Hang 'Em High

I just read an interesting comment under "It's Not a Fashion Statement" by imeanthis_4ever--it detailed a theory about the Demolition Lovers. The man dies and goes to hell, etc. The woman lives and is forced to marry her lover's killer, through blackmail, threats, or something. The devil shows the dead man his lover, married to the very man who killed him. Look it up and read it.

Suppose "Hang 'Em High" details how the woman was forced against her will.
"The angels just cut out her tongue" Maybe they blackmailed her, possibly to keep her silence about the murder, not turn him in.

Then in swoops the Dead Lover to save the day--"Mass convulsions strike the choir," maybe he gunned them down, and the convulsions are their death throes.

I don't want to detail my theory on this song for every line. I'll just do one more, though. "She won't stop me, put it down." Maybe the dead man is about to kill the murderer, his lover's husband, and she is trying to stop him, for reasons unknown...

Lots of if's and maybe's, I know, but let me have my fun...

thirstXforXblood:

okay does any1 no what the hell a black mariah is?

black mariah is a card game. which makes me think that this song is about gambling [Well here's your answer in spades/Wild eyed jokers] so i think that this is the story of HOW the man in demolition lovers died. the man owes the "evil men" money, & they're after him, & he knows that they'll try to get to the person he loves so he tells her to run away with him [Wait until it fades to black/Ride into the sunset and the chorus] PLUS in demolition lovers: [And then I'd say to you, we can take to the highway.../I would drive on to the end with you] may be evidence that they were running away.

also, the man doesn't tell his lover the entire truth of why she's in danger so he makes something up [Would I lie to you?]. but the evil men catch them both, & the girl is confused and maybe tries to save her lover by maybe telling them something that will make them kill her instead of him. but he tells them not to listen to her [Well I'm asking you/ 'Cos she's got nothing to say.../Would I lie to you?/That girl's not right in the brain].

so the evil men kill the man, but his lover stays alive & is forced to marry his murderer because of blackmail/threats/etc. which leads to the next song on the album, It's Not a Fashion Statement... so see my interpretation of It's Not a Fashion Statement, It's a Deathwish for details..

Solitary Style, your interpretation does kind of explain my theory about it's not a fashion statement, but since that song comes AFTER hang 'em high, i think this might be before the man finds out about his former lover & his murderer. so i think your interpretation of the line Mass convulsions/Strike the choir IS about death throes, but it's the MAN's death throes before he dies. and The angels just cut out her tongue IS about them silencing her, but it's when they catch her & her lover when they're trying to run away and they're trying to keep her from crying for help.

yeah sorry that was pretty long, but i think i'm actually on to something! i'm so excited!

God, how could I miss the gambling references? I'm thick! Didn't know about the Black Mariah thing, though...

I must say I like your interpretation better. Sorry about the confusion about the song order (I put 'em all on shuffle).

I was trying to find out what or who Black Mariah was - i had no idea that it was a card game! yay!

It's a song to me thats has a lot of meaning
and that everybody has a different meaning

fatality in the snow:

My thoughts whenever I listen to this song is a guy who probably did something bad like the broke the law and has all these people against him, so he needs to kill them all but he's telling his true love that if the people get them, that she needs to keep going and to 'not look back' so the people don't get her too.

I think it's also a sort of tribute to Clint Eastwood. It has a western-like feel and believe it or not there's a Clint Eastwood movie from 1967 called Hang Em High.

Yes Exactly what I was thinking! cept, instead of a criminal i pictured an outlaw, desperado type guy. cept more grungy, like vincent from FF7. infact i was (i dunno if ill ever finish it) working on a flash 8 music video using the westerny story line i came up with where the "Black Moriah" (i think thats what they said, im too lazy to check) is like a dark queen or something and the "wild eyed joker" is one of her minions. also i drew an uber fight scene between the desperado and the joker.

i thought it was a guy addicted to drugs and stuff and his girlfriend saying she'll leave if he doesn't clean up, then he gets drunk one day and tryes to kill her because shes depriving him.

Actually, in this song, (since the title Hang 'em High was more likely taken from the western movie) the term Black Mariah probably refers to the black wagon that was used in the old west to take criminals to prison. There are many driving / riding references in the song. The name originated from a woman named Maria Lee, who was reputed to be a fearsome woman on whom the sherriff would call to help escort drunks to prison cells.

The original Black Mariah

savedbymcr_2004:

i thought it was a guy addicted to drugs and stuff and his girlfriend saying she'll leave if he doesn't clean up

Yeah, I agree. I always saw this song as semi-autobiographical from Gerard's point of view, but masked as a wild west story.

Wait until it fades to black, ride into the sunset. Would I lie to you? Well, I've got something to say.
A reference to losing conciousness, most likely from drinking too much. He's waiting until he passes out (fades to black) from drinking and into euphoria (into the sunset) from the drugs.

Grab your six-gun from your back. Throttle the ignition. Would I die for you? Well here's your answer in spades.
Spades symbolize death. He feels like he is dying. He is using all these drugs to keep him going, to fuel his ability to continue performing (to "throttle the ignition". Also, the phrase "to call a spade a spade" means to answer honestly and bluntly about something which may be embarrassing. His "answer" is "obvious" from his current state of dependency.

Shotgun sinners. Wild eyed jokers. Got you in my sights. Gun it while I'm holding on.
He's battling his own sins, his regrets, trying to kill them. He begs for the other band members to just keep the tour going as fast as possible so that everything will soon be over. He can't hold on much longer.

After all is said and done, Climb out from the pine box. Well I'm asking you 'Cause she's got nothing to say. The angels just cut out her tongue. Call her black Mariah. Would I lie to you? That girl's not right in the brain.
After all this is over, he feels he's going to die. He's asking his lover to to hang on until the end of the tour and maybe he can somehow ressurect himself, but she is refusing to even speak to him. She's sort of calling him out on his addictions and refuses to have anything to do with him, he's a criminal in her book. He replies by saying he can't understand her (not right in the brain).

Mass convulsions. Strike the choir, By the grace of God. Gun it while I'm holding on.
Mass convulsions are an obvious reference to being sick from drugs and alcohol. He performs in the next concert (strike the choir), but it's a miracle (by the grace of god) that he's even there because he's so wasted. But just keep going on with the show, he's holding on.

But don't stop if I fall and don't look back. Oh baby don't stop. Bury me and fade to black.
Just keep going on without him, he doesn't feel that he will survive the tour. The band must go on.

She won't stop me put it down. So get your gun and meet me by the door .
She's not going to make me stop and you can't either. Don't get involved, let's just get on with the show and get it over with. If you replace the word gun with guitar, you see the parallel of him speaking to his band members. He's asking them to just grab their guitar and meet him by the stage. No more questions asked.

I think it's simply just
Them being so, totally and deeply in love,
And him going: Carry on without me- 'cos I love you, so don't mourn, be happy.
He's OBVIOUSLY dying, but he doesn't want her to be sad.

Beeblebrox:

Actually, in this song, (since the title Hang 'em High was more likely taken from the western movie) the term Black Mariah probably refers to the black wagon that was used in the old west to take criminals to prison. There are many driving / riding references in the song. The name originated from a woman named Maria Lee, who was reputed to be a fearsome woman on whom the sherriff would call to help escort drunks to prison cells.

First: you guys all have some great stuff that i never would of thought of... but could this mean that he's calling the woman in the song Black Mariah because she metaphorically "leads the drunks to the prison cells?" meaning that she just adds to Gerard or whoever's drinking issues? Not sure... just a thought, love the song though...

I Don't know, But I love tha song!

This is my interpretation of the Black Maria...

the "Black Maria" (there's no 'h') was Thomas Edison's movie production studio. Thomas Edison was famous for creating moving pictures... which were silent. The studio is located in West Orange, New Jersey.

HENCE, since angel's pulled out her tongue, the girl can't speak anymore. She's silent, like a silent movie. Angels must have had a good reason to pull out her tongue (she was probably evil) Evil is known to be the colour black... and, of course, they're from Jersey... so.. the Black Maria was a very appropriate lyric!

personally, i think this song's about revenge...

this guy breaks up with his first girlfriend, then gets a new one..
his ex then gets enraged that he found someone new, so she plots to go after them and tries to kill them...(call her Black Maria...that girl's not right in the brain)
apparently, it ends up in a car chase... (throttle the ignition)
he tells current girlfriend to grab her gun and be ready...(grab you six-gun from your back)
he also tells her that he would die for her, and if he would die, he wants her to drive away and not look back...(don't stop if i fall and don't look back)
but apparently, the guy is dying and sees his girlfriend confront his ex...(after all is said and done climb out from the pine box well I'm asking you cause she's got nothing to say)

i know this doesnt really have to do with the meaning but can anyone tell me whats being said while Gerard is singing "she wont stop me put it down" i think its "he is so close now that nothing not even his lover can stop him seeking his revenge and killing these men" but im not sure....

My new favorite MCR song (I just downloaded the rest of Revenge)
The western imagery is to cool!
I can just imagine two outlaws galloping away in a stage coach with the law right behind them and the cowboy telling the girl driving:
Don't stop, if I fall
and don't look back!

Then he gets shot and says:
Oh baby don't stop
bury me
and fade to black (he dies)

Beeblebox:

Actually, in this song, (since the title Hang 'em High was more likely taken from the western movie) the term Black Mariah probably refers to the black wagon that was used in the old west to take criminals to prison.

Whoo! Someone else got this reference, the gambleing thing is also cool to know.
Theres a heavy rock song by Todd Rundgren called "Black Maria" about the frightening dark wagon and how criminals feel when they see it coming:

Black maria, you scare me so
I feel as though my heart stop dead
Youre a liar, this I know
I watch you go around my head

Oh, Im going down slow
You scare me so
Oh, you never let go
You scare me so

Totally random, but I saw the movie Hang 'Em High in the video store & practically had a fit explaining to my mum that it was an MCR song XD

All I know is the title is a reference to hanging people...or so I think
Because the DVD cover is of a noose up close & in the background there's a cowboy...as I remember it (like two years ago I saw it though)

MyDetention:

Totally random, but I saw the movie Hang 'Em High in the video store & practically had a fit explaining to my mum that it was an MCR song XD

All I know is the title is a reference to hanging people...or so I think. Because the DVD cover is of a noose up close & in the background there's a cowboy...as I remember it (like two years ago I saw it though)

i know. i totally spazzed when i saw this movie my dad had downloaded called 'Hang Em High' coz i didnt know it was a movie. (he doesnt know anything abt MCR).
aside from the occasional wild west references, the song has smthg in common with the film plot in that it's runs along the theme of avenging the innocents who r sentenced to death.

anyway, i dont think any analysis i do can match imeanthis_4ever's, which sees the whole album as a detailed story with the songs in order (i have mine on shuffle too, haha). but just looking at the lyrics, i dont know if the couple is separated at this point. it sounds, in fact, like they are already united & avenging their separation together:
Grab your six-gun from your back
Throttle the ignition /
Gun it while I'm holding on

He could even be urging her to continue fighting the enemy if he should die:
But don't stop if I fall
And don't look back
Oh baby don't stop
Bury me and fade to black

also, the line She won't stop me, put it down" could mean he's giving a warning not to expect any mercy from the girl, because she's not stopping him frm gunning down the enemy.

i dunno if the element of blackmail really comes in. all we know for sure is that these lovers were separated when the girl died & the guy wanted to bring her back, so he agreed to bring the Devil souls of those he slays in exchange for his lover coming back to life (Climb out from the pine box).