Posted by My Chemical Romance are back with a surprise new song, The Foundations of Decay, released on May 12, 2022, the first real new music after the reunion of the last few years, and the fans are obviously excited. This could obviously lead to a future album, of which, however, there are no confirmations. In the meantime, the world is enjoying a return with an energy that does not make us regret the old days. And some important lyrics, which leaves many questions open about the possible meaning.
Find below the official streaming of the song. In this article we will give an interpretation of the song’s lyrics and their meaning.
The meaning of the lyrics
The meaning of the song lies in a declared disillusionment with the way the world has changed: My Chemical Romance describe a scenario in which a man sees the world decay, in a figurative way, and surrenders to the idea that everything will die, letting himself go. In the lyrics there are references to the twin towers attack, an important event for them because it took place the day before their formation.
The song may want to show a sign of surrender: we abandon ourselves to the idea that everything decays, instead of continuing to fight without result. The protagonist of the song, after the many battles in his life, surrenders to decay and lets himself go to the death of his body, and the band invites the world to “make him a saint” and dedicate altars to him. Even if we started building towers again, after the tragic events of recent years, the roots would be corroded by time. So the passage concludes by admitting that it feels better if one embraces decay. “Yes, it comforts me much more / To lay in the foundations of decay”. Yet, the last verse wants a reaction: “Get up, coward!”, shedding a new light on the entire lyrics.
The full lyrics
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
And so tired with age
He turns the page
Let the flesh
Submit itself to gravity
Let our bodies lay while our hearts will stay
Let our blood invade if I die in pain
Now, if your convictions were a passing phase
May your ashes feed the river in the morning rays
And as the vermin crawls
We lay in the foundations of decay
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
But it’s much too late
You’re in the race
So we’ll press
And press ’til you can’t take it anymore
Let our bodies lay while our hearts we’ll save
Let our blood invade if I die 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 w***e
(You look stressed out!)
Against faith (Antihero)
Against all life (As if it must be pure)
Against change (Wander through the ruins)
We are free (The guiltiness is yours)
You must fix your heart
And you must build an altar where it rests
When the storm decays 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 swarming calls, we lay in the foundations
Yes, it comforts me much more
Yes, it comforts me much more
To lay in the foundations of decay
Get up, coward!