Drowning Lessons

Oh.. Contrary to what you people have to say, i've always felt that the entire album was supposed to be really...smooth.. As in the songs were supposed to flow into each other.You know i think that since this album was gerard's first public outlet to his imaginary world and so i prefer to see this album in a more 'atmosphere-y' and Weathery..
Uhm.

Oh.. Contrary to what you people have to say, i've always felt that the entire album was supposed to be really...smooth.. As in the songs were supposed to flow into each other.You know i think that since this album was gerard's first public outlet to his imaginary world and so i prefer to see this album in a more 'atmosphere-y' and Weathery lighti
Uhm.

im not totally sure, but it might be about a serial killer, who kills for his love

i think its about a relationship where the girl really loved the guy and the guy kept rejecting her or maybe even hurting her.. and then finally the guy killed her and after he did he was reallly upset that he did

this song sounds like
its about one of those rly fucked up relaionships
where the guy is on drugs or something and the both really love eachother but they keep breaking up for like a day and then get back together. y'know like one of those relationships you'd see on the soap network or something

I actually think the beginning is a happy couple getting married and, contrary to popular belief, it says "and rice grains and roses fall at your feet"

This is like...my favorite mcr song.

I always try and remeber, everything that NCR do is lyrical and poetic, so usually the obvious isn't there and you have to look at the words together rather than individual lines.

I used to think the song was literally about killing someone, the more thought I put into it the more I think it was about killing a relationship, and the reason he made it sound like death because when someone breaks up with you it can feel like the end of the world.

Without a sound, I took her down and dressed in red and blue I squeezed, imaginary wedding gown, that you can't wear in front of me, a kiss goodbye, your twisted shell, as rice grains and roses fall at your feet, lets say goodbye, the hundredth time, and then tomorrow we'll do it again

If you break it in half its easier to explain.
Without a sound, I took her down and dressed in red and blue I squeezed, imaginary wedding gown, that you can't wear in front of me
I think maybe what happened is while he was on drugs he told her he didn't want to be with her anymore and she left, they had plans to get married -isn't that part of the story of bullets?- but he ruined it, and now he'll never get to see her wear that dress.
a kiss goodbye, your twisted shell, as rice grains and roses fall at your feet, lets say goodbye, the hundredth time, and then tomorrow we'll do it again
I don't think he had the chance to kiss her goodbye, the idea of her twisted shell makes me think of her curled up in a ball crying. Rice Grains and Rose petals scattered at your feet has some representation of death, and the love the had has just been killed. I think there's regret, if he'd just said goodbye like they did everyday then tomorrow he'd see her again.

I dragged her down, I put her out, and back there I left her where no-one could see, and my last call into this world, I stared as this moment was held for me
He could feel as though everything he had just done had dragged her down, and ended all her happiness. He left her, back in that moment and no-one else could ever see the pain he put her through. "My last call into this world" makes me think of the world he knew with her. You know like when people say "I love <insert name here> so much, they're my world" and as he watches her fall, and crumble under the pain of loosing him, all he can do is stare at this loss, as though that moment was created purely for him to see the mess he made.

I never thought it'd be this way, just me and you we're here alone, and if you stay, all I'm asking for is, a thousand bodies piled up, I never thought would be enough, to show you just what I've been thinking of, and I'll keep on making more, just to prove that I adore, every inch of sanity, all I'm asking for is
This bit makes me think of two possible answers. It may be a dream he's having/ a hallucination from the drugs of being with her and doing crazy things to prove his love. Or maybe he's ran into her -like in a shopping center or something- and he's trying to convince her that it's all a mistake and he never meant for what happened. That he'd do anything to prove he still loves her.
With these hands, stained red, from the times that I've killed you and then, we can wash down this, engagement ring, with poison and kerosene. We'll laugh as we die, and we'll celebrate the end of things with cheep champagne
I think the first line doesn't represent actually killing her, but every time she relives the memory of seeing him saying its over. And the pain she felt over and over again. If you remember the story of Bullets the town is over run by evil -or Vampires- and they make a pact that they'll die together. We've already established there's some kind of wedding/engagement, and this part of the song could be him saying if we're still together we can live through all the things we said we wanted to, we can get married and live in an eternal love together in an afterlife.

Wow that was long, I hope it makes sense.

"Without a sound I took her down"
No one really noticed it happened, but he destroyed her.

"And dressed in red and blue I squeezed"
The red and blue could mean blood and bruises, symbolizing the hardships/fights. Or, since the guys DID grow up in New Jersey, they could be refering to two rival gangs-- those are their colors. So they could be saying they're always going against each other.

"Imaginary wedding gown
That you can't wear in front of me"
Simple-- you can't see a girl in her wedding gown before the wedding.

"Your twisted shell"
He's killing her slowly/he keeps letting her down.

"As rice grains and roses fall at your feet"
Symbolizes the wedding they want but never have.


"Lets say goodbye
The hundreth time
And then tomorrow we'll do it again
Tomorrow we'll do it again"
They keep breaking up and then getting back together.

"I dragged her down
I put her out
And back there I left her where no one could see
And lifeless cold
Into this well
I stared as this moment was held for me"
He "kills" her, and then he can't believe what he did. Or maybe he's saying how he "dragged her down" with him? I'm not really sure about that one though, but it seems to fit, like he dragged her down into drug and alcohol abuse.

"I never thought it'd be this way
Just me and you we're here alone
And if you stay,
All I'm asking for is
A thousand bodies piled up
I never thought would be enough
To show you just what I've been thinking"
People always say things like "I'd kill for you". He's saying that he didn't think that even killing 1,000 people for her would show her how much he cares.

"And I'll keep on making more
Just to prove that I adore
Every inch of sanity.
All I'm asking for is..
All I'm asking for is.."
He's really desperate to just make the relationship work.

"These hands stained red
From the times that I've killed you and them"
He's talking about how he always hurt her when they fought.

"We can wash down this engagement ring
With poison and kerosene
We'll laugh as we die
And we'll celebrate the end of things with cheap champagne"
He thinks that if they can't be together in life, then they can be together in death.

"Without..
Without a sound
Without..
Without a sound
And I wish you away
Without a sound
And I wish you away
Without a sound, without a sound
And I wish you away
Without a sound, without a sound
And I wish you away
Without a sound, without a sound
And I wish you away"
'Without a sound', no one notices what's happening. 'And I wish you away', he doesn't want to deal with this relationship anymore.

I really love this song. I dunno why I'm so amazed by it, but I am =]

rcelu123mcr:

I think that this is just a part of Early Sunsets Over Monreville, here this song shows the grief and sadness of the man as he is pulling of the task of killing his beloved.
The name Drowning Lessons, I believe, comes from the way he is as he is pulling of the task: he is drowning in his grief and sorrow, and he is showing the listeners how to drown in sadness as well: By being forced to kill the one you love to save her.
Hence the word lessons. Add them up, and you have Drowning Lessons.
When he said that "and dressed in red and blue I squeezed", I think it means he took pills mainly to bolster his resolve, since normally he loves her so much that it was literally impossible to kill her.
The parts, "Without a sound, I took her down", and:
Without..
Without a sound
Without..
Without a sound
And I wish you away
Without a sound
And I wish you away
Without a sound, without a sound
And I wish you away
Without a sound, without a sound
And I wish you away
Without a sound, without a sound
And I wish you away...
I think it means he killed her, without making a sound. His grief and sadness was could not be epressed with words, or actions. His sorrow was just too powerful.

think thats about right,
really reallly really love this song.
my absoulute favourite.
x

Without a sound I took her down ( Guy abuses girl)
and dressed in red and blue I squeezed (even while under a sane mind)
Imaginary wedding gown
That you can't wear in front of me (she wants to have a serious relationship, he doesn't)
A kiss goodbye, your twisted shell
As rice grains and roses fall at your feet
Lets say goodbye, the hundredth time
And then tomorrow we'll do it again
Tomorrow we'll do it again (they keep breaking up and getting back together)


I dragged her down I put her out
And back there I left her where no one could see
And lifeless cold into this well ( he kills her inside)
I stared as this moment was held for me
A kiss goodbye, your twisted shell
As rice grains and roses fall at your feet
Let's say goodbye, the hundredth time
And then tomorrow we'll do it again (everyday)

I never thought it'd be this way
Just me and you, we're here alone
And if you stay, all I'm asking for is
A thousand bodies piled up ( he kills other men that might be a threat?)
I never thought would be enough
To show you just what I've been thinking

And I'll keep on making more
Just to prove that I adore (he proves his love by killing guys who posed a threat?)
Every inch of sanity
All I'm asking for is, all I'm asking for is

These hands stained red
From the times that I've killed you and then
We can wash down this engagement ring
With poison and kerosene ( he'd rather die than marry her [commit])
We'll laugh as we die
And we'll celebrate the end of things
With cheap champagne

Without a sound
And I wish you away



that's just what i got out of the song :]

Hey! I just watched an Interview wher Gerard was talking about the story behind the 3cheers album cover art, and basicly he siad that what had happened was the girl and this guy loved eachother but he got killed in a gunfight and went to Hell where the Devil gave him a gun and said that if he brought him the souls of a thousand men he would be free.

which matched the bit about "a thousand bodies piled up" the story doesn't quite match the rest of the song, but that part seems crystal clear so the guy in the song made a deal with the devil or something?

Just a thought <3

I think Drowning Lessons relates to the "Demolition lovers" in the album's background (some of the lines)...The guy has to kill a thousand evil men to get his lover back from the dead (or from Hell..)

"These hands stained red..." - The 1000 evil men he is supposed to kill
"And tomorrow we do it again..." - He kills some of the thousand every day
"A thousand bodies piled up, I never thought it would be enough, to show you just what I've benn thinkin' of..." - The thousand evil men he killed is being presented to Satan, and his lover thinks he would do anything to get her back

Gazeintomykillingjar:

Hey! I just watched an Interview wher Gerard was talking about the story behind the 3cheers album cover art, and basicly he siad that what had happened was the girl and this guy loved eachother but he got killed in a gunfight and went to Hell where the Devil gave him a gun and said that if he brought him the souls of a thousand men he would be free.

which matched the bit about "a thousand bodies piled up" the story doesn't quite match the rest of the song, but that part seems crystal clear so the guy in the song made a deal with the devil or something?

Just a thought <3

I can understand this being a part of the concept of the album since this one does tell a story as well (Demolition Lovers) but I also think this particular song is a metaphor as well. The red and blue really tipped me off the most. The pills Gee used to take were red and blue. Those are the parts that really stood out the most to me.

"Without a sound I took her down
and dressed in red and blue I squeezed"

Without a sound he took the pills perhaps?

"And then tomorrow we'll do it again
Tomorrow we'll do it again"

And tomorrow he's just going to take the pills again

"I never thought it'd be this way
Just me and you, we're here alone
And if you stay, all I'm asking for is
A thousand bodies piled up
I never thought would be enough
To show you just what I've been thinking"

He never thought he'd end up taking the drugs like he's doing now, but here he is all alone and downing his pills. The pills aren't enough though, because he was also drinking as well.

"And I'll keep on making more
Just to prove that I adore
Every inch of sanity
All I'm asking for is, all I'm asking for is"

He'll just keep taking more and he'll just keep drinking more

"Without, without a sound
And I wish you away
Without a sound
And I wish you away
Without a sound, without a sound
And I wish you away"

He just wishes his addiction would disappear and go away so he wouldn't have to repeatedly go through this.

Maybe I'm over-analyzing, but I dunno...I mean I know the song has a concept, I know it refers to the lovers in the 'story' of the album, but I also believe there are some lyrics here that have a double meaning to the story and it's in regards to the addiction Gee suffered from at the time. Also sorry for the post-whoring today. @_@ I'm just in a bit of an MCR mode atm and plus I love interpreting songs. xD

it's like another version of To The End. it's the same story. based around the story of the book 'A Rose For Emliy'. it's about doing whatever it takes to get someone to marry/be with you, even if it means killing them.

By the way, 'rice grains and roses' refers to weddings and funerals. you throw rice grains at weddings, and roses at funerals. much like 'share the vows at the wake' in To The End. basically, if the one you love doesn't want to marry you, your head gets messed up and you end up psychotic and deluded. there.

I think that this song talks about commitment to one of his previous addictions..... Wedding dress=marriage=commitment.... Ya that's wat I think

i swear i figured this out. its about a struggling couple who is getting married soon "an imaginary wedding gown that you cant wear in front of me" because its bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her dress. they absolutely hate each other but they pretend to love each other so they go along with the wedding "as rice grains and roses fall at your feet."

I dragged her down I put her out
And back there I left her where no one could see
And lifeless cold into this well this is talking about how he killed her because he couldn't take living with somebody he hates anymore.

A kiss goodbye, your twisted shell this is about his last kiss to her and her twisted shell because he's destroyed her and she is now ruined.

Lets say goodbye, the hundreth time
And then tomorrow we'll do it again well i think this is like they break up over and over again but they always get back together "and tomorrow well do it again" they do the same thing every night.

never thought it'd be this way
Just me and you, we're here alone
And if you stay, all I'm asking for is
A thousand bodies piled up
I never thought would be enough
To show you just what I've been thinking im honestly not sure but i think its like skeletons in the closet he wants her to reveal all her secrets 1000 actually

And I'll keep on making more
Just to prove that I adore
Every inch of sanity
All I'm asking for is, all I'm asking for is he'll also keep making more skeletons in the closet to prove that he's not insane for thinking they'll never work out

These hands stained red

From the times that I've killed you and then
We can wash down this engagement ring
With poison and kerosene
We'll laugh as we die
And we'll celebrate the end of things
With cheap champagne this is how they are so happy because they can finally rest from their tragic relationship they kill eachother

Without, without a sound
And I wish you away he wished she never existed


HAHAHA i figured it out!

i swear i figured this out. its about a struggling couple who is getting married soon "an imaginary wedding gown that you cant wear in front of me" because its bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her dress. they absolutely hate each other but they pretend to love each other so they go along with the wedding "as rice grains and roses fall at your feet."

I dragged her down I put her out
And back there I left her where no one could see
And lifeless cold into this well this is talking about how he killed her because he couldn't take living with somebody he hates anymore.

A kiss goodbye, your twisted shell this is about his last kiss to her and her twisted shell because he's destroyed her and she is now ruined.

Lets say goodbye, the hundreth time
And then tomorrow we'll do it again well i think this is like they break up over and over again but they always get back together "and tomorrow well do it again" they do the same thing every night.

never thought it'd be this way
Just me and you, we're here alone
And if you stay, all I'm asking for is
A thousand bodies piled up
I never thought would be enough
To show you just what I've been thinking im honestly not sure but i think its like skeletons in the closet he wants her to reveal all her secrets 1000 actually

And I'll keep on making more
Just to prove that I adore
Every inch of sanity
All I'm asking for is, all I'm asking for is he'll also keep making more skeletons in the closet to prove that he's not insane for thinking they'll never work out

These hands stained red

From the times that I've killed you and then
We can wash down this engagement ring
With poison and kerosene
We'll laugh as we die
And we'll celebrate the end of things
With cheap champagne this is how they are so happy because they can finally rest from their tragic relationship they kill eachother

Without, without a sound
And I wish you away he wished she never existed


HAHAHA i figured it out!

I spent the whole day reading what you people think about this song and no one gets any closer to my guess.
ok so.. the album is about two Demolition Lovers.. isn't it?
well, most people here thinks that the song is about a guy who killed his love of his life because she cheated on him.. and that they were about to getting married..
but that made me think .. what does this have to do with the storyline? (''Two criminals (two Demolition Lovers) who commit crimes together, but eventually they get gunned down in a desert'')
so.. here's what I think:
the first part is about the guy killing a girl.. (maybe she was going to get married and he's just mocking her) and he was drugged when he killed her
''As rice grains and roses fall at your feet'' I agree with the person who said that grains and roses are placed at your feet like a dedication to death. or maybe she's imagining the wedding she'll never have

and when he says that tomorrow ''we'll do it again'' .. well, that's pretty clear I think.. he and his lover are just criminals so.. they'll kill again
He leaves the dead body somewhere.. I don't know.. where no one could see I guess? xd

he never thought that he would be living that kind of life with his lover.. she wants to leave, but he's trying to convince her to stay
// personally I don't think that the thousand bodies are linked with the second album

well, I think he finally convinced her and they keep killing people

''We´ll laugh as we die,
And we´ll celebrate the end of things with cheap champagne.'' humm.. seems like they enjoy killing people

I skip things because I don't know how to explain it.. I'm not good at explaining things.. I just can't find the right words to make myself understood... that and my bad english so please try to understand and see this from my point of view

and don't take the lyrics too literally.. sometimes you have to make up your mind and read between the lines

There is this engaged couple and it is their wedding day. The groom is depressed an taking anti- depressant pills, and he decides that he isn't good enough for the chick, so he decides to kill her. So he grabs her and throws her into a river where she drowns.