Billy Joel - We Didn't Start The Fire (with lyrics)

[Lv80WoWmage]

I read the comments of this song/vid, and everyone has over analysed it, the meaning is simple very simple and the truth, the song is about the 1st 40yrs of Billy Joel's Life, from his Birth in '49 to the release date of '89. Nothing more, nothing less.

[SamDaMan6213]

People weren't as concerned back then as they are now.

[SamDaMan6213]

@Blahblahbox1 think more politically, not environmentally. Also

[shaziib786]

Watched this in my History lesson! Soo catchy!! :D We didn't start the fire!....

[Blahblahbox1]

but we did kinda start the fire, the world's biggest problem are humans we are like parasites to it, and it is dying

[95kdor]

i passed the AP World history exam last May because i studied everything from this song.

Thank You.

[ProZo17]

The best history lesson ever.

[catseyesaz]

We had to take notes on this in social studies! Too fast!! But great song!

[allaroundxmenfour]

I know all the words!

[TigerMilitia]

HOLY SHIT! NOW I KNOW THE SONG!

it's been in my head for some reason.

[TheHughy62]

The computer that I'm using(NOT SAYING THAT IT IS MINE!!!!! :) )cept having to buffer

[tat2dpixie]

It must be something a lot of teachers show. I remember my Social Studies teacher having us listen to this in the 8th grade, and that was 15 years ago!

[TheHughy62]

@tat2dpixie TheHughy62

[macros45]

My English techer showed us this, I LOVE IT!!!!!!

[NintenFan0900]

I remember when I first heard this song... I was 12 or something, and my dad was picking up a Billy Joel CD for my mom. Anyway, on the way back home he played it in the care, and this was the first track off the CD.

I instantly came. Instant favorite.

[shanechristiano]

good song and random as fuck lol 

[starwarsmattyboy]

working on memorizing this

[budrakerz]

Amazing job. The last "red line" from Russia to Afghanistan is haunting.

[TheAnimeExpert93]

I feel somewhat proud that my hometown (Little Rock) is in this song...I don't like it for that reason though, I've always loved this song...

[evilwolf678]

TEACHER SHOWED US THIS XD SO CATCHY! LOVEE ITTT!!

[TyHero1]

dude, this is freakin awesome! kudos dude. whoever doesn't like this is lame

[Teletran35]

Great Fracking job I love it

[EmoScwibbles]

I fricking love this song, It makes me wish i was born back then... when the world wasnt fucked up...

[DeathClockWerk]

@EmoScwibbles The world has always been fucked up, but this song is when it was LESS fucked up.

[EmoScwibbles]

@DeathClockWerk Exactly...

[DeathClockWerk]

@EmoScwibbles You said when the world wasn't fucked up, saying that the world was once not fucked up, when it always was.

[GreenChannelCookie]

I love this song, it just explains me and my love for history and philosophy ≧ω≦

[piemaster334]

Nice. We listened to this song in history class about 4 times.

[CrazyNerdMonkey]

this is good review for my 2nd semester U.S. History test. Thanks!

[a120068020]

I didn't realise all the things in the lyrics went in chronological order. Thanks!

[MixyBoy]

If this was written in 2011 it would be 58min. long .

Sad history, but nice song anyway

[justacovergurl]

wow... now that I finally can see what the actual lyrics to this song are - which I'd never really been able to understand before running into this video - it has a lot more significance to me.. thanks for posting :)

[JustKitteningWithU]

we didn't start the fire, WE JUST STAY AROUND TO IT BURN!!!! XD

[talldragon633]

@J3TM3ZZ he didn't have a dick

[Lockyer9404]

I found this through College Humour!

[PipANDJuJu]

I don't mean to say anything but It's like a tradgic what they're talkin' about but It's Catchy

[ericcarr21]

It's Heavy Metal Suicide, not Heavy Metal, Suicide in the 80's kids comitted suicide influenced by Judas Priest and Ozzy Osbourne

[RikuTskuyomi]

*replaces "its a small world after all" song in disneyland ride with this*

if only that happened -n-''

[Safiya970429]

what did disneyland ever do to us?!

[LoveeLauren13]

hey guys, I don't think they started the fire.

[TheDumbassbuffet]

i don't think they started the fire.

[mzdragonlover325]

anybody else not know 3/4 of what this songs about?

[floridameerkat]

@J3TM3ZZ Grow up.

[vanshajchauhan1]

wow



[Searching4mIVOICE]

Memorized the lyrics as a child = I analyzed the song in high school and fell for it! Also like it because originally Billy Joel wanted to be a history teacher, so it honor's that, and I talk REALLY fast when I do speak, so this song is fast, like me when I do speak. It is why I could memorize and sing it so easily!

[Fred50099]

Thanks!

[latinmaleaz]

i love foreign relations --- awesome world view but our thinking is messed up due to human pride throughout world history even pre-writing times... but the world still is spinning... awesome song!

[eddiewlynch]

Elvis Presley!

[Ozowa]

We didn't start the flame wars.

[mycow101]

i want a modern we didnt start the fire 1990-2011

[fireshredder101]

Not a big deal at all but it's U2 not U-2. It's the name of a band so no biggie. Just pointing it out.

[gomollon086]

@fireshredder101 Actually, it is U-2 because it is referring to "the United States' secret high-flying spy plane that was sent over the Soviet Union to take pictures and gather information."

More info can be found from the link in the description.

[xXTimLegendXx]

@gomollon086 Oh you got his butt xD Nice

[ProZo17]

@gomollon086 Did you make the video?

[ericcarr21]

@fireshredder101 U-2 is a bomb.

[qnaqna321]

@fireshredder101 ...prett sure they werent famous around that time

[thedvideo]

Beatlemania wasn't just British!

[sincarafan100]

Love billy joel he is the best

[smilejeska9]

i started it...



[keetongeer]

Thanks for sharing the video. I guess I wasn't too original in the posted video, "40 Years of History in 3 minutes". It's a similar idea of flashing back through events between 1971-2011, edited tightly to The Beatles' GET BACK and GLASS ONION, while also revisiting The Beatles' rooftop performance and some 8mm film antics of the time. Hope you have a chance to look at it. Enjoy.

[coastergal123]

9 people must've started the fire..

[pepeandweeney]

me and my friend had to make a music video to this, check it out on my channel

[moonlit234]

luv this song!!!! <3

[Thedudewatthef12345]

i listin to this song in history when its all quiet on my speakers!:)

[minimilovesu]

Woooooooh! I heard this song in my world history class.

[jacobdaniellow]

AWSOME!!!!!:]

[dudeguy9544]

I don't know how you do made this... BUT GOOD FREAKING JOB!

[12388lisa]

i love this, i enjoyed this song very much

[MarioAwSoMeNeSs321]

Indiana Jones disliked it 9 times because you stole hidls idea.

[trisrays]

lol never heard this til' my history teacher told us bout it last week. Having 5 bonus points on this song on my test on this song. Sad, the only thing i knew of billy Joel was from oliver and comany. Other than that never listened to his music.

[montenegrin2010]

History is so exciting.

[Lyricrebel]

Know the lyrics or not, love this sone... what comes after Hemingway?

[TheFacelessmasks]

what is shaycarl?

[TheGrantBeaumont]

Wasn't there a simpsons cover version at the end of one episode?

[Bankshot911]

I started it ;)

[YankeeStacker25]

8 people started the fire

Great job on this video! I love this song :)

[Morpheusis0001]

The song starts at 0:31

[mrbattlistkingdom]

This would be an awesome song to show a history class.

[xdhector4lifexd]

@mrbattlistkingdom we sing this everyday in AP US history lol

[xXShyGurl13Xx]

@mrbattlistkingdom lol my history teacher showed it to us today

[Theonlychaseanator]

@xXShyGurl13Xx my history teacher showed me this song 6 weeks ago

[Corkeylin]

we listened to this song in history during our cold war unit. then we did powerpoints on all the events or people in the song. Great Song!

[98edwardcullenlover]

i heard this song in ss and it is AWESOME

[TheSajkaca]

/watch?v=QIPjuJm5m-w&feature=f­eedlik You HAVE TO watch this. It awesome!!

[hamla]

The song is one huge lie...

[Ramzue]

@hamla why do you say that?

[hamla]

@Ramzue Because in every "fight" between 2 counties(sometimes even one country only) USA has it's fingers in it and supporting the side they see fit for them. They never helped anyone just abused them and trowed them away.

[chaosdesire]

@hamla umm okay this song is about events that happened around the world, its not just about the u.s

[Svamenzi]

7 people did start the fire.

[donkell33]

The nice thing about the lyrics is that they are so difficult to remember for most people that I don't think anyone could improve on it.

donkell33

[kibjohn]

I haven't heard this song since I was a kid.

-KT

[nataliecasares]

i love this song

[shakeystevensVIII]

Memorising this song nearly helped me get an A in my history test. But the teacher heard me humming it on the way out of the exam hall and I was disqualified.

[menormice2]

@shakeystevensVIII how gay lol, i would of sung it in her face, silly cow...

[whowantsabighug]

@shakeystevensVIII What for?

[eternalyintheshadows]

@shakeystevensVIII  that sucks! In my opinion that's a stupid reason to get disqualified...

[Maknopono]

naice song :)

[yuskisakura]

Lol, I saw this song for "Don't forget the Lyrics". If I had to sing this song, I will die! xDDD <3 it but the lyrics aren't exactly the easiest thing to remember.

[kuulneel]

No wonder this gentleman 'devours history books... n at one time wanted to be a history teacher'! tune's peppy

[NikolaGrobar]

Waiting for sequel! Lot of shit happened since 1989!

[PrincessVoldemort]

We listened to this song in AP US History today, since we're studying the cold war.

[ThePolishbullet]

learnt all the words to this and nailed it at the karaoke at christmas, bossh.

[BlackMuffin1]

Thumbs up if you new the song before and not through shaycarl!

[shadownemmy]

@BlackMuffin1 I thumbs up,i don't even know who is shaycarl. I heard people found out about this song on his video "party like its 2011," in another video. I can't believe people don't know this song. Its one of the best old songs ive ever heard and im 15.. lol. Im suprise sooo many people don't know this song. *sigh* they don't know what they are missing. Too bad they are too busy with justin bieber..

[jamk9]

@BlackMuffin1 I don't even know what/who shaycarl is

[randomhoochie]

@BlackMuffin1 Who is shaycarl?

[genuineracing]

@randomhoochie Some high-subbed youtuber.

[kurbalija88]

@BlackMuffin1 wtf is shaycarl?

[fart624]

i love this song

[EllyMcCormack]

@ericDouglace lol. You've gotta be kidding me.

[ThatGuyMelak]

was there any significance to the dots? just wondering :)

[punksonic77]

Let's all try our own verse: Youtube, dislike bar, justin bieber, flame wars, coke-a-cola drama, call of duty black ops, google, Macintosh, Windows, Machinima, Respawn, Sports, Cancer, Weed, Minecraft, Nick Swardson, Tosh.0, HD Plasma, Nuclear reactors, Global warming my ass, I CANT TAKE IT ANYMOAR

[TheMKGR8]

@punksonic77 add somethin' about school dude!!!!

[deathboi112]

space monkeys !! and yes u did start the fire

[Lesley246]

shaytards!

[loser4love100]

you leaarn a good lesson with this song

[HanDynasty26349]

lol if u listen to this song properly and clearly u can almost tell it is talking off the earth warming up. global warming is upon us do not burn up the earth or we will end up in water. if u do not believe me look at all the accounts that has been happening in the world. each year the earth gets warmer and warmer as our technology improves. if we do not use other sources to conduct energy we will eventually kill the ozone and the earth will burn up and we will all die. sorry if i offened u guys

[Nizzemancer]

@HanDynasty26349 The song has no meaning, that was the whole point of it...

[HanDynasty26349]

@Nizzemancer the guy who created this song made it to make people who told him nothing good happened during his lifetime and he proved them wrong with this song of us so it does have a point but not technically

[Nizzemancer]

@HanDynasty26349 "I had turned forty. It was 1989 and I said "Okay, what's happened in my life?" I wrote down the year 1949. Okay, Harry Truman was president. Popular singer of the day, Doris Day. China went Communist. Another popular singer, Johnnie Ray. Big Broadway show, South Pacific. Journalist, Walter Winchell. Athlete, Joe DiMaggio. Then I went on to 1950 [...]. It's one of the worst melodies I've ever written. I kind of like the lyric though." So yeah...it's really not about anything...

[HanDynasty26349]

@Nizzemancer i mean his not us lmao

[TheRatonacat]

we disent start the flame war :L

[glittersparkks]

the backstreet boys sang this on don't forget the lyrics, it was awesome

[orrmaoz]

thumbs up if you know all the lyrics!

[dsue79]

@orrmaoz well most of them, my husband know's them all off by heart though :)

[Yummychin]

De wereld draait door anyone? 8D

[koenf1]

Sounds like the Gold/Silver PokéRap :P

[103peaceout]

awesome video my bro was born wal this song was on go BILLY JOEL

[Reereeeeeful]

2:45 listen to him say burlinxD

[ml3bianchi]

who cares where the uk is pointed to, its a good video so lighten up will you and as for the pussies who get offended watch something else

[aspiringactor24]

this is really cool! liked!

[ajrober96]

did you make this on a mac ?

[Bekka077]

I listen to this song atleast once a day lol

[exactimages]

I loved this video!! You did an amazing job on this!! Great post!!

[lachiosa]

cute! :)

[LLdude1]

Thumbs up if you like both the college humor version and the Billy Joel version

[TheAnimateor]

from the beginning of my life

princess di

pol pot

aussies win the rugby cup

sydney lympics

tiger woods

new millenia

Nice?

[mruvgroovy]

awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[LLdude1]

@mruvgroovy I am Belgian that's awesome.....Maybe not

[mruvgroovy]

@LLdude1 what??

[LLdude1]

@mruvgroovy He talked about the Belgians in Congo

[mruvgroovy]

@LLdude1 so

[Kathi96Chucks]

GREAT VIDEO - GREAT SONG!!!

[TheLogicman1]

Absolutly masterful music video!

[kassandra7268]

i love this song!!!!! i have to make up my own about trageties and stuff

WE DIDDNT START THR FIRE ITS ALWAYS BURNING SINCE THE WORLDS BENN TURNING!!!!!

[horizonsaddict]

when i was really little, i used to love this song 'cause of the chorus. my sister would look it up on the computer, and we'd sing along on the parts we knew. i recently learned that it's a song about world history, and i'm pretty excited to know it on hte guitar.

[tacosoup02]

Luv dat song and brilliant video to go with it. Nice job!!! :D. 5*

[androidboy19]

LAWL This is better /watch?v=9DE3AAEIxvU

[Arra1997]

We didnt star the fire yeah yeah.

[mgadeleo]

nice song

[MerlinHawk007]

I would prefer the chorus be more accurate by changing its wording to:

"Though we did ignite it, but we tried to fight it" ;)

[jacksawild]

@MerlinHawk007 It was always burning since the world's been turning... I think Mr. Joel knew what he was talking about.

[MerlinHawk007]

@jacksawild Don't assume that even the most intelligent people don't properly express themselves. None of us are infallible, even when we're completely sincere! ;)

[MerlinHawk007]

I'd like to change part of the chorus to:

"Though we did ignite it, but we tried to fight it"

from

"No we didn't light it, but we tried to fight it"

(reason: it's more accurate with my change;)

[baboonspiderlemur]

@MerlinHawk007 Thats not more accurate. Why would it say "We didn't start the fire, but we did ignite it!" That would defeat the purpose of the whole song. Sure humans started the fire but not US US. That was like our ancestors it's not what he's talking about. He means we, the people on earth right now, did not start the fire. Otherwise the song would be called "We DID start the fire!" Geeze.

[MerlinHawk007]

@baboonspiderlemur Thanks for responding.

No, then it would be retitled as "We ignited the fire that already existed" :P

[dott1218]

so stop the madness.

[metalhammer104]

Lmao! awesome vid man. this song changed the world in someways as did "under pressure". joel is fuckin phenomenal.

[fatnerd18]

"Belgians in the Congo." Indeed. And in Rwanda. It was largely belgian presence giving overall control of the country of Rwanda to the Tutsi -- simply because they seemed "more white" than the Hutu -- thgat led to the genocide in 1994.

[zoadam]

Great job with adding the lyrics to the video itself, but the Earth pictures are getting quite boring in the end.

(Side note: Does anyone know a decent video of this song that has both lyrics and event pictures?)

[EQUILIBRIUMWINTRSUN]

had to know almost every event in this song for a class

[ovechkin0809]

listend this for 4 hours straight yaaaaaaa

[joe02282010]

This I believe is the hardest song to learn however billy joel came up with all the events and put it into a song is trully genius. This is by far my favorite billy joel song. simply amazing. Thanks for posting with lyrics.

[gigglehead24]

@joe02282010 i soo agree with you

[mrerok4]

lmao all this comments are retarded n funny X)

[elvincraft]

there shouldnt be a comma between starkweather and homiced i think hes refering to the "starkweather homicide"

[HanDynasty26349]

it wud be funny if they made another version called we started the fire lol

[TheEnlistedfool]

@HanDynasty26349 lolwuttf?

[mushroomchrisn]

im suprised the missile crisis of 1961 (i think 61, give or take a year, i know it was during the time of JFK) is not mentioned

[Shayde1653]

-speechless- wow that was really really good *faves, subs thumbs up*