Famous Last Words

It is said that this song is partially written about when Gerard split up with his (then) girlfriend Katmundu (otherwise known as 'K'). For those of you who know (or have heard the rumours) Gerard supposedly dated her for quite a while (she was mentioned in the thanks column of both I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love and Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge) (2002 and 2004). It is also rumoured that 'Olivia' was her daughter (or dog/cat/something)? Clearly they had a very strong relationship (I shouldn't really be talking about this as this is Gerard's personal business and these are only RUMOURS).

Anyway, if you watched Life On The Murder Scene, you would know that they started writing the Black Parade (and probably this song) in around 2005 onwards I think..? That probably means that they split at the time.

I think that the overall feeling behind the song is Gerard expressing his sorrow for breaking up, whilst stating that he will be fine and is able to 'walk this world alone'. There is a slight feeling that Gerard's love for K was stronger than her love for him (remember this is just an interpretation).

The first part of the song ('Now I know that I can't make you stay') could be about how no matter what he says or does, they are splitting up and she is leaving him. It almost sounds to me like K is the one in charge of the break up and that she is the one dumping him. The 'where's your heart?' parts could mean that she's breaking up with him, and (in his opinion), she doesn't care about his feelings. Perhaps the famous last words she said to him when they were breaking up were very strong and hurt his feelings (his thought being: where's your heart? how could you have a heart if you could hurt me in such a way?).

The second part: 'Well, is it hard understanding I'm incomplete?' could suggest that without her in his life, he feels incomplete and that he wants her to complete him. The line 'A love that's so demanding, I can't speak' is where you might get the idea that his love for her is so demanding that he loves her more than she loves him.

So far the song sounds very dark and depressing (the idea of loving someone more than they love you is far worse than any mutual breakup). The chorus however, is a very positive, not just lyrically, but musically as well (the chorus is the catchiest part of the song).

I think that the chorus is trying to say that despite the break up, Gerard (or whoever this song is about) has the strength to carry on alone. 'I am not afraid to keep on living' could suggest that he can live his live without her. 'Nothing you could say can stop me going home' could mean that he is going home to carry on living the rest of his life without her.

As for the verse after that: 'Can you see my eyes are shining bright, ‘Cause I'm out here on the other side, Of a jet black hotel mirror and I'm so weak' gives off the impression that he is hopelessly sad and heartbroken. 'Eyes shining bright' could be a sign of wanting to cry. In fact, this part of the song makes me imagine Gerard at a hotel on tour after the break up, crying in a mirror. (Some of you may be thinking 'WTFFFF?!' but I get that impression. Remember, the song might not be about him).

As I just said, the song may have been written by Gerard (I think?), but it doesn't mean that it's about him. The song is part of the Black Parade album, which has a storyline about a patient dying of cancer. There is an idea that the patient didn't die of cancer, and that in this song, he is with his lover, who is dying.

'I see you lying next to me, With words I thought I'd never speak, Awake and unafraid, Asleep or dead'. This brings an image of the patient lying down with his lover while she dies.

In conclusion, there is a strong idea that this song is about breaking up, and how life goes on. You might find someone and feel like you will spend the rest of your life with them, but they might not feel the same way. Whether you spend eternity with them or not, life goes on. You will always have the strength to carry on living, even if you feel weak. This song doesn't sound particularly angry towards the other person. I think that if Gerard wrote this about K, he isn't angry. Losing her felt more like she died if anything, and he was really sad. (Apparently Gee gets really sad when his relationships end. When he broke up with his first girlfriend Barbra, he got really drunk and cried for ages in his room. He said that himself in and MTV VMA interview, so don't yell at me)! If it does turn out that this song is about Gerard and K and the whole idea of them breaking up is actually true, then I apologise to them for being so nosey. Their personal life should not be exploited by fans, and I know that Gerard is really quiet about his relationships. This is just a song interpretation, Gerard! Please don't hate me! I personally love this song, especially the way that it's called Famous Last Words, is the last song of the track and makes me think of the lasts words someone might say before they die or break up with you.

There is never just one idea behind a song, especially a My Chemical Romance song. I think that they wrote this song so that people can interpret the way they want to. In all honesty, when I first heard this song, I thought it was a really depressing song. It took me a while to actually realise how positive it really is. This is now one of my favourite songs. There was also a point when for some reason I thought that the words were 'Is it hard understanding why men complete a love that's so demanding I can't speak'. which would have changed the whole song meaning completely (hence why I found the song so depressing in the first place)!

By the way, I'm sorry that I wrote a whole essay for this one comment. This song comes with multiple ideas, I wanted someone to hear mine.

WHOOO! MCR <3