Welcome To The Black Parade

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I have a few paragraphs to explain parts of this song that I've copied from my blog & edited:

In the beginning, the song talks of the main character's (the patient's) memories of his father's words said to him when he was little. The way that Gerard sings it means to convey a tone of innocence for the patient's recollection of his memories of childhood- of seeing a marching band with his father, however, before the 2nd verse is even sung, there is something in Gerard's voice that tells us there is an underlying negativity of the patient's memories. (Note that Gerard is the patient's voice telling the patient's story)

We are affirmed of the feeling described above when the 2nd verse is sung- from the scream-like singing, we can tell that the patient is caught in a struggle between carrying out his father's wishes for him to be the saviour of the broken, beaten and the damned- and his own burdens of his grown up life. These may include regret, resentment and impacts of tragedies that may have happened.

Also, when the patient recalls his father's hope for him to be the saviour, it is a 'wake up call' for him to know that he has more to his life and that he needs to win the battle with sickness. From the viewpoint of the patient as a young boy, having his father place such a hope on him imparts strength into the boy- it lets him know that there is at least one person who believes and has confidence in him. It calls him to live with his head held high. We can tell by Gerard's singing on the tv screen with his eyes fixed on something above symbolising the future.

The meaning of the Black Parade:
It seems like it means hell, but I think it has multiple layers of meanings. It may encompass emotions, the degraded world we exist in, and all the dissent there is. The fact that the patient rises out of the bed, the room destroyed; and joins the parade may mean that he has recovered, only to join the world again that is as good as hell can get. The patient is swept up by this disgusting band that represents all the evil there is and continues living a life as miserable as the one he lived in the hospital bed. This black parade however, is a force to drive the patient through life nonetheless. It is sarcastic when it rewards him with a medal that anything but glorious.

The reason why I think it's not hell is that the 'carry on' part doesn't make sense if you're dead in hell. This is where there is confusion if it's linked back to the father's words, "but one day I'll leave you a phantom to lead you in the summer to join the black parade". Maybe the father can foretell that the world his son will grow up in will not be as pure as a little boy would think it is.

I think the rest is pretty self-explanatory- the sound of struggle between surrender and determination is carried out through the 2nd half of the song- the central theme.

For the video, Who exactly is the paitent supposed to be??..

The guy in the hospital gown.

Just like Three Cheers, the Black Parade is a concept ablum where all of the songs together tell a story but each song also has a seperate meaning. "Welcome to the Black Parade" to me is referring to how Gerard Way has been a figure that helps and continues to help many people's life. It makes sense to me

There is a theroy that death comes back as a memories. the patiets memory is going to a parade with his father. he dies and death comes for him as the black parade.

i think that this song could be about a dad explaining to his son "what ever happens you need to carry on and live your life to the full and take chances" yea thats what i think

Quoting Gerard;;
"Death comes to each different person in different way, and is thought of in different ways. For this person The patient, death comes to him in his faundest memory of his childhood which is of his father taking his to a parade in the city."
It's a black parade, symbleizing death. And basically death, or the parade, or his fathers spirit, which ever, is asking him to take on the fact he's dead, and concure his demonds/fear, to show up or knock sense into the noe-believers, or selfish greedy people of the world. To give hope to those who are hopeless broken, the beaten, and the damned, or cursed to death, per say others like him who are sick and prematurelly dying.

Someform of something like that. That's the first part of the song, I'm not sure about the rest of it yet.

dark_princess:

i think that this song could be about a dad explaining to his son "what ever happens you need to carry on and live your life to the full and take chances" yea thats what i think

Gerard's father said something like that to him too so probally it has something to do with that too.

After learning of his illness, reflecting on his life, and dealing with all the issues of mortality, the Patient's own mortality is quickly coming to an end. Here the Patient is drifting between life and death, and so death is coming for him in the form of his strongest memory. The Patient's fondest memory is of his father taking him to town as a boy to see a parade ("when I was a young boy, my father took me into the city, to see a marching band". The Patient's father asks him as a boy "Son, when you grow up, would you be the savior of the broken, the beaten, and the damned?", perhaps preparing the Patient for his future illness, and asking him if he will have what it takes to mentally overcome it and be an example for others who follow in his footsteps to be strong. The Patient's father also tells him "someday I'll leave you a phantom, to lead you in the summer, to join the Black Parade." This hints that the Patient's father most likely died before the Patient, and will help him join the Black Parade (in other words be there when he dies to help him in the afterlife). The song also shows that the Patient most likely had a very good relationship with his father, since his fondest memory in life occured when he was with his father. This is the opposite of the relationship he has with his mother, which is further detailed in the song "Mama".

The Patient passes into a realm of life and death, and sees the Black Parade. The Black Parade seems to take place in the city that he saw the marching band in his youth, only now the city is barren, and more macabre. He sees the performers of the Black Parade, only they too are more macabre than those of the parade he saw in his youth, and seem to represent emotions and other parts of his life. The Black Parade tell him of "the disappointed faces of your peers", which have no effect on the Patient, as he states he "could not care at all", showing he will no longer let anyone dictate his actions, and hasn't quite repented yet (as he does in Famous Last Words). He still doubts himself ("I'm just a man, I'm not a hero" in reference to his father's question at the beginning of the song). He is still firm in his doubt of the world ("you can try, you'll never break me". Finally The Black Parade assures him that his "memory will carry on", and though he may be dead and defeated his "weary widow marches on." Thus trying to encourage him that he isn't as evil as he thinks, and that if he joins them what he leaves behind in life will be fine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welcome_to_the_Black_Parade

in one of the bad nightmares that gerard had
like "sleep"

he saw the whole black parade
thats where he came up with everything
the costumes
characters
songs

nightmares can take you... to the black parade

the black parade is fuckin amazin. my chemical romance r the gods of emo!" join me in bein da emo crew and destroy chav musik 4va.
the black parade is mainly bout death but if u her the part were gerard is sayin she watchin ova me he is tlkin bout his grandma

I was listening to this and while I was I was thinking about the video and it hit me why there is a reasond for the characters Fear and Regret. the lines,

"On and on we carry through thge fears
Disappointed faces of your peers"

Two sides of the spectrum I believe. With fear, we have to keep on keeping on. Regret, again, keep on keeping on with the disapointment that we've done.

I thought I would add that.

btw, it ROCKS!

the patient, death comes 4 him in his fondest memory.

I think it just means that no matter what happens, you and the people around you just need to forget what has happened and move on, for better or worse. It means to carry on.

whatever it's about, and i think you all have a point, i jist wanna say, I F@#ING LOVE THAT SONG, and yes i am a bad speller

Well I suppose there are different ways to look at it. My way has been mentioned - that the Patient is dying and the Black Parade is symbolizing death, which is coming to get him. It's a very clever song, that's why the album was named after it.

my _18th_heartbreak:

the black parade is fuckin amazin. my chemical romance r the gods of emo!" join me in bein da emo crew and destroy chav musik 4va.
the black parade is mainly bout death but if u her the part were gerard is sayin she watchin ova me he is tlkin bout his grandma

What...
The black Parade is about ONE person dying, MCR arn't emo, though they genre of music may be, and..Chav? Wtf?

Just a Sad Song:

my _18th_heartbreak:

the black parade is fuckin amazin. my chemical romance r the gods of emo!" join me in bein da emo crew and destroy chav musik 4va.
the black parade is mainly bout death but if u her the part were gerard is sayin she watchin ova me he is tlkin bout his grandma

What...
The black Parade is about ONE person dying, MCR arn't emo, though they genre of music may be, and..Chav? Wtf?

ummm i agree and don't agree they are technically post hard core but that's not important this song is basically the embodyment, and thoughts/feelings of MCR towards death, and what goes through your mind as you die, and then what waits for you on the other side

I've always thought of this song as a nightmare type thing that The Patient gets because he is scared about what is going to happen when he dies.

The more I think about it I think the whole album is a nightmare. A nightmare about The Patient's death. Because he is scared, he hasn't been a very good person in his life. He's afraid he'll go to hell.

I think the black parade is death. Sort of a darkness that should be celebrated. 'We'll carry on' and other lyrics in the song spell that out for me. Remember those who are gone and live for them. I think it might have something to do with the Ways' grandma.