the story of a person who, upon entering a town, hears its residents gossiping about him and proceeds to leave the town in response. Driven by a sense of loneliness, he ultimately returns. Regarding the song's meaning, White stated, "The song's about gossip. It's about me, Meg and the people we're dating."

"Seven Nation Army" has evolved into a sports anthem and is frequently used in crowd chants when the song's riff is shouted along with a succession of "oh" sounds or an athlete's name. Additionally, it has been used as the theme song for other sports individuals, groups, and occasions, such as the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Seven Nation Army lyrics by The White Stripes

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

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 feeling coming from my bones says, "Find a home"

I'm going to Wichita

Far from this opera for evermore

I'm gonna work the straw

Make the sweat drip out of every pore

And I'm bleeding, and I'm bleeding, and I'm bleeding

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"