Alan Jackson - Where Were You Lyrics | SongMeanings

Home Messages Artists Add Lyrics

Recent Activity

No recent activity

Following

Alan Jackson

Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning) 38 Meanings Add Yours Follow Share Q&A

Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning) Lyrics

Edit Lyrics Where were you when the world stop turning on that September dayWere you in the yard with your wife and childrenOr working on some stage in L.A.Did you stand there in shock at the sight of that black smoke Rising against that blue skyDid you shout out in anger, in fear for your neighborOr did you just sit down and cryDid you weep for the children who lost their dear loved onesAnd pray for the ones who don't knowDid you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubbleAnd sob for the ones left belowDid you burst out in pride for the red, white and blueAnd the heroes who died just doin' what they doDid you look up to heaven for some kind of answerAnd look at yourself and what really matters<i>(chorus)</i>I'm just a singer of simple songsI'm not a real political manI watch CNN but I'm not sure I couldTell you the difference in Iraq and IranBut I know Jesus and I talk to GodAnd I remember this from when I was youngFaith, hope and love are some good things He gave usAnd the greatest is loveWhere were you when the world stop turning on that September dayTeaching a class full of innocent childrenOr driving down some cold interstateDid you feel guilty 'cause you're a survivorIn a crowded room did you feel aloneDid you call up your mother and tell her you loved herDid you dust off that bible at homeDid you open your eyes, hope it never happenedAnd you close your eyes and not go to sleepDid you notice the sunset the first time in agesOr speak to some stranger on the streetDid you lay down at night and think of tomorrowGo out and buy you a gunDid you turn off that violent old movie you're watchin'And turn on "I Love Lucy" rerunsDid you go to a church and hold hands with some strangersStand in line and give your own bloodDid you just stay home and cling tight to your familyThank God you had somebody to love<i>(chorus)</i> New! Log in to start a snippet Song Info Submitted by carboncentric On Dec 08, 2001 More Alan Jackson Remember When Drive (For Daddy Gene) Where I Come From Chattahoochee Summertime Blues Where were you when the world stop turning on that September day Were you in the yard with your wife and children Or working on some stage in L.A. Did you stand there in shock at the sight of that black smoke Rising against that blue sky Did you shout out in anger, in fear for your neighbor Or did you just sit down and cry Did you weep for the children who lost their dear loved ones And pray for the ones who don't know Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble And sob for the ones left below Did you burst out in pride for the red, white and blue And the heroes who died just doin' what they do Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer And look at yourself and what really matters (chorus) I'm just a singer of simple songs I'm not a real political man I watch CNN but I'm not sure I could Tell you the difference in Iraq and Iran But I know Jesus and I talk to God And I remember this from when I was young Faith, hope and love are some good things He gave us And the greatest is love Where were you when the world stop turning on that September day Teaching a class full of innocent children Or driving down some cold interstate Did you feel guilty 'cause you're a survivor In a crowded room did you feel alone Did you call up your mother and tell her you loved her Did you dust off that bible at home Did you open your eyes, hope it never happened And you close your eyes and not go to sleep Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages Or speak to some stranger on the street Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow Go out and buy you a gun Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watchin' And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns Did you go to a church and hold hands with some strangers Stand in line and give your own blood Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family Thank God you had somebody to love (chorus) Correcting wrong lyrics Fixing missing lines Removing extra lines Updating to official version Switching between clean/explicit (official) Fixing line breaks or spacing Correcting stanza/section order Removing unofficial annotations or brackets Correcting punctuation or capitalization Fixing spelling/typo errors Removing non-lyric content Standardizing formatting Other (explain below) Lyrics saved successfully! Thanks! These lyrics are currently locked and can only be edited by moderators and administrators. You must be logged in to edit lyrics. Unable to save lyrics. Please try again. Lyrics cannot contain links. Lyric edit submitted successfully and is pending approval. Approvals usually take 24 hours. Edit Cancel Editing Tips Keep it true to the song

Fix what’s wrong, but don’t rewrite what the artist wrote. Stick to the official released version — album booklet, label site, verified lyric video, etc. If you’re guessing, pause and double-check.

Respect the structure

Songs have rhythm. Pages do too. Leave line breaks where they belong. Don’t smash things together or add extra empty space just for looks.

Punctuation counts (but vibe-editing doesn’t)

Correct typos? Yes. Re-punctuating a whole verse because it ‘looks better’? Probably not. Keep capitalization and punctuation close to the official source.

Don’t mix versions

If you’re editing the explicit version, keep it explicit. If it’s the clean version, keep it clean. No mashups.

Let the lyrics be lyrics

This isn’t the place for interpretations, memories, stories, or trivia — that’s what comments are for. Keep metadata, translations, and bracketed stage directions out unless they’re officially part of the song.

Edit lightly

If two lines are wrong… fix the two lines. No need to bulldoze the whole page. Think ‘surgical,’ not ‘remix.’

When in doubt, ask the crowd

Not sure what they’re singing in that fuzzy bridge? Drop a question in the comments and let the music nerds swarm. Someone always knows.

Revision History carboncentric Submitter 2001-12-08 23:09:06 38 Meanings

Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.

Add your thoughts... Sort by Highest Rated Most Recent Oldest First All Comment Types General Comment (36) Song Meaning (1) My Opinion (1) All

Comment Reposted to your Profile Page.

View Profile Dismiss by skorpion 22y ago

To twcfan92, get a clue buddy. Alan donates most of the profits he makes from "Where were You?" to charity. He ain't making money on that song. He don't need to. He's already made his money.

And you think AJ is MONOTONE???? Oh my god, do you smoke something I need to know about??!! His voice is so rich. Again, as stated before, get a clue.

As for "Where were You?" I love this song. It reminds me of my two friends who were FDNY. Especially that line in the song "And the heroes who died just doin' what they do ". Luke and Danny, RIP guys.

To twcfan92, get a clue buddy. Alan donates most of the profits he makes from "Where were You?" to charity. He ain't making money on that song. He don't need to. He's already made his money. And you think AJ is MONOTONE???? Oh my god, do you smoke something I need to know about??!! His voice is so rich. Again, as stated before, get a clue. As for "Where were You?" I love this song. It reminds me of my two friends who were FDNY. Especially that line in the song "And the heroes who died just doin' what they do ". Luke and Danny, RIP guys. Reason: Edit Cancel ❤️ 💯 😂 🔥 😢 🤯 ❗ 🤔 +1 Users: Reply · 0 Share by momotaro 21y ago

I think this is the worst song ever made. Alan Jackson really missed the point while writing this. Not being able to tell the difrance between Iraq and Iran shows how ignorant some people are toward the world. Also, trying to turn semptember 11th into something religious is in bad taste. The lyrics are also laughable, " Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow Go out and buy you a gun Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watchin' And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns" I mean really Alan Jackson.

I think this is the worst song ever made. Alan Jackson really missed the point while writing this. Not being able to tell the difrance between Iraq and Iran shows how ignorant some people are toward the world. Also, trying to turn semptember 11th into something religious is in bad taste. The lyrics are also laughable, " Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow Go out and buy you a gun Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watchin' And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns" I mean really Alan Jackson. Reason: Edit Cancel ❤️ 💯 😂 🔥 😢 🤯 ❗ 🤔 +1 Users: Reply · 0 Share by jta2006 21y ago

For any of you who feel that this song is wrong, stupid, or that Alan Jackson is just capitalizing off of it.....I respect your opinions but I want you to look at the entire picture. Many people were not affected by 9/11 like others were. True it is that some were more closely connected to the tragedies than others, but that does not mean we should disrespect those people. That day in September is the only attack on America since Pearl Harbor. It is an event that should be looked upon with great respect...Respect for the lives lost, the lives saved, the people who worked to save lives that day, and the people who are working to save lives and our freedom today. To say that the attacks on 9/11 were not religiously motivated could possibly be true but it also may not be. We may never know for certain. As for Alan Jackson's song....It is a beautiful tribute to those people affected by 9/11. So many people took the tragedy in different ways. Alan is trying to put all of those different emotions into perspective. Who knows...maybe someone did lay down at night and think about tomorrow. Or maybe they went and bought a gun. Who is to say that it didn't happen. In my opinion, it is far more ignorant to put a person down for writing about emotions that another person felt on such a day than it is to to actually write the song. And it is true that Alan Jackson donates a LARGE portion of his profits to memorials and funds for people affected by 9/11. I respect the opinions of each and every one of you on here, but please have some understanding and respect for those possibly affected greater than you on September 11, 2001. Thank You.

For any of you who feel that this song is wrong, stupid, or that Alan Jackson is just capitalizing off of it.....I respect your opinions but I want you to look at the entire picture. Many people were not affected by 9/11 like others were. True it is that some were more closely connected to the tragedies than others, but that does not mean we should disrespect those people. That day in September is the only attack on America since Pearl Harbor. It is an event that should be looked upon with great respect...Respect for the lives lost, the lives saved, the people who worked to save lives that day, and the people who are working to save lives and our freedom today. To say that the attacks on 9/11 were not religiously motivated could possibly be true but it also may not be. We may never know for certain. As for Alan Jackson's song....It is a beautiful tribute to those people affected by 9/11. So many people took the tragedy in different ways. Alan is trying to put all of those different emotions into perspective. Who knows...maybe someone did lay down at night and think about tomorrow. Or maybe they went and bought a gun. Who is to say that it didn't happen. In my opinion, it is far more ignorant to put a person down for writing about emotions that another person felt on such a day than it is to to actually write the song. And it is true that Alan Jackson donates a LARGE portion of his profits to memorials and funds for people affected by 9/11. I respect the opinions of each and every one of you on here, but please have some understanding and respect for those possibly affected greater than you on September 11, 2001. Thank You. Reason: Edit Cancel ❤️ 💯 😂 🔥 😢 🤯 ❗ 🤔 +1 Users: Reply · 0 Share by ManicGypsy 24y ago

This song makes me almost cry everytime I hear it. I can remember everything I did on September 11, 2001. It still seems unreal.

This song makes me almost cry everytime I hear it. I can remember everything I did on September 11, 2001. It still seems unreal. Reason: Edit Cancel ❤️ 💯 😂 🔥 😢 🤯 ❗ 🤔 0 Users: Reply · 0 Share by supachik 24y ago

I love this song, i think it's my favorite Alan Jackson song. The first time I heard it, it made me cry as well....

I love this song, i think it's my favorite Alan Jackson song. The first time I heard it, it made me cry as well.... Reason: Edit Cancel ❤️ 💯 😂 🔥 😢 🤯 ❗ 🤔 0 Users: Reply · 0 Share by srobeson 24y ago

i love this song. the first time i heard it i cried. september 11th seems so hard to accept, but this song made me really think.....

i love this song. the first time i heard it i cried. september 11th seems so hard to accept, but this song made me really think..... Reason: Edit Cancel ❤️ 💯 😂 🔥 😢 🤯 ❗ 🤔 0 Users: Reply · 0 Share by bandaid818 24y ago

Today was the first time I heard that song and it is really beautiful. Very touching, deep and reflective. Great song.

Today was the first time I heard that song and it is really beautiful. Very touching, deep and reflective. Great song. Reason: Edit Cancel ❤️ 💯 😂 🔥 😢 🤯 ❗ 🤔 0 Users: Reply · 0 Share by chungjik 23y ago

I love this song because it states so many reactions to Sept 11th all at once... I think I did just about everything in the song except buy a gun. I love this song because it speaks of love and not vengence like other songs about Sept 11th.

I love this song because it states so many reactions to Sept 11th all at once... I think I did just about everything in the song except buy a gun. I love this song because it speaks of love and not vengence like other songs about Sept 11th. Reason: Edit Cancel ❤️ 💯 😂 🔥 😢 🤯 ❗ 🤔 0 Users: Reply · 0 Share by twcfan92 23y ago

I hate this song. While it's great that he wanted to pay tribute to those who lost their lives on 9/11, It's sad that Alan, like Puff Daddy before him, is capatalizing on the tragedy of others. What's even sadder is that he got a lot of awards for this song! But then again, maybe I'm biased b/c I think of Alan Jackson as the Keanu Reeves of the music industry. His songs are so monotone. Snooorrr....

I hate this song. While it's great that he wanted to pay tribute to those who lost their lives on 9/11, It's sad that Alan, like Puff Daddy before him, is capatalizing on the tragedy of others. What's even sadder is that he got a lot of awards for this song! But then again, maybe I'm biased b/c I think of Alan Jackson as the Keanu Reeves of the music industry. His songs are so monotone. Snooorrr.... Reason: Edit Cancel ❤️ 💯 😂 🔥 😢 🤯 ❗ 🤔 0 Users: Reply · 0 Share by prodigal_sunscreen 22y ago

personally, i hate alan jackson. i hate country music.

but that's just me.

personally, i hate alan jackson. i hate country music. but that's just me. Reason: Edit Cancel ❤️ 💯 😂 🔥 😢 🤯 ❗ 🤔 0 Users: Reply · 0 Share 123Next »

• A
• Alan Jackson
• Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)

alert close