The Hidden Story of The Black Parade: 8

Ah yes, the infamous G-note opening. Welcome to the Black Parade is such a great song that really hits you in the feels, I'll be giving this review everything I've got to really bring this series to a close.

Welcome 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
Would you be the savior 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 opening is sung over a piano and tells the story of The Patient's fondest memory, which is when his father took him to see a marching band when he was young. Gerard Way believes when you die, Death comes in the form of your fondest memory. This is why The Parader appears to The Patient as a parader, leading The Black Parade. These lyrics are sung loudly in the next verse, which normally would be The Parader trying to overthrow The Patient, but this time, he is using everything he's got to tell The Patient's story.

"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 in my heart, I can't contain it
The anthem won't explain it."

The chorus opens with The Parader singing that everyone will carry on The Patient's memory, even if he has died and left the mortal world, his legacy will carry on. The last line is The Parader saying his heart can't just contain this, and this anthem can't even explain everything that has happened.

"Just a man, I'm not a hero
Just a boy, who had to sing this song
Just a man, I'm not a hero
I don't care."

This line is The Patient telling everyone that he isn't some hero, he is simply a man who wanted to sing this song and tell his story. He doesn't want to be some hero who went through tragedy, and is now remembered as some hero.

Overall, Welcome to the Black Parade, is such a good close to the album as The Patient had finally passed into the afterlife and was met with this amazing marching band that The Parader prepared for him. Overall, The Black Parade is seriously one of the greatest albums ever written in the last two decades, and it turns 20 years old in 2 years(as of writing this.) And if you'd want to listen to any demos they wrote, on the 10th anniversary, MCR release The Black Parade/Living With Ghosts. The 2nd half of the album, features 11 demo tracks that were omitted or changed before The Black Parade became what it did. There are also extra B-Side tracks that MCR made for the singles released for The Black Parade, these include "Heaven Help Us," "My Way Home Is Through You," and "Kill All Your Friends."

If you've made it this far through my review and retelling of The Black Parade, thanks for reading.