Meaning of 'The Foundations of Decay'

by My Chemical Romance

Interpretation

In the lyrics of the song 'The Foundations of Decay' by My Chemical Romance, it is about how people deal with the scars and damages that life has inflicted upon them. The lyrics describe a man standing on a hill and dreaming of past battles. But fate has left its marks on his face. The damages that life has caused are visible.

However, as he ages and time passes, he accepts the transience of the body. He allows gravity to take its toll. Bodies may fade, but hearts remain. It is about how the essence of a person, their feelings and thoughts, continue to live even when the body disintegrates.

The lyrics also address the loss of dreams and hopes. The line 'We would all build towers of our own, only to watch the roots corrode' shows how we all have our own dreams and goals, which can crumble and be lost over time.

The lyrics also touch on the theme of guilt and atonement. The lyrics mention that someone who wants to die as a saint is always considered a whore. It is about how people are judged and condemned by others based on their actions and decisions.

The lyrics also express a certain rebellion against established beliefs and norms. They urge to heal one's own heart and find a new path. The line 'You must fix your heart and you must build an altar where it was' shows that one must heal oneself and find their own way.

All in all, the lyrics of the song deal with the process of aging, the loss of dreams and hopes, the search for identity, and how to deal with the scars that life leaves behind. It is about how we cope with all these experiences and reinvent ourselves to find our own meaning.