My Chemical Romance: Mama Meaning

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Mama Lyrics

Mama, we all go to hell
Mama, we all go to hell
I'm writing this letter and wishing you well
Mama, we all go to hell

Oh well now
Mama, we're all gonna die
Mama, we're all gonna die
Stop asking me questions
I'd hate to see you cry
Mama,...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Nov 20th 2006 report

   When patient dies of cancer and he journeys with the black parade on to the next life he is shown things that he did in his life and how they affected the people around him. He is shown a story about 'the soldiers' and 'mother war' a family of five sons and one extremely spiteful mother. Mother war hates her sons and wishes that she had had daughters instead. Then the war starts (world war two) and the five brothers all decide to leave and go fight for their country. They tell their mum about it but she starts screaming at them and telling them that they're idiots and if they go then they should not bother coming back. So the brothers all leave and go to war. As the war rages on they continuously keep sending letters back to their mother telling her that they love her and that the war is bad etc. She refuses to write back to them. Eventually she replies telling them, to what we can only imagine is outright hatred, that she wants them to die...when they receive this letter they say, "fine, we hate you too. We don't have a mother anymore..." They have a massive party the night before they, and they're regiment, have to leave on a dangerous mission, and they sing-
   
   "we all carry on, when our brothers in arms are gone
   so raise your glass high for tomorrow we die and return from the ashes...etc."
   
   When they go on the mission they all get killed.
   
   (Originally Gerard had wanted machine gun fire going off in the background on the last verse of mama but they decide that it made the verse too distorted and left it out).
   
   As they're dying they're all screaming out in agony for their mother. They want to see her again because they love her so much. Eventually they all stop screaming and die. When their mother receives the letter from the war office that all five of her sons have been killed she burst out into tears because she really did love them and never wanted them to go to war. That's the tradgedy of the whole thing. They now have no mother and mother war no longer has any sons.
   
   Patient is shown this story because it reflect the relationship he had with his mother before he died. And can I note out that the soldiers are all members of the Black Parade. If you've seen Gerards artwork or any still frame shots you'll see them in the background.

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   mikejlvhs

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   Jul 6th 2007 report

   Mama isn't about the patients mother
   
   mama is one of the marchers in the parade called "Mother war" the song is about the patient going of to a war
   
   mama we all go to hell
   
   are the men going off to the war
   
   i'm writing this letter could just be a reference to letters home from soldiers
   
   mama we're all gonna die
   
   is that odds are most of them will die in the war
   
   and when we go into the flames
   we'll let the fire just bath us
   
   is the soldiers marching off to battle
   
   you made us sound so famous
   
   is the homeland making the soldiers out to be heroes in exchange for their lives
   
   
   and right now their building a coffin your size
   
   is about the pomade coffins built for soldiers in the case of a death
   
   she said "you ain't no son of mine"
   
   is the homeland rejecting the soldiers when they needed their homeland's support
   
   only to get less supplies and weak armor
   
   its really quite pleasant except for the smell
   
   are t he soldiers explaining their surroundings
   
   i'm just thrill you'd call me your sweet heart and maybe then sing you a song
   
   is mother war (the homeland) congratulating the soldiers for their victory and welcoming them home with a song
   
   but theirs shit that I've done with this fuck of a gun
   you would cry out your eyes after all
   
   is the soldiers saying they've done things o horrible in war that it would bring their homeland to tears
   
   and we're damned after all
   
   is the patient and his troops claiming they are damned for the horrible things they've done

3. 3TOP RATED

   #3 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Mar 2nd 2007 report

   I think this song is about some lady's son going off to war, against his mothers wishes. But seeing as the album is about the patient dying of cancer, I think it's about him and his relationship with his mother, maybe Gerard is speaking about his life throughout the patient. But this song I think is about the patient remembering going off to the war, and how he knew his mother always wanted a baby girl instead of a boy who would get into trouble and leave her for the war. The mother was afraid of her son dying, and then the son told her how it is. It's like. well yeah I might die, but hey "Mama we all go to hell." "Mama we're all gonna die."
4. anonymous

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   Apr 1st report

   Mama, I feel, is about a troubled boy who was send to war for "discipline", and ended up dying eventually as an adult.
   
   The first verse / chorus :
   
   Referring to how he was unable to be the perfect child / referring to the things he did in war because of his mother.
   
   The second verse:
   
   Referring to how his mother wanted a girl instead of a boy + how everyone dies eventually, how death attracts everyone like how rotten corpses attracts flies. Referring to how he, and everyone else, will eventually be nothing but a rotten corpse.
   The voice in the background is his consciousness speaking, a rough and odd voice to reveal how broken his childhood was.
   
   Bridge:
   
   Obviously, words from the mother before he was sent to war.
   
   And then he starts screaming, which is him having a breakdown (I'd imagine), calling out to the mother he never had.
   
   As he says "I wish you would call me a sweetheart, I'd maybe then sing you a song", that refers to him missing his mother, and revealing how his mother was wrong in what she did to him. As he continues, he says that he wouldn't want to make his mother cry with the fucked up things he's done, and that leads to the last part.
   
   The last part refers to losing people in the war - close ones, family, etc, but anyone that goes to war is damned, and the ashes of the dead call out to the soldiers to carry on.
   
   Those are my thoughts of the song! In it's original concept, it's about the patient figuring out there is no heaven, yet death comes in the form of what's most comforting, which gives a dark twist to the album. Thanks for reading!
5. anonymous

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   Nov 19th 2020 report

   So my thought was that the lyrics "Mama, we're all full of lies mama, we're meant for the flies and right now they're building a coffin your size mama, we're all full of lies" Was saying that in the place Welcome to the Black Parade takes place at the people (In the Black Parade and around) all have to show that it's a beautiful place there and basically put a fake smile on and that they all want to be alive again, and the Black Parade is a holiday thing and the guy died on the holiday. The next lyrics "Well mother what the war did to my legs and to my tongue" Is saying that being in the war had caused something bad to happen and that maybe he lost is legs and tongue then "You should have raised a baby girl I should've been a better son" Is him saying that his mother should have a girl then you wouldn't have been through this and lose you child, and with it saying I should have been a better son he's saying that he shouldn't have gone with his choices and that he regrets them
6. anonymous

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   Mar 31st 2020 report

   Personally, I feel like the song is about the mother did something really awful, and her son did something equally bad. They would both lie about it, hoping no one would find out. The son gets arrested after being caught for what he did. He writes a letter to her and then gets executed later on, and the mother cries about it. (the crying at the end of the song)
7. anonymous

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   Nov 5th 2017 report

   Here’s what I think you know how everyone is like life is like heaven or hell but what I think is that he is saying that life is already hell do we are go to hell
8. anonymous

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   Jun 2nd 2017 report

   people are saying that the song is about gender identities and wars like ww1 and ww2, but for me, there is actually a war between the mother and the son. A fight between the two characters. The reason why they fought wasn't said (although based in the song it sounds like the mother's son going to war), but the war was already happening, leading the two to fight each other, some even through letter when they don't want to talk to each other (I do that). Behind the lyrics, "Stop asking me questions, I hate to see you cry," it sounds like the fight was a really serious one as if they are going to lose each other. By the chorus (And when we go don't blame us) it means of the son planning to leave his mother, and from the line "You made us oh so famous (correct me if I'm wrong)," I'm guessing this from my own experience, the neighbors heard all the awful things they said to one another, causing some to team up to either the son or the mother.
   
   "Well Mother, what the war did to my legs and to my tongue"
   
   That part somehow seems metaphoric to me, as if to say, "Mother, my legs are weak because of the awful things I have said to you."
   
   To raise a baby girl would be better in the son's opinion because his mom wouldn't have a rought time with her son, thus the son saying, "I should've been a better son."
   
   "If you can coddle the infection
   They can amputate at once."
   
   I'm not entirely sure what those mean, but if you refer the infection to gender identities, that'll make sense.
   
   "She said you ain't no son of mine"
   
   This is where the mother finally looses her shit, and apparently, the son looses his shit too, at the bridge of the song, thus leaving her house. But by the part where the singer (of course everyone knows it's Gerard) counts to four (which may be the son counting down the days since he left), it may sound like the son is calling out for her.
   
   "And if you would call me your sweetheart, I'd maybe then sing you a song."
   
   This part means that the mother might be forgiving her own son.
   
   "But that shit that I've done with this fuck of a gun, you would cry out your eyes all along!"
   
   This is where the son confesses every bad thing he has done for the past four days, leading to a stage 4 cancer that was unnoticed by both, and he went to the hospital to have a check up, the doctor saying that he only has a few days left. And so, the news shocked his mother, and then it leads to another light scolding from her, but instead of talking back, he said that they're damned after all, through fortune and flame they fall.
   
   "If you could stay, then I'll show you the way to return from the ashes you call."
   
   That means that the son is asking his mother to stay by his side until the day he dies.
   
   "We all carry on when our brothers in arms are gone."
   
   The son mentions his dead brothers to his mom, saying that everyone will move on from someone's death, pointing out that he is gonna die soon and he wants his mom to "carry on" with life if that happens.
   
   "Raise your glass high for tomorrow we die."
   
   If you put it in the mother's perspective, it sounds like she doesn't want to be left alone and decides that she will die with him. The crying at the end is the mother loosing her son, and when the crying ceased, she was dead already. Either from heart attack or killing herself, what matters is that she gets to be with her son in the Black Parade, the mother earning the title "Mother War" and the son "The Patient."
   
   And they all lived happily ever after.
   
   The End.
9. anonymous

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   Apr 11th 2016 report

   I think this song is about the Paitent writing a bitter letter to his Mother from the hospital. It is obvious that they did not have very good relationship and is using the letter to recall the horrible things said between the two in the past. The "war" is a metaphor for his BATTLE with Cancer, and he is watching these other paitents die around him. In the eyes of the media, cancer patients are considered "Heros", though they know nothing of the sins of their past. The Paitent is NOT A GOOD PERSON, so why should he claim that title?
   
   It is hinted in other songs that he had (or has) a drinking problem. He could be referring to his bottle of booze to symbolize his gun, (as it pours out "shots") and the things his alcoholism has led him to do.
   
   He could also at this point be secretly giving up of his fight, as he can no longer face "counting down the days" until his departure. She is too proud to make amends, and he is to self centered to realize that he is also to blame for his miserable life. As he is dying, he is calling out to her, she is no where to be found. Upon never receiving his last letter, she has to assume the worst, and realizes she now has to live with the guilt of not being at her son's side as he passed on.
   
   That is just my interpretation.
10. ManicQueenOfDepression

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    Feb 17th 2016 report

    Alright, to whoever said this, you're wrong:
    "Ok, so the lyrics aren't "Well Mother, what the war did to my legs and to my tongue." It's "Well Mother was the warden to my legs and to my tongue." "
    You need to read the lyrics in the liner notes of the cd before you post info that's completely wrong. The line is in fact "what the war did" not "was the warden." That doesn't even make sense. Don't correct lyrics when you don't even know them.
11. anonymous

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    Dec 23rd 2015 report

    I think the song is about gender identity. "You should have raised a baby girl, I should have been a better son" the song sends to reference coming out to a mother and her disapproval saying that her "son" is going to go to hell, to which her child responds by saying that everyone goes to hell.
12. anonymous

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    Feb 27th 2014 report

    I think it's about the true meaning of this world. The fact that all humans were born to go to hell because they won't quit competing and cheating.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
13. anonymous

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    Aug 27th 2013 report

    It's about a son going off to war. He's writing letters to his family who are worried about him dyeing but he assures them that everybody dies, then when you think about the war none of the sides are pure. They're all sinning so they might as well all end up in hell.
    Near the end of the song there is a female playing a mother singing about how she'd want to see her son again. Right after that part the son (Gerard) is talking about how he's killed many people and if the mother knew she'd be unhappy and she'd cry because nobody just deserves to die. In the end the son dies along with his 'brothers in arms' and the mother receives the letter of his passing therefore crying.
14. anonymous

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    Nov 11th 2011 report

    Ok, so the lyrics aren't "Well Mother, what the war did to my legs and to my tongue." It's "Well Mother was the warden to my legs and to my tongue."

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
15. anonymous

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    Nov 10th 2011 report

    Righhtt...
    The song is about 5 sons who go to war against their mothers wishes.
    The shortly realise that the war and being a part of it isnt what they where told by the homeland and conscriptors, they realise they are going to die there.
    
    When the song talks about what the war did to my legs and to ny tongue, this is one of the brothers telling how he has been blown apart by a bomb or something of that sort.
    
    The mother rejects the letters sent home and decides not to acknowledge the fact she has any children. The mother soon loses her sanity.
    
    The last part of the song the remaining brother has resigned himself to dying and decides hes better off dead for the things hes done in this war.
    
    After dying the brother joins the black parade as does the mother who commits suicide after learning all 5 sons are now dead.
16. anonymous

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    Aug 15th 2011 report

    i think the song means what you, as an individual, perceive it. if you think its about war, then its a song about war. if you think its about how fucked up the world can be, then thats for you. for me, its symbolic for all the shit i have had to put up with and the disapproval of my parents as a gay guy in this shit hole of the south. i fucking hate rednecks :P PEACE
17. anonymous

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    Jun 12th 2011 report

    mama is mainly about like the first ananymous said boys going to war and their mom haiting them for leaving agianst her wishes.
18. anonymous

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    Apr 3rd 2011 report

    I think that its a gay son, and the mother constantly tells the boy that he is going to hell, and then one day the she pushes it too far. and then say that we all go to hell, as in he'll see her down there too. And hes saying that if she had a girl, his mother would not have to live life with a gay son. Its a verry powerful song