My Chemical Romance: Welcome to the Black Parade Meaning
Song Released: 2006
Welcome to the Black Parade Lyrics
My father took me into the city
To see a marching band
He said "Son when you grow up
Would you be
The savior of the broken
The beaten and the damned?"
He said "Will you
Defeat them
Your demons
And all the...
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My opinion is that the patient is ready to accept death, but the "dark side" which seemed to make itself known in the fourth song of the album, basically makes a deal with death, thus continuing the patients life, as well as the album, at the cost of what could possibly be the death of his girlfriend/mother/wife in famous last words.
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K, I was the guy before that last large interpretation, yes I still come back. That guy has got a pretty good view on things. Especially with realtion to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, if you notice some of the effects were a lot like it with the fading out in the clips etc. But also some interpret bo-rhaps as heaven and hell fighting over a mortal soul and that relates a lot to this song and also it's clip which presents it well.
Second thing is constructive criticism. ANGELS AREN'T CHICKS! FFS I am sick of people thinking through artistic impressions that they are little babies or nude women. They are fricken warriors.
Third thing, to fix up the the 'Sometimes I get the feeling she's watching over me.' Maybe some woman spiritually connected like a guardian angel in human terms, protection and emotional salvation. "Other times I feel like I should go." Well you could consider the fact that who it is may only be human and therefore can't always be there to help him, it may feel like the end when they not around.
Anyway just suggesting some things, like the down pack relations but I get touchy on the angel topic DAMN THOSE STUPID ARTISTS!! -
I think of it as the savior of the people under a corrupt, nazi-like government
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Yea, I really thought of Nazi Germany here. Gerard looks like an Aryan, the powerful singing, the music just everything
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I think this song is cool because it is about a kid dying of cancer and as he is dying he thinks of the black parade yess
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It was helpful for me to know that Gerald has cited Queen and Pink Floyd as influential in the production of this album. I believe of particular importance is Pink Floyd's "bricks in the wall" and Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody's last words "anyway the wind blows".
When I was a young boy,
My father took me into the city
To see a marching band
He said, Son when you grow up, will you be the saviour of the broken, The beaten and the damned?"
He said "will you defeat them, your demons, and all the non believers, the plans that they have made?"
Because one day I'll lead you in the summer to join the black parade."
A parade--much like life marches on. We must be able to continue to march forward through all that life throws at us. A father is asking his son if he will become a saviour for the lost souls of the world (the broken hearted). The father asks if his son can beat his(your) demons. I believe the "your demons" instead of "the demon" makes a major distinction in the battle the father is asking his son to fight and win. The father is not asking his son to beat all the demons, just his demons--it's personal. The father is asking his son if he will be strong enough to overcome the "evils" in his life. The father asks his son if he can also can defeat the non believers. Not too sure this is actually refering to religious non belivers rather I believe he is referring to people who didn't/don't believe in his son. Those that thought his son would turn out to be nothing (those that put another brick in the wall--Pink Floyd) By winning these battles, the father says his son can be a beacon to the beaten and broken ones. The father says that he will die but he will come back (a phantom) to lead his son to better times (summer); however, his son will still be a member of the black parade--life, this world and all the suffering that goes along with this world. As the video shows "starving in a world of plenty" The video of course also shows his father getting a medal and for a brief time he is in fact a phantom leading the parade.
Sometimes I get the feeling she's watching over me.
And other times I feel like I should go
When through it all, the rise and fall, the bodies in the street
And when you're gone we want you all to know
Gerald points up when he sings about "she's watching over me". Either a guardian angel or the angel of life up away from the madness of the earth and the angle of death (dressed in black with a respirator on). The angel gives him faith to continue to battle vs giving up--"I should go"
Through it all, the good and the bad--"rise and fall" the bodies in the street--those who have died naturally or otherwise fall to the side, the parade (life) marches on.
We'll carry on
We'll carry on
And though you're dead and gone, believe me
Your memory will carry on
You'll carry on
And in my heart I can't contain it
The anthem won't explain it
Even though his father is dead, his memory will give his son strength to continue the battle agains his demons and unbelievers.
A world that sends you reeling from decimated dreams
Your misery and hate will kill us all
So paint it black and take it back
Let's shout it loud and clear
do you fight it to the end
We hear the call
The world (once again the bricks from Pink Floyd's wall) ruins our dreams and people cause all the misery and hate. But, if we see the darkness (paint it black) we regain our bearings because we now see life and the world for what they really are. However, we are still members of the black parade, we are all still lost souls marching to our inevitable demise. But we will continue to march and we will "fight it to the end"--we will continue to live and fight to live.
Do or die, you'll never make me
Because the world, will never take my heart
You can try you'll never break me
Want it all, we wanna play this part
Won't explain, or say I'm sorry
I'm not ashamed, I'm gonna show my scar
Give a chair, for all the broken
Listen here, because it's to me
I'm just a man, I'm not a hero
I'm just a boy, who wanna sing this song
I'm just a man, I'm not a hero
I--don't--care
The world, demons, and unbelievers won't take away his spirit, his "heart". Thw world (bricks) will never break him. He will become the saviour of the broken hearted--"wanna play this part". He is not ashamed to show the toll this battle has taken on him mentally and physically--"show my scar". In the video, he uses the mic stand to fight the demons as he swings it about widly. He will help those lost souls--he will give them rest--the chair. He goes from man to boy to man. This transition from boy to man was "forced" upon him by his father's death. While as a boy it is okay to just "sing the song", the responsibility of the man is to "walk the walk". Much easier to sing about the battle (boy) rather than have to "live" (man) the battle.
To me, a wonderful song with much meaning. We are all lost souls marching in the parade of life. We will all die but before we die, we must fight our own demons and everything the world has to "throw" at us. Sometimes we may want to give up but we must carry on for there is purpose in life. No matter how bad things may get (Winter), Summer inevitably follows. Gerald is leading the black parade to Summer. -
Ok, just to sort of slightly move the topic towards the band for clarity. My Chemical Romance represented themselves in this song as reverse-emo not anti-emo or emo, they basically are like me, the thing that balances the rest out.
Now, Welcome to the Black Parade is really relating life to death, basically the bit where the guy dies and joins the parade is like a big giant summary of his life, a big parade! But they don't go as far as to say that that's what happens after you die, I mean when the song finishes you wonder what happens, like that was like the appetiser before the main course!
Also I was just thinking, if somebody kills themselves, do they get a medal or do they get disqualified for cheating, I mean like come on! -
I don't know I think it's pretty basic. Dad takes Gerard when he is a young boy to an inspirational place(parade) asks Gerard whether he will defeat his demons and will defeat all his critics or people that will hold him back in the world and will try to break him and his heart and soul. That Gerard and all the people like him will carry on cause it's hard to hope and carry on and be strong when a lot of people try to pull you down like most people in the world do. And will he be a leader he's saying he's just a boy not a hero but not everyone can do that not everyone can just carry on. Gerard is strong and will help the people that have already been broken by the world and those that have died with heart and he will use their spirits to gain strength to carry on and live with a heart.
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This song is about when the patient dies his strongest memory carries him away to die.
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I'm pretty sure it's about a young boy whose father dies, and one of his memories is when his father took him 2 a parade.
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eh I got one... I just started to listen to this song a lot more.. .been on the radio a lot but now just started listening to it at home wanted to find meaning to it...here's what I think
OK so I think that his father could have possibly taken him to a funeral when he was younger and his father was implying that he was going to pass away one day and that he'll have to figure things out for himself but his spirit could guide him or something, and that he wants his son to be a part of the funeral and be in the "black parade" down the street carrying his coffin... well that's my 2 cents tell me what you think :D
-Mike -
personally I think this song is all about a man over coming his fear 'will you defeat then, your demons, and all the non-believers' I think that by demons they are refering to the guys fears and set back and the non-believers are the people who have put him down or made him believe that he can't overcome those fears.
the fact that people associate black with evil is just a steriotype so this song could just as likely be about a rebirth or something along those lines of good as it is just as likely this song is all about death, evil and fighting other
but I don't believe that to be true I think it's about overcoming fears and becoming a new better person who helps others and is there for people who were once in their situation -
if you look close enough into the song, you will see that it is about a boy who was taken into the bed room, and raped by his dad.....it does say ' will you defeat them, your demons and wall the no believers the beaten and the damed!!#
xxx -
Sorry to write again but I saw another post that was tactless. just because people like this kind of music does not mean they are going to hell. I ama christian and I love music like this. rock music is my healthy way to release anger and frustration life brings. and yes you do not have to be emo to have stress and pain. Suffering is a normal part of life. you can be happy person and go through pain. and america is not gay and there is nothing wrong with it or bush. This is meant to interpret the song not to bring your insults. PLus the song has a good message so I don't see where emo has to come into interpretation of this song. off subject but it would be awesome to hear mcr to a remake of paint it black. if I believe right I think gerod is bisexual. not to diss him that is just what I heard. Although I do think he is cute and his look kind of reminds me of billy corgan when he had hair. I have always had an obsession with billy corgan.
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This is not an interpretation but a response to ignorant people. First of all there is no form of racism. Just because the word says black does not mean it is about black people. Black has symbolic meaning. This song is not a emo song, mabey an emo band. The song for me is no matter how hard life is to carry on. The war interpretation sounds nice too,but it could be the death one. It is hard because a song can be interpreted the way you want it to be. and I might like to listen to music like this but it does not mean I am not doing anything with my life. I took my emotional problems and I am making something good out of it. I am going to be a therapist and help other people. I am in college now. I like to find out meaning of songs because that is what I do find meaning to something. and you can like a band and not be emo. my husband loves this song and he is not even close to emo. If you think we are pathetic for trying to find the meaning of the song why are you reading about it in the first place?
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