Welcome To The Black Parade

gerard has interpreted this song so many times in interviews, i think hes probably pissed that people still dont get the message =/

whatever, i loved this song but now i think its been played TOO much!!
i guess thats what happens...right now its happening to "famous last words"...too popular

its about (the patient's)untimely death and the black parade is a symbol of it and Gerard shows him its ok for him to die and the memory of him will alwayz be carried on.

It has such a beautiful meaning. I love this song. I know it's played a lot but I seriously never get tired of it.

I think the message is like, the Patient is dead but his memory will carry on, so people in general, can carry on no matter what happens in their lives. It makes sense to me.

I think this song is about 9/11. The reason I think this is because in the lryics it says "your weary widow marches on" that makes me think that their talking about all the people who lost their husbands or wifes in 9/11. And even though the people lost their loved ones, those people know they can keep living their lives, it will just be a little bit harder because they have no help with their families, if they started one that is. And Gerard also sings a lryic that says " the bodies in the streets", those lryics make me think of the bodies that were lying in the streets when the firefighters picked up the crumbled building in the street thats what they found, thousands of dead bodies under the fallen building. And i think it may also be about the untimed death of thousands of innocent people, and that their families will never forget them and that their memory will carry on through their sons, daughters and much more family members.

dread_cry999:

"To The End-
To the last parade
When the parties fade
And the choice you made
To the End."

These lyrics are the last 4 lines of "To The End" from 3 cheers... could it be possible that this was a prediction or forshadowing of the Black Parade?...and the song... being To The End... and ironicly... the first song of the Black Parade is The End... tell me... what do you think about all this?

omg your psycic i thort that when i heard the song aswell. ahh scary! and then theres "did you get what you deserve?" like in Dead! except its in Cemetry Drive.
you clever chicken! lol, dont mind me...
xox love from KT

i think the start of the song is how his father said like i am going to be gone soon but i want you to fight for what you believe and to not let anyone knock you down.i think the whole song is a defiant one really.i think it is about standing up for who you are and waht you believe anbd not taking shit for it or give into the opressure to be someone your not

ok my sister was hearing my cd the other day and we reall got into it on the meaning behind the black parade she says that the song is about the father dying in other words the patient is the father and gerard is the son and that the black parade is the whole people walking the cASKET TO THE CEMENTARY THAT BEING THE FLOAT IS THE CASKET AND AND GERARD IS LEADING THE BLACK PARADE JUST LIKE DADDY SAID I DONT AGREE TO MUCH WITH HER TEORY BUT PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK

the black parade is death coming to you in the form of a strong memory perhaps once forgotten-----Gerards theory of death......u need to watch more tv C4 in particular (for NZ ppl)

I know everyone is saying it's about death, but I want to just present a thought.

"In an interview with The New York Times, singer Gerard Way was quoted as saying, "At first I thought [the patient died], but the more I think about it, the more I think he's not dead. Maybe this is all in his head. Maybe he can fight. Now I think he has a choice to live." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famous_Last_Words_%28song%29)

Possibly an out-of-body experience, imaginings while under anaesthesia during surgery, wandering while in a coma--all sorts of things are possible. Death is definitely the most popular answer, but just give it a little thought.

However, I am curious about the lines, "savior of the broken," and "not a hero, just a boy." Did the Patient do something heroic to save someone, something I might not know of? In the music video he receives a medal. I can't figure that one out.

Hmm...interesting. I always thought the medal was for all the suffering that he went through. But maybe he did do something heroic...that would make sense too!

I say it's gerards theory that one day when you know you're gonna die you'll be thinking of your strongest memory and this is what you have to get to and will when you're gone which is why he's singing about when he was younger his dad took him to a parade and that effectively was what he was thinking about at the time of his death then along the video you see other memories which are different part to it on your way to your biggest one where they're all there. confusing i know but that's my theory

i heard gerrard say in an interview that the phrase 'black parade' is a celebration of life and death, and the medal signifies the patient getting through life until the last second of suffering, and he's remembering all of the important things in his life that changed him, like the parade he went to with his dad.

I think the song by what the video puts it is about War and the suffering war causes and all the pain that is suffered because of it

I kind of just ripped this song apart, peice by peice. Here's my thoughts on it.

I think that the Black Parade to the Patient is like a middle ground between life and death. He is taken to the city where he attended the parade with his fahter, only here the city is much more dark and spooky. His father had told him that he would lead him to the Black Parade, meaning he would be waiting there when he died. I think this is told by the Patient (Floating in and out of consiousness. AKA Leaving and going back to the city.)

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 leave you, a phantom, to lead you in the summer, to join the black parade."


The lightness I feel on the very beginning part of the song tells me that the Patient is reflecting on his favorite memory, of his father taking him to a parade. "Because one day I'll leave you, a phantom, to lead you in the summer, to join the black parade." That infers that the father knows he is going to die, and he is telling his son "I'll lead you to the Black Parade."

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?"

The part of the song where the Patient repeats the part where his father asked him to be the saviour of the broken, the beaten,and the damned, gets more intense. Like the Patient is seeing the bad side of what his father had asked him, for the pressure was so great and he didn't want to let his father down, though he knew he was dying and would let him down.

Sometimes I get the feeling, she's watching over me
And other times I feel like I should go
And through it all, the rise and fall
The bodies in the street
And when you're gone we want you all to know

We'll carry on, We'll carry on
And though you're dead and gone believe me
Your memory will carry on
We'll carry on
Until my heart I can't contain it
The anthem won't explain it

I think in this part of the song, the Patient is consious during his last few moments listening to them talk. They're saying "We'll carry on, don't worry about us. We'll be fine." and then he fades back to the city. I think the 'bodies in the street' is a metaphor for all his personal baggage that he hadn't let go, that he has yet to get through, and forgive himself for. Although I don't know who 'she' is. (Am I just dumb? I wanted to think it was Mother War, but then I thought that was stupid, too, so I dunno.)

A world that sends you reeling from decimated dreams
You're misery and hate will kill us all
So paint it black and take it back
Lets shout it loud and clear
Defiant to the end we hear the call
To carry on

He's talking about going through his emotional baggage (the bodies) and he's remembering how life sort of screwed him over. His misery and hate will kill them all (his survivors) not physically, but emotionally, because they want him to be okay with his problems when he dies. He 'paints it black and takes it back' meaning he covers up all his emotional baggage and takes it back.

We'll carry on,
And though your dead and gone believe me
Your memory will carry on
We'll carry on
And though your broken and defeated
Your weary widow marches on
And on we carry through the fears
Oh oh oh

The survivors are telling him they'll carry on, and always remeber him. Even if he's broken and at the lowest of the low. His weary widow (his wife) will carry on through her fears, whatever those may be.

The disappointed faces of your peers
Oh oh oh
Take a look at me 'cause I could not care at all
Do or die
You’ll never make me
Because the world will never take my (heart)
Go and try; you’ll never break me
We want it all, we want to play this (part)
I won’t explain, or say I’m sorry
I’m unashamed, I’m gonna show my (scar)
Give a cheer, for all the broken
Listen here, because it’s who we are
I'm just a man; I'm not a hero
Just a boy, whose meant to sing this (song)
I'm just a man; I'm not a hero
I
Don't
Care

As he is going through the baggage he is remembering how he had disappointed people, and decided he simply did not care. I think the Patient is coming to the realization that he isn't perfect. He saying "The world will never take my heart" meaning no matter what nobody could take who he was. He is unashamed, that he's going to show his scar (I assume emotional scars.) and he finally accepts that he isn't perfect. That he's "Just a man and not a hero" and accepts the fact that he may have let his father down, but he becomes okay with it.

We'll carry on
We'll carry on
And though you're dead and gone believe me
Your memory will carry on
We'll carry on
And though your broken and defeated
Your weary widow marches on
Do or die
You’ll never make me
Because the world will never take my (heart)
Go and try; you’ll never break me
We want it all, we want to play this (part)
I won’t explain, or say I’m sorry
I’m unashamed, I’m gonna show my (scar)
Give a cheer, for all the broken
Listen here, because it’s who we are
I'm just a man; I'm not a hero
Just a boy, who had to sing this (song)
I'm just a man; I'm not a hero)
We'll carry on
We'll carry on
We'll carry on
We'll carry on
We'll carry on

At the very last point, before he enters the Black Parade forever, he fades between life and death and then dies.

Okay this was totally not that great, but I didn't know how to put it in words, but I did my best...

This is ovious lol
its about death coming to the patient as his fondest memorie..which is of his father taking him to see a marching band

i read its about when you die the place you want to end up seeing before heaven that makes sence.It catchy to!!

To me, I think MCR is trying to say "if we had to stop all this, we wanna let you know that we'll carry on" and also that even if they aren't there to make music and be there for us through lyrics that we should never let them take us and to be strong.

Also, I think the beginning is kind of a story where like Gerard's father or one of the guys' father wanted them to grow up and do something productive with their life and change the world and not be stuck in the everyday shit of life and do absolutely nothing with their life.

And, they're telling us to be strong and no matter what happens, to look to the bright side and never lose faith [of whoever we look to].

yeah... =]

My friend and I were talking about the meaning of this song and we decided that it is about moving on after a death of someone close to you( We'll carry on, we'll carry on). Also, in the music video, Gerard is basically telling the patient not to worry about the people he has left behind because they will always love him even if he is dead( And though you're dead and gone believe me, your memory will carry on).

I think that in this song Gerard's not "the Patient" but rather "the Warrior"
maybe I'm wrong but I had thought that GW comes from a Military family, like Jim Morrisson in a way, If Dad has a Military Career then your Expected to Have one too, in other Words "1 day my son, you too may wear That Uniform that looks so sharp in the parade" but where are the soldiers going? We all know.
GW wasn't supposed to grow up to be a Rock Star,
No! Game Plan was he would spill his Blood for America on the Field of Battle, along with all the Others, So Dad is Dissapointed, & won't even talk to his boy because He went ahead & became Rich & Famous instead of That!
The drumming at the end of the song I think represents that Gerard is no Coward & won't Refuse to Fight on the basis of Fear of Death but he will only fight if it's for a Cause which is {in the Warrior's own opinion } a Just one.