Helena

Most people have stated that this is a song is about the death of Gerard and Mikey Way's grandmother – Helena (I will assume this is true). This is a source of confusion in the comments and it seems people are struggling to understand how the lyrics square with this fact. Firstly, many people want to insert a romantic element into the song – which is quite easily done with a little reinterpretation; after all it is implied in the music video (and for all I know, the proper way to look at it). Secondly, it is more correct to say that this song is about grief. Thirdly, things become clearer when we realize who is being sung to; in one sense it is Helena herself, but in another (and projected onto her) it is death personified.

Well, that's almost true. Perhaps a better name for it would be "the abyss". For this entity, as we will see, is also the source of life: the chaos out of which life emerges and into which life dissolves in death. In Goethe’s Faust, Mephistopheles (the devil) refers to Mother Night - "the darkness that gave birth to light" - and wishes to return everything to this original darkness. So when I say the singer is confronting "the abyss" - I mean this paradoxical character that is both the source of life and the encroaching darkness of death that is coming for all of us. The paradox is dealt with in this song as an accusation of hypocrisy.

The lyric that best illustrates this is "Came a time when every star fall brought you to tears again". This is perfect when you realize that all the atoms necessary for life were created in supernovas. It is the death of stars that makes life possible. One could think of her tears as the river of life. So there is this image of life continuously emerging out of death. In the following line "We are the very hurt you sold" there are two ideas at play. One - that life is suffering. Two - life as death’s rejection (Mother Night abandoning her child - out of which could arise a suicidal desire to return to this original wholeness and nothingness). If we read the song as being addressed to Helena, we could just say she loved watching shooting stars (or something like that), and the joys she gave them whilst she lived are now turned into pain in the wake of her death. And let’s not forget the literal fact that she is the source of her grandchildren’s lives (Grandmother Night, eh?). Mixed in with this is an anger at her abandonment by dying; an unfair and irrational accusation, perhaps, but that doesn't stop their feelings.

One of the main themes of the song is a struggle with suicidal ideas in the wake of deaths pain and inevitability. Out of this confrontation and struggle, the decision is clear and ironic: "So long and goodnight". The abyss is being rejected for now, he decides to choose life. Why? "Well, if you carry on this way - things are better if I stay". It is not stated directly, and is up to interpretation, but it is implied that he believes that his premature death would only cause more pain and grief to those around him. That the grief he is suffering (that he blames Helena for) would only be multiplied on others if he were to leave. It is also a goodnight to Helena who is now part of that abyss (for she has returned to it). It is also possible that he is rejecting Helena by saying goodnight – but, if so, it is probably because of the projection of the image of death. Part of the reason there is much debate about whether the second line repeats or changes to "So long NOT goodnight" is because the song works either way. "NOT goodnight" can be read in two ways. One - he is rejecting "goodnight" as a euphemism for death. Two - it is the recognition of the inevitability of death (that it is not truly a goodbye either to death or Helena).

Deaths (and Helena's) paradoxical nearness and remoteness is also referred to many times in the song. In one sense death is far away but we could possibly die at any moment. In terms of grief, the loved one is as far away as possible and yet the memory of them can be constant if the grief is strong. I think that the persistence of Helena in memory is what the opening lyrics refer to “Long ago, just like the Hearse you die to get in again, we are so far from you”. He seems to be blaming her for his persistent rumination of her death. In his mind, she is dying again and again and again. Separation, both in time and space are referred to here. Later in the song he asks “Can you hear me? Are you near me? Can we pretend to leave and then we'll meet again when both our cars collide”. Again, we can interpret him asking either the abyss or Helena these questions. This is, in essence the same thing, because he is asking when they will be reunited in death. I find the line about pretending to leave very poignant – either way it is interpreted. On the personal emotional level, it is connected to the idea that those we love never leave us. On a metaphysical level, we can ask if there is anything really separating us from the chaos that we will inevitably return to. I’m not sure how to interpret the idea of cars colliding, except beyond the obvious implication of death by car crash. Perhaps they just wanted a visceral image for death. Perhaps the cars are a symbol of destiny. Maybe the car is a hearse (I quite like this one, but I admit it’s a stretch).

I haven’t analysed every line in the song. It should be clear now how the line “Burning on just like the match you strike to incinerate the lives of everyone you know” fits in with the ideas I expressed above. I will leave by saying one of my favourite lines in the song is “And like the blade you stain - well, I've been holding on tonight”. This image is at once life-denying and life-affirming. In this symbol, he is a blood stain on the (metaphorical?) knife that killed Helena. Despite the grief of someone he cares about turning him to thoughts of death (and nihilistically comparing himself to a stain) he has decided it is better to hold on. Well, what’s the worst that he can say?