My Chemical Romance were quiet for a long time.
They broke up in 2013 and released a greatest hits album in 2014.
Since then, not much until the 2019 reunion tour. And that was interrupted by Covid.
That all changed in May of 2022.
That’s when they released their first new song in 8 years: The Foundations of Decay.
And it is very autobiographical. What are they singing about exactly?
Keep reading for a deep dive into the The Foundations of Decay lyrics meaning. Are the band the ones who are decaying, or is it us, the fans?
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The Foundations Of Decay Lyrics And Meaning
Fans of My Chemical Romance have been waiting a long time for new music. More than eight years, The Foundations of Decay ended that wait, and did so in style.
The band ended their hiatus in the best way possible: with an absolute banger of a song. It did well on the charts, too, so it even gets the popular vote!
Even better, lead singer Gerard Way decided to continue with some of their most common themes, instead of going in a whole new direction. Let’s take a closer look at the lyrics in full, before getting into their meaning.
The Foundations Of Decay Lyrics
Verse 1
See the man who stands upon the hill
He dreams of all the battles won
But fate had left its scars upon his face
With all the damage they had done
Pre-Chorus
And so time with age
It turns the page
Let the flesh
Submit itself to gravity
Chorus
Let our bodies lay, mark our hearts with shame
Let our blood in vain, you find God in pain
Now, if your convictions were a passing faith
May your ashes feed the river in the morning rays
And as the vermin crawls
We lay in the foundations of decay
Verse 2
He was there, the day the towers fell
And so he wandered down the road
And we would all build towers of our own
Only to watch the roots corrode
Pre-Chorus
But it’s much too late
You’re in the race
So we’ll press
And press ’til you can’t take it anymore
Chorus
Let our bodies lay, mark our hearts with shame
Let our blood in vain, you find God in pain
And if, by his own hand, his spirit flies
Take his body as a relic to be canonized, now
And so he gets to die a saint
But she will always be the whore
Breakdown
(You look stressed out!)
Against faith (Cage all the animals)
Against all life (‘Cause the message must be pure)
Against change (You can wander through the ruins)
We are plagued (But the poison is the cure)
Bridge
You must fix your heart
And you must build an altar where it swells
When the storm it gains, and the sky it rains
Let it flood, let it flood, let it wash away
And as you stumble through your last crusade
Will you welcome your extinction in the morning rays?
And as the swarm it calls, we lay in the foundations
Outro
Yes, it comforts me much more
Yes, it comforts me much more
To lay in the foundations of decay
Get up, coward!
The Foundations Of Decay Meaning
The Foundations Of Decay addresses some of My Chemical Romance’s most common themes, including aging, death, and reflections on the world’s apparent state of decay. Let’s start from the beginning.
See the man who stands upon the hill
He dreams of all the battles won
Gerard introduces the main character of the song: an old man who watches a view from the top of a hill. The band members are in middle age today. At this stage in their careers, they find themselves at a crossroads in life.
They are now able to reflect on their successes, while also looking toward an uncertain future. When reflecting on ‘battles won’, this could refer to all the hits the band has. This sets up the rest of the song as a possible exploration of the legacy of My Chemical Romance and what’s next for them.
But fate had left its scars upon his face
With all the damage they had done
No battle is won without scars. Taking the song as an exploration of My Chemical Romance’s legacy, these lines express regret and pain for what they’ve left in their wake. During their active years, they had become a beacon for many people struggling with depression and self-harm.
And so tired with age
He turns the page
After the band broke up, each member turned the page in their lives and achieved new things outside of My Chemical Romance.
This included Gerard’s comic book series The Umbrella Academy, which was later adapted into a hit Netflix series, and Frank Iero’s various solo projects.
Let the flesh submit itself to gravity
An important sign of age is the flaccidity of the meat from the bones. This also stays in line with this song’s central theme of decay. Gerard sings about surrendering oneself to the relentless march of time toward death.
These lines could symbolize various types of change:
- The change in the band as they transition from their past to this reunited form, maybe letting their old selves fade away
- The personal change Gerard feels as he approaches middle age, more than two decades since My Chemical Romance was founded
Let our bodies lay while our hearts will stay
Let our blood invade if I die in pain
The body is what the band is: their image, their previous work, what people think of them, and their music. They are letting that body “lay” by letting it pass and die.
The heart is what the band stands for and their goal, which hasn’t changed over the years: to make good music that helps people. This says that whatever they do may not be like the “body” before, but the heart will still be there.
Now, if your convictions were a passing phase
May your ashes feed the river in the morning rays
The band expressing their uncertainty about whether they will be able to return to the same old fanfare. Will they be received with the same type of adoration?
And as the vermin crawls
The “vermin” in this song could represent those who feed on the destruction or decay of others in society. The band isn’t sure if they’ll ever be able to come back, when there are people like that in the world.
We lay in the foundations of decay
Despite having been separated for 8 years, the band has remained in its legacy. It is easier to draw on the successes of the past than to try to create something new.
He was there, the day the towers fell
And so he wandered down the road
And we would all build towers of our own
These lines refer to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City. Lead singer Gerard Way witnessed this historic event.
This event became a key turning point in his life, as he searched for a way to express the terror he experienced. This led to the creation of My Chemical Romance.
Returning to the song, “build your own towers” refers to having your own impact on the world and shaping your own life. It could also refer to the band’s career and successes, both together and in their time apart.
Only to watch the roots corrode
But it’s much too late
You’re in the race
So we’ll press
And press ’til you can’t take it anymore
These lyrics refer to the increasing pressure placed on artists to outdo themselves with each subsequent release. This pressure comes from commercial entities, record labels, and even the fans.
Let our bodies lay while our hearts we’ll save
One theory is that these bodies represent the past of the band members. They are asking their fans not to try to resurrect them exactly as they were in 2013.
Take his body as a relic to be canonized, now
In the Roman Catholic Church, canonization is when the church names a dead person a saint. This refers to the song’s theme of death, the end, and decline.
And so he gets to die a saint
But she will always be the whore
There is a gender tension between this and the next line, in which the man who lets himself go is seen as a saint while the woman who suffers from depression and substance abuse is shamed.
You must fix your heart
And you must build an altar where it rests
When the storm decays and the sky it rains
These lines may refer to the 9/11 memorial in New York City, which is a waterfall deep within the original foundations of the Twin Towers. It is an architectural reminder of human decay and the dire consequences of terrorism and war, but also a sign of peace and glory for the people who died there in 2001. A dark light for humanity.
If you like stormy metaphors like this, we have an entire article featuring songs about storms. Most are about actual storm, but used as metaphors. Some are simply about stormy periods of upheaval in our lives.
Yes, it comforts me much more
To lay in the foundations of decay
Get up, coward!
The voices in this last verse are calmer, until the last line. They are almost dreamy, as if it were safer and more comfortable to decay. But in the last verse, as if talking to itself, the band yells to get up.
They call themselves “cowards” for wanting to avoid their fears of trying again and failing, or falling into the negative things they experienced while active before (Gerard, for example, claimed he developed a drinking problem and many negative emotions that contributed to the band breaking up in 2013).
In the end, they stood up and faced their fears by releasing this song. And we are all grateful for that.
The Foundations Of Decay Lyrics And Meaning: Final Thoughts
My Chemical Romance ended a long hiatus with the release of The Foundations of Decay, and fans rejoiced. They basically picked up right where they left off.
This song continues many of the themes they explored previously in their music, but added a healthy dose of introspection about their career, the pause they took, and the current resumption of activities.
This song has a dark title, but the subject matter is far less dark. Fleet Foxes have a song with incredibly violent lyrics, but the meaning behind them is much less dark. Our breakdown of the lyrics and meaning of White Winter Hymnal will tell you all about it.
For a song similar in feel, checkout our breakdown of the lyrics to Black Hole Sun and their meaning. Soundgarden’s is also a bit darker, but it is in a similar vein.
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