Album: The Black Parade (2006)

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• Mama, we all go to hell
  Mama, we all go to hell
  I'm writing this letter and wishing you well
  Mama, we all go to hell
  
  Oh well now, Mama, we're all gonna die
  Mama, we're all gonna die
  Stop asking me questions, I'd hate to see you cry
  Mama, we're all gonna die
  
  And when we go don't blame us, yeah
  We'll let the fires just bathe us, yeah
  You made us oh so famous
  We'll never let you go
  And when you go don't return to me my love
  
  Mama, we're all full of lies
  Mama, we're meant for the flies
  And right now they're building a coffin your size
  Mama, we're all full of lies
  
  Well mother what the war did to my legs and to my tongue
  You should have raised a baby girl
  I should've been a better son
  If you could coddle the infection
  They can amputate at once
  You should've been
  I could have been a better son
  
  And when we go don't blame us, yeah
  We'll let the fires just bathe us, yeah
  You made us oh so famous
  We'll never let you go
  
  She said,you ain't no son of mine
  For what you've done they're
  Gonna find a place for you
  And just you mind your manners when you go
  
  And when you go don't return to me my love
  That's right
  
  Mama, we all go to hell
  Mama, we all go to hell
  It's really quite pleasant except for the smell
  Mama, we all go to hell
  
  Mama, mama, mama, ohh
  Mama, mama, mama, ohh
  
  And if you would call me your sweetheart
  I'd maybe then sing you a song
  
  But there's shit that I've done with this fuck of a gun
  You would cry out your eyes all along
  
  We're damned after all
  Through fortune and fame we fall
  And if you can stay then I'll show you the way
  To return from the ashes you call
  
  We all carry on
  When our brothers in arms are gone
  So raise your glass high for tomorrow we die
  And return from the ashes you call Writer/s: Bob Bryar, Frank Iero, Gerard Way, Michael Way, Ray Toro
  Publisher: BLOW THE DOORS OFF CHICAGO, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 57

• -sushi_simphara- from Emo Cave / My Roomthe thing is, mother war may be associated to this song in some way, all i did was search her up and mama also came up,, may be their mother in the black parade, possibly hence her name, but i think whoever the mother is didn't want her son to go to war, but he still did, and from there she really was not proud of him, but he's responding saying we all go to hell, and as time went on they all fell into darkness because the trauma of even fighting in war and the things they've seen, i think the son gets cancer from this all too, because of the "well mother what the war did to my legs and to my tounge" and with the "you should have raised a baby girl" it may be the son or the mother talking because gerard had struggled with gender identity before, possibly ending up with him putting soething to do with that in the song, but it may also be mother, because she may wish she wouldn't have even raise her son, and he didn't even exist. basically wishing for another child , and the "i should have been a better son" was beause the son was ashamed to disappoint his mother. the song is just really dark, and i don't even know what to do with myself when this song comes on, it's just really depressing in a beautiful way, which may sound concerning, but what else could i even use to begin to describe this song..?
• Journey from Somewhere Under The RainbowThis song is the kind of song that makes you wanna smash something with a hammer or throw yourself out a window (in a good way) (lol Way). Every time it transitions into another part of the song you're just shocked. And by the end you're hearts beating really fast. Every time I listen to this song I just want to cry because IT'S SUCH A GOOD SONG BRO.
  
  I would like to personally thank Donna and Donald Way for creating the two beautiful beings known as Gerard and Mikey Way.
  
  xojourney
• Summer from Ur MamaGrowing up, my sister told me that this song is mostly about the dude coming home from war, fighting with his mom, etc. But she also said there was some bi angst in there. Like, she told me that Gerard is bisexual and he was telling his mom about it in this song.
  
  Listening to it now, I think the war might just be a metaphor for the fight that goes on in a bit person's head. It's really easy to repress bisexuality, far easier than to repress homosexuality. So bi people usually have a lot of trouble coming out even to themselves, especially if their upbringing wasn't so loving (mama in this song seems rather judgmental in that sort of "I'll love you if you don't go to war" sort of thing she's doing in her main part). Then, as Gerard says "But there's s*** that I've done with this f*** of a gun, You would cry out your eyes all along" he's saying that this is just the way he is and, ya, maybe he's going to hell, but so is everyone else.
  
  Then he leaves his mama in tears, as so many who come out do.
• Nakabim from A Planet.Holy s--t folks its not about gender identity. Its a son arguing with his mom about going to war and then coming back and being f--ked up and ultimately getting cancer.
  
  The lines "well mother what the war did to my legs and to my tongue" was cut off by his MOTHER saying "You should have raised a baby girl." And the soldier, in his disfigured voice agreeing says "I should have been a better son." Doc comes in and they over hear "if you cottle the infection we can amputate at once." And the soldier and son arguing upset with each other (mom)"You could have been..." (Son) I should have been a better son."
  
  Then at the end, Mama in one last attempt, says "If you would call me your sweet heart, I maybe could sing you a song." ANd the son just gives up and basically says "If I told you the stories I did with this gun, you'd cry all night."
  
  Context folx. Dudes a comic dude. I plays out if you read it through.
• Sam from Nun Ur Biznus The song has something to do with mother war. When you type in mother war MCR on google the first thing that comes up is the song mama.
• Tomato from Not At AllI actually thought this was about the narrator writing a suicide note. He is writing a letter after all, and my whole theory was about him committing suicide and basically saying "see you in hell" to an abusive or neglectful mother.
• Niles from MichiganI'm pretty sure this song does have something to do with struggling with gender identity because he says you should have raised a baby girl meaning he wishes to have been born female and Gerard has mentioned having struggles with gender identity.
• Emaleigh from Chicago, IlSo inside The Black Parade CD, you'll see where they give the extra credits. There is a section where it says Guest Vocals on Mama Liza Minnelli as Mother War. Mother War is the woman with the big dress and the gas mask and can be seen in the Welcome To The Black Parade video and inside The Black Parade CD. So the song is explaining a story that has to do with Mother War, like at the beginning of the song you will hear bombs. So i'm assuming that Mother War is their mother in The Black Parade.
• Dh from BelgiumFirst off, I apoligise in advance for the terrible writing I might subject you to. You have been warned :p. Anyway, here goes nothing.
  
  I also think the song is a soldiers story during WWII. I think the specific soldier's story is about a soldier who defected and fled from the war. he might've also been captured and released some information beforehand but i'm not sure about that part.
  
  Here's my play by play.
  
  He writes a letter to his mom "I'm writing this letter and wishing you well, Mama, we all go to hell...Oh, well, now,Mama, we're all gonna die." these lyrics tell about the soldiers slow fall into despair because of the horrors and death he sees.
  
  "Stop asking me questions, I'd hate to see you cry" refers to the homefront asking questions about how things are on the battlefield and the soldier not wanting to talk about the things he has seen/done because they would bring anyone to tears, I also think this aludes to something this soldier specifically might've done and telling her would just result is her cries. The song continues with the soldier showcasing how being confronted with war for an extented period of time makes ones mind fall into darkness and despair (the "flies" and "lies" part of the song).
  
  As far the "And when we go don't blame us, yeah. We'll let the fire just bathe us, yeah." I think each sentence here eludes to a different thing for the same reason. Let me explain, I think here the soldier is starting to give hints as to whatever some soldiers might've done during the war and how they handled it. I think the first sentence refers to soldiers commiting suicide during and after the war as to not "deal" with whatever they lived through/had done. The second sentence ""We'll let the fire just bathe us" can have more of a biblical meaning. It was believed that one should burn heathens on the stake in order to cleanse them of their sins before facing 'god', so with this sentence i think the soldier is explaining that whatever he/some soldiers did could be considered a sin. If you this from the point of view of war it might mean a betrayel/defecting of some sort as that would've been one of the ultimate sins a soldier can commit in war.This would aso explain why the mother later claims that he ain't no son of hers.
  
  If you take this into considerationg the next line "Well, Mother, what the war did to my legs and to my tongue," makes allot more sense. "To my legs" refers to the defecting and running away from the battefield and the legs getting wairy and heavy from not only the physical exhaustion it must have taken but also the weight they carried because of the guilt that came with it. The "To my tongue" section talks about either the betraying of onesr legion or country for whatever reason, most likely their own survival OR the lying he had to do after he defected so people wouldn't know who he was.
  
  "You should've raised a baby girl, I should've been a better son."is him saying he woudl've prefered being born a girl because he would then not have had to deal with the horrors of the battlefield or that he either should've been a better son so that he wouldn't have done either of the two things mentioned above (because obviously doing these things would've put shame on the family's name).
  
  "If you could coddle the infection, they can amputate at once." I think this line holds two purposes. the first is to showcase some of the dire situations the soldiers were sometime placed into and the loss of limbs because of the struggle in the war. The second purpose would be more symbolical. If the soldier could've coddled the infection (the infection being his freight and despair of being on the battlefield which led him to defect/betray), they could amputate at once (meaning he coudl've turned his back on the idea of defecting and would've been able to stand on the battlefield). IF that would've happened he "could've been a better son".
  
  "You ain't no son of mine... for what you've done. They're gonna find a place for you and just you mind your manners when you go. And when you go, don't return to me, my love." So this is pretty straight foreward. the mother is basicly saying that if he gets caught he will have to face the consequences of his actions AND, in the off chance he doesn't get caught and the war ends, he should not return to her.
  
  The rest of the song continues will the soldier falling deeper into the despair whilest defecting during the war. I think after the "mama, mama"
  We get introduced the a second conversation, I think this is a conversation with a women he might've met whilest defecting. Here i think she's trying to say that if he were to become her lover she might be able to "sing a song" aka. soothe his pain and struggle, make his life pleasent again. The soldier denies this as, in his mind he is beyond redemption and if she were to know of his transgressions it woudl devastate her.
  
  The ends parts of the song just concludes his thoughts about war, the soldiers fighting them and life in general(the slightly 'drunken' way of singing it might also be a reference to survivors trying to drink/drown these thoughts away).
• Zen from UtahI thought it was about how he was transgender, and his mom didn't approve, and said he was going to hell. And she wanted a daughter, but he was a boy, so she hated him. "You should've raised a baby girl; I should've been a better son" "You ain't no son of mine" denial of his gender. "It's really quite pleasant, except for the smell." mocking the fact that he's going to hell for being trans. "Well mother what the war did to my legs and to my tongue" most trans get surgery for a penis, and sometimes an adam's apple.
• Oj from KentuckyI have a theory that Mama and The Ghost of You are connected since in The Ghost of You Mikey "dies" it is about the soldier who lost his brother and is ashamed because blames him for his brother's death so he gives up on life and commits suicede in the end. Hence the screaming, crying, and funeral sounding bit of music in the end of the song.
• Bobbi from WalesI think the war and soldier kind of theme for this is actually a metaphor for the battle with cancer, like the things happening aren't really meant to represent anything accept how difficult this battle is.
• Isaac from Grand IslandWell. Kenny, You were so close to toast with your lyrics. instead of We're all for the flies its We're meant for the flies. Also I wish you would call me your sweetheart is And if you would call me your sweetheart I'd maybe then sing you a song. Directly after what I have just mentioned is But this s--t that I've done with this F--k of a gun you would cry out your eyes all along. Sorry that this is all just lyric corrections. I just hate incorrect lyrics.
• Kenny from Parkersburg, WvI always thought it was about WWII, or some sort of a war at least. A man/boy has been sent of to war, and has been forced to fight and kill, believing he's going to hell for it. The sirens deffinitely sound like the ones used to warn people of air raids during WWII, and his wishing to be a daughter could have been to as not to go to war. He believes they will lose and everyone will do (We're all for the flies/They're building a cofin your size) and could've possibly gotten severly injured/infected. I always thought the woman at the end was not his mother, but a girlfriend fo some sort (I wish that you would call me your sweetheart) that he left behind and doesn't want to talk to again (Cause there's s---t that I've done with the smoke of a gun, you'll just cry out your eyes all along) and that causes her to cry.
• Nick from Portsmouth, RiI came up with a meaning a few minutes ago, I thought that it was about a soldier who went to war butfound out that he had cancer so returned home to his mother who was ashamed of him but got all sad when he told her that he had cancer, possibly explaining the crying at the end
• Megan from Stevenson, AlJust a all around great song. MCR just ills it everytime. Love this band!
• Hyla from Kansas City, MoWell my sister told me this song was about a transexual. He was in the army to get approval from his mom but she was still ashemed. "You should've raised a baby girl, I should've been a better son." I think thats proof right there.
  Good Song though...
• Anonymous from Hell, MiI always thought this song was about a Soviet solider in an alternate history 1946, in which Operation Unthinkable was launched. There are airraid sirens midway through, the term ashes is to symbolize a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union.
• Liam from Donegal, IrelandI had always thought that, to keep with the Black Parade theme, it was about a man explaining that he has cancer to his mother, & that he was doomed.
  So when Gerard says "Stop asking me questions, I'd hate to see you cry" it's him explaining to her te nature of the cancer. I think he was probably at war too, but has returned, when he says "Mother, what that war did to my legs & to my tongue"
• Luna from San Diego, CaThe first time I heard this song I was listening to the lyrics and I found it very powerful and yet it was also very sad, but for some reason I can't help but love this song.
• Michelle from Miami, Fl
  
  This song's lyrical content is similar to Pink Floyd's "Mother" and the music and Gerard Way's vocal style are very similar to Pink Floyd's "The Trial" and Roger Waters' vocal style on that song. Oh, and Jon from Mishawaka, I really think you need an IQ over a 2 year old's IQ, or at least correct grammar and sentences that make sense.
  - Brad, Lexington, KY
  Dear Brad,
  If you hadn't noticed Jon was actually quoting Ms. Hannah Montana down there. His grammar is pretty good. (we're not all as perfect as youn seem to need us to be)
  And To Hannah Montana. *sighs*
  Please. Do not disgrace the name of Panic! At The Disco. or of My Chemical Romance.
  For Pete Wentz's sake.
  And Do us all a favor? Go back to your Jonas Brothers.
  Kthnxbai. ^-^
  
  
• Brad from Lexington, KyThis song's lyrical content is similar to Pink Floyd's "Mother" and the music and Gerard Way's vocal style are very similar to Pink Floyd's "The Trial" and Roger Waters' vocal style on that song.
  Oh, and Jon from Mishawaka, I really think you need an IQ over a 2 year old's IQ, or at least correct grammar and sentences that make sense.
• Jon from Mishawaka, InOMFAVORITEG! I LURV THIS SONG!!!! [INSIDE JOKE: Lurv is the highest form of love] It's very hardcore, screamo-y, and all the preps at my school are scared of me!!!! Y, u asK? Well, this and Bodies [bodies by drowning poool: if u like evil, scary, hardcore music like this song, youll love this n'] were on my friends ipod and the preps were like ' Whatre u listening too?". No doubt they were going to hate on me some more for the various, vindictive, and vague reasons. So i showed them. And they were afraid. LOL, they, like, screamed and were like " hannah thats EMO music!" and i wear the biggest smile. GO MCR AND DROWNING POOL AND PATD!!!!! NO MORE F****** PREPS 2 BOTHER ME!!!!!!! Yes, I do bite >:)
  - Hannah, Summerville, AR this is not hardcore, this is not screamo, and 14 year olds should not be allowed to post on this site. if you want hardcore, listen to As I Lay Dying. if you want screamo, listen to hopes die last. but wait until you at least hit puberty, as ACTUAL heavy music might scare you
• Merissa from Grosse Pointe, MiMy chemical romance is alternative. This song is amazing and i love how they got liza to sing the female bit,I love this band and I will say not all of their songs appeal to me and Im not about to get defensive over them,every one has an oppinion like em then like em hate em then hate em.
• Zashadow from Pretoria, South AfricaThis song sounds like it has strong Pink Floyd influence - very similar to the The Wall style.
• Tina from Santa Ana, CaWow, that chick or dude down there is crazy o.o;
  Well yeah it is emo, but it aint screamo, hoe.
  You wanna hear screamo emo try another band.
  Theyre alternative, but some of their songs are alright.
• Nick from St. Louis, MoHannah from Arkansas, this song is in no way "screamoy" nor is it emo. It's alternative rock. Screamo requires screaming heavy guitar distortion.
• Andrew from Vegas, NvThis song is about a soldier up to his neck in blood, raging against the woman who gave him life
• Olivia from Columbia, Scto clay, reno... OMG!!!! i was totally thinking the same thing!!! killer queen in my ringtone! i was like wouldn't it be grand if mcr did bunches of queen covers? i would love to hear bicycle race.
• Hannah from Summerville, ArOMFAVORITEG! I LURV THIS SONG!!!! [INSIDE JOKE: Lurv is the highest form of love] It's very hardcore, screamo-y, and all the preps at my school are scared of me!!!! Y, u asK? Well, this and Bodies [bodies by drowning poool: if u like evil, scary, hardcore music like this song, youll love this n'] were on my friends ipod and the preps were like ' Whatre u listening too?". No doubt they were going to hate on me some more for the various, vindictive, and vague reasons. So i showed them. And they were afraid. LOL, they, like, screamed and were like " hannah thats EMO music!" and i wear the biggest smile. GO MCR AND DROWNING POOL AND PATD!!!!! NO MORE F****** PREPS 2 BOTHER ME!!!!!!!
  
  
  Yes, I do bite >:)
• Z from Gaffney, Scthis guy has been off 2 war..he's been injured, and the war has changed the way he looks at things(what the war did to my legs and to my tongue)and hes done so many things wrong, and is blaming the mother who nevered cared for him...he loves her, and hates her(Love: i'd hate to see u cry)HATE:
  (And right now they're building a coffin your size)
  he wants to die, he wants revenge, and thinks, in the end we all go to hell(MAMA, WE ALL GO TO HELL)the world wuz so evil to him, he really believes in the end there's nothing but hell..this song is deep, i love it,and i feel dangerous when i listen to it
• Alyssa from Seattle, WaI think that the point of view is an insane person who just wants everybody to die and go to Hell, because he feels that the world made his life a living Hell. The explosions in the background could be explosions that he set off to kill people in buildings, or something. He is writing all of the awful things he's done in a letter to his mother and saying "it's all your fault that I'm this way" (if you can coddle the infection, they can amputate at once. you could have been- I should have been a better son!)I love how deep this song is.
• Joeybranconi from Philly, PaOnce again (see my cancer coment) Mama, reminds me of Pink Floyd's Mother. Pretty interesting that they copied so much off of the same album.
• Tonya from Sharon Grove, KyI think I is about haow a mother told the son he was going too hell after he got into the military but then he gets into an accident and when he sings {it actually quite pleasant except for the smell Momma were all going to hell}he is just saying that over were he is its hell but all thats wrong is the smell
• Katie from Temecula, Caits about a mother who is ashamed of the things her sons done in his life and never wants 2 c him again.... its sad but its a really good song tho very catchy im listening 2 it rite now!!
• Michael from Annapolis , Meim really not sure someone message them on myspace lol
• Blue from Cleveland, OhThis song starts off as this soldier writing a letter to his mother, but in a way mocking her. I think his mother said that if you fought in a war you would die and go to hell (Mama we all go to hell.
  Mama we all go to hell.
  I'm writing this letter and wishing you well.
  Mama we all go to hell.
  
  Mama we're all gonna die.
  Mama we're all gonna die.
  Stop asking me questions, I hate to see you cry.
  Mama we're all gonna die.)
  Then he talks about how he wouldn't mind if he died if he didn't have to hear her complaining any more (And when we go don't blame us, yeah,)
  He talks about how he'll die in an explosion (We let the fire just bathe us, yeah,)
  And the mother must have talked about him a lot to her friends and family (You made us oh so famous
  We'll never let you go.)
  And again he's mocking her
  (And when you go don't return to me my love.
  
  Mama we're all full of lies.
  Mama we're meant for the flies.
  And right now they're building a coffin your size.
  Mama we're all full of lies.)
  He then talks about if she wanted a pretty boy then she should have raised him that way or had a girl.
  (Well mother what the war did to my legs and to my tongue,
  You shoulda raised a baby girl
  I shoulda been a better son
  If you could coddle the infection they can amputate at once
  You should've been
  I could've been a better son.)
  Then he talks about how she kicked him out after the war and how he's either going to hell or prison or both.
  (She said you ain't no son of mine
  For what you've done they're
  gonna find a place for you
  And just you mind your manners when you go.)
  
  
• Yoseph from Cupertino, CaIn the part that goes like "Well mother what the war did to my legs and to my tongue..."
  
  Theres this weird...squishy kind of voice under the lead voice. It creeps me out....
• Reigh from Fayetteville, Gayeah, morgans right. he had the guilt of being a bad son when she died so he didn't like how she left him with her thinking that he was a bad son.
• Martin from Elkhart, InI heard this song in a commercial from the Sopranos. And, I must admit... It fits. From the whole italian party music feel to the mafia-esque lyrics, it feels like the POV of a young mob man. Based on the lyrics, I'd pick it from a young mafia leader or something like that during the Castellammarese War in the 1930's. Not many mothers would be proud and if you really think on it it fits almost perfectly. Also, the mob built the kind of bond between men those in the military form. Plus no female can be a member, referenced in the lines where Gerard sings on how he should have been a girl, caus ethen it would have been different.
• Autumn from Houston, TxI agree with Hannah, from England. Personally, I LOVE the way how it changes time signatures from 4/4 to 3/4 about 3 and a half minutes into the song. Not a lot of rock songs have a waltz-y tempo to them. But this one pulled it off beautifully.
• June from San Jose, CaThis is my favorite song from the album. I like the music at he end and the sound of crying. The sond is creepy and sort of carnival-ish in a cool way.
• Trish from Omaha, NeLove this song. One of my favorite tracks off the album.
• Clay from Reno, GaThis is an awesome song , but I have a question for anyone out there. Do you think that MCR could do a freakin awesome version of " Killer Queen" by Queen? I was thinking about the other day and it sounded good in my head!
• Morgan from Gresham, Orto me, when he says "you should have had a baby girl i could have been a better son", he is implying that his mother did not approve of his life, and he is ashamed of not being a good son, and she is dead so he cannot do anything about it. it says "and right now they're building a coffin your size" so it obviously means she died. so i guess its about a young man dealing with the fact that he was a bad son and was bad to his mother, and then having to realize it when she dies
• Jason from Fort Wayne, InI have an alternate theory. I have studied the psychopathology of serial killers extensively, and I see some striking parallels. I don't believe that the "war" that is mentioned is a physical war at all, but the war inside the killer's mind. If it is, in fact, a real war, I believe it is merely an aggrevating circumstance, and not the focal point of the song. A serial killer's motivation is almost always traceable back to their relationship, however dysfunctional, with their mother. In fact, it seems that there is a good measure of animosity when he sings that "right now they're building a coffin your size." In this song, I do not get the impression that there is any remorse for his actions, and I also feel that the killer is at peace with his final destination. The only regret expressesed is that he was not a baby girl and could have been a better son. Fame is mentioned in in every chours and the bridge, and is not typically associated with a soldier or the type of killing he does. Fame is, however, a powerful motivator for the serial killer. I may be way off base, but to me at least, these parallels cannot be denied.
• Jaimye-leah from Birmingham, EnglandI think this song is more to do with the patients war with himself.
  
  He has cancer and thinks he's dying, and he has regrets about the kind of life he had and thinks if his mother raised him better he wouldn't feel like he is being punished.
• Roberto from Lima, Perui think that the first (adam) is right is abouta soldierthis soldier is the patient from the concept album
• Thatcher from Attica, United StatesI don't thin it has anything to do with solders. I believe it is a fight between a mother and son. The bombs at the begging are just ascent the battle between the two. They do a great job capturing the pain the mother feels at the end with the sound of a women crying.
• Hannah from Hampshire, EnglandI think this song is about how in WWII young men were sent off to war when they didn't want to. The young man is writing back to his mother saying how what they are being forced to do is wrong and they will all go to hell. He thinks that his mother should have had a daughter because then she wouldn't be sent off to war. He feels he is being punished for not being the perfect person (but who is) so has been sent off to the war .However he's worried because if he doesn't fight then his friends and family (mainly his mother) will be in danger. Just a thought.
• Lukas from Long Island, NyI read somewhere that the name was a reference to "mother war" a sort of god of war that reaks death and destruction. The sounds at the begining of the song remind me of 9/11, they sound erily similar to the sound the planes made when they hit the buildings, and I wouldn't be surprised if that is what they used, because 9/11 had such a profound effect on Gerard Way, and it resulted in the wars in the middle east ect...generally, its a song about the horrors of war, and how in the end, we're all punished for killing one another
• Yesica from Visalia, CaI believe that it could be that what the solider witnessed in the war has changed him. So he's writing a letter to his mother expressing his new views on life and basically saying we're all hyprocrites. She doesn't understand and starts to tell him he's no son of hers because of all the things he said he's done. I dunno to me that what it means to me.
• Christina from Jacksonville, TxThe lyrics clearly state that the mother is ashamed of the fact that her son so called "batrayed" her, and she says to him that he is no son of hers and he will go to hell for being punished for all the stuff he has done.
• Christina from Sam's Town, Vai think it's about how it doesn't matter what we do to try to make things right, we're all gonna be punished for what we've done, and this is a realization of that
• Lizz from Tampa, FlI think it's against those people who protest wars, especially(sp?) family members.
  the mom's saying the soldiers are going to hell and that she wants nothing to do with him. So he says everyone is going to hell for something. just my thoughts, tho it could easily be an anti war song
• Josh from San Antonio, TxSad Sad song but I love it.
• Droopyeyes from Hcmci love this song. the lyrics and the melody sound somehow bitter. it shows the feelings about war much more clearly than when you watch movies.

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Born to be AlivePatrick Hernandez

In 1979, Madonna was a dancer on Patrick Hernandez' tour, where she boogied to his hit "Born To Be Alive."

Editor's Picks

Songs About MoviesSong Writing

Iron Maiden, Adele, Toto, Eminem and Earth, Wind & Fire are just some of the artists with songs directly inspired by movies - and not always good ones.

Michael W. SmithSongwriter Interviews

Smith breaks down some of his worship tracks as well as his mainstream hits, including "I Will Be Here For You" and "A Place In This World."

Jon Foreman of SwitchfootSongwriter Interviews

Switchfoot's frontman and main songwriter on what inspires the songs and how he got the freedom to say exactly what he means.

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

U2 LyricsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the lyrics of U2?

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.