What does The Ghost of You mean?

My Chemical Romance: The Ghost of You Meaning

Tagged: Death [suggest]
Album cover for The Ghost of You album cover

Song Released: 2005


The Ghost of You Lyrics

I never said I'd lie and wait forever
If I died we'd be together now
I can't always just forget her
But she could try

At the end of the world
Or the last thing I see
You are never coming home
Never coming home
Could I?
Should I?
And...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 28th 2005 !⃝

    I think it's about losing someone you love, and also thinking about killing yourself to be with them again ("If I died, we'ed be together," and "Could I? Should I?"). Loss, and contemplation.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    ScareCrow
    click a star to vote
    Dec 16th 2005 !⃝

    The song, although appropriate for war, is not about war. The song is about losing a loved one and having regrets for not saying enough and only having memories. The is apropriate for war because the original release date of the CD was June 8, 2004. Two days after June 6, 2004, the 60th anniversary of D-Day. If you didn't notice the war in the film is a representation of D-Day, the invasion of Normandy, during World War II.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 30th 2005 !⃝

    I don't really think it's about war, maybe it is, but maybe it isn't. Maybe that's just the video.

    My personal opinion is that it's about losing someone and not having enough time 'And all the things that you never ever told me/And all the smiles that are ever ever' About never seeing someone you love smile, or them never telling you something, or you never told them something. I think it's about the regrets you get when someone you love dies and never having enough time with them, missing them and not seeing them again.

    I think the 'Never coming home' part is saying you're never coming back, which also means you won't be able to create anymore memories.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 20th 2020 !⃝

    I already posted an interpretation, but since no one else did, I thought I'd mention it. The bar scenes are about Gerard's struggling addiction to alcohol and drugs, and yes, this song could also be about Gerard's late grandmother.

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 17th 2020 !⃝

    This song is about Gerard and Mikey Way's late grandmother. 'If I died we'd be together' refers to Gerard thinking about killing himself to be with his grandmother again. Also, 'Could I, Should I?' is about Gerard asking himself if he could take his life and if he should. The courus is about how Elena (Gee and Mikey's grandmother) will never come home, the things she never told Gerard, and the smiles that Gerard will think about whenever he was with her. 'All the wounds that will ever scar me' is about self harm (slitting your wrists or other harmful things Gerard may have done, although there is no proof). The music video is about how a loved one may go to war and never come back because they died. This is relevant when Mikey looks at a girl almost to say 'goodbye,' and then dies on the battlefield. But It's all my interpretation.

  6. anonymous
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    Jul 6th 2019 !⃝

    It's about sudden death, because the song repeats about how there will be things that haunt him, and that he'll never know, and with my own experience with a sudden death, i know that when somebody you love leaves you like that, you start to realize everything you never knew, and your regrets, and how you'll never be able to forget that, and remember all of these things that used to be good memories for you but know, they are like ghosts in your mind, reminding you of what you lost.

  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 4th 2017 !⃝

    I think that it is about how the lead singer had many people who he dated so when he broke there hearts it felt like he killed them so every time he starts a new relationship he sees the ghost of the past girlfriends

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 19th 2015 !⃝

    This song is about losing someone, or more specifically, all the things you could have told them before they died. It is not necessarily about war as the music video implies. The line "And all the things that you never ever told me" explains that someone close to the narrarator has died, and the speaker is thinking about all the things he and the deceased person could have done together before death.

  9. anonymous
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    Sep 9th 2013 !⃝

    im doing an essay on this tomorrow, and after watching it in a loop for the last 3 hours, listening to it non stop to get the lyrics into my head for the last week or so, i have come up with my own interpretation. The music video starts with the soldiers and women in a ball room, but my interpretation is that this is death, as in the after life. dont wanna get too religious. I've interpreted the lyrics to be a person (possibly girlfriend, wife, loved ones) considering suicide, and joining them (husbands, boy friends) in death. to sum it all up, basically i believe that the ball room and bar scenes are the soldiers after death, where the wives have committed suiced and joined their loved ones in death.

  10. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 2nd 2012 !⃝

    this song is about losing someone you love or someone who was really close to you like in the video gerard lost mikey sob sob sob whimper whimper and he also means hes not gonna wait in heaven if he dies for someone else and i absolutely love love LOVE this song

  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 21st 2012 !⃝

    It is obviously about losing someone. But it doesn't always mean someone you were in a relationship with. How?

    The Ghost of You could also be about a child sent to live with another family member, and a parent dies. Because the song has the word 'she' and 'her' in it,lets just say it was the mother. The child could have still forever cared about her/his mother, though he/she had endured emotional abuse. Read below to see why.
    -------------------------------------------
    I never, said I'd lie and wait forever: The child was frustrated with how life at home was with his/her mother, and gave up a long time ago.

    If I died, we be together now: The mother had died, and the child wanted to die as well just to be there with her.

    I can't always just forget her: The child can't just suck up that his/her mother is gone.

    But she could try:This implies that the mother cared not at all about the child, hence the reason the child was sent away.

    At the end of the world, or the last thing i see, you are never coming home, never coming home: This could have been said to the child by the mother. Just like if she said "You will never come back here, i don't care about you at all."

    Could I? Should I?: The child begins to question life, thinking about his/her dead mother and what the mother had said before she sent her/him away.

    And all the things that you never ever told me: The mother never showed compassion to the child, never told him/her things like 'I love you' or 'I am so proud of you.'

    And all the smiles that are ever, ever: The child was never happy, so he/she never smiled or felt good about herself or her life.

    Ever, get the feeling that you're never, all alone: The child feels that maybe there is a child better than him/her, that his/her mother likes more. Which she/he thinks is the reason she/he was sent away.

    And i remember now, at the top of my lungs in my arms, she dies: The child has horrid dreams about his/her mothers death. One of them being his/her mother dying in his/her arms. That particular dream feeling so real, it seems like a memory.

    She dies: The child is reminded that his/her mother has died.
    (chorus)
    And all the smiles that are never gonna haunt me: The child never recalls smiling or being happy living with his/her mother, so no smiles will haunt him/her now that his/her mother is gone.

    Never coming home, Never coming home: A reminder that his/her mother is gone and that he/she will never come home back to her.

    Could I? Should I?: This part is sang louder in the song, pushing pressure on the child on what to do with her.his life.

    And all the wounds that are never gonna scar me: The child has made up his/her mind. He/she is planning to kill him/her self. So that she/he can't get hurt, and the 'wounds will never scar him/her

    For all the ghosts that are never gonna catch me: She/he won't be haunted by ghosts, because she/he will become one.

    If i fall: If the child dies

    If i fall, (down): if you listen you hear down the second time he sings 'if i fall' so if the child dies,the wounds won't scar, the smiles wont haunt, the ghosts wont catch.

    Music plays as the child prepares for death.

    The chorus replays again as his/her whole entire life flashes before her eyes when the suicide takes place.

    Never coming home is repeated twice during the chorus as the child dies. She/he won't be coming back home.

    For all the ghost that are never gonna...: It trailed of before Gerard could sing, 'catch me'. Indicating that the suicide is over, and the child is dead.

  12. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Apr 19th 2012 !⃝

    The song is about loss. It isn't anything to do with war thats just the video. In the video Mikey is shot and Gerard is yelling and screaming because his brother was shot (the only reason he's held down in the video is because his team mates don't want him to get shot running over to him). The song is about loss.
    "You are never coming home." the shock and realisation of never seeing a loved one again.
    "And all the things that you never told me" the person is gone and they won't ever get to talk again. There was still lots to talk about they had so little time together.

    I never said I'd lie and wait forever
    If I died we'd be together now
    I can't always just forget her
    But she could try

    she could try. She's dead so he believes she forgets him where as he can't ever forget her because he's feeling loss and pain over her.
    "if i died we'd be together"
    he thought they'd spend lots of time together and die old together.
    "At the top of my lungs" crying/screaming his pain. "in my arms she dies" simple enough she dies in his arms

    All in all the song is about the loss of a loved one and the pain and grief of losing that person.

    Also in the song he talks about a girl dieing but in the video Mikey is the one who dies so it really is just about the loss of any loved one.

  13. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 10th 2011 !⃝

    It links strongly with "mama"

    This is one of the 5 brothers talking about them all going to war. This is a sub-story on how he felt after all the other 4 brothers had died.

    It explains how they are always going to haunt him because he feels it should of been him that had died instead of the other four.

  14. Angelus_Mortis
    click a star to vote
    Jun 16th 2011 !⃝

    Personally, I believe the song is what most believe it is with a little more. I think it's about losing someone extremely important, and debating with themselves or the ghost of the person if they should commit suicide to join the dead. A lot of the song lyrics support this theory: "I never said I'd lie and wait forever, if I died we'd be together." "Could I? Should I?" They explain if they don't die, their life will be a living hell, tortured by all the things they experienced or didn't experience with the person. "And all the things that you never, ever told me. And all the smiles that are ever gonna haunt me. And all the wounds that are ever gonna scar me." And they say that for the rest of their lives, whether that be till the end of the world or until they take their life, all they're going to notice is that they will never see the person again. "At the end of the world, or the last thing I see, you are never comin' home, never comin' home!" This might not be right, it's just my opinion on the meaning of the song.

    I also have to say that this song carries deep meaning for me, every word. I went to see my grandma one day, and when I got there, she was having a heart attack. I called 911, then ran to her side. She died in my arms. Since then, I've always thought of, just like the song says, all the things she had never told me about her life, the time I didn't get to spend with her. I've thought about committing suicide just to see her again. The song seems to speak to me personally...

  15. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    May 12th 2011 !⃝

    According to Gerard Way in a interview I was reading, he said that the song was about losing someone close to you, and that usually does happen in war. So that's how the song got that war like feeling. The video was inspired by Green Days Wake Me Up When September Ends. Gerard was worried it would be to much like GD, but it ended up totally different. The Ghost of You is about losing someone you love (in this case, Gerard losing Mikey.) Hope I helped!

  16. Lux
    click a star to vote
    Apr 27th 2011 !⃝

    I also don't think the song is really about war, but war is a good metaphor for the song. When people step out of the door, you don't know if you'll see them again, so say what you want to say. I get this feeling is about regret, you missed your chance and you realize that you won't get another one.

  17. anonymous
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    Apr 5th 2011 !⃝

    i think its talking about how he loses his brother in the war cuz he gets shot and the the medic trys to save him but then fails at it and and his brother dies and he regrets everything and he gets all the flash backs and it will hunt him for the rest of his life.

  18. anonymous
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    Jan 23rd 2011 !⃝

    This song... I think... is about losing someone too soon, and not having enough time to share everything you wanted to. It could be about a girl you lost, perhaps, or maybe, as clearly shown in the video, about losing a brother. Anyone you love. But the main meaning that I think Gerard was trying to get across was that he never had enough time to share what he wanted to before it was too late, and now they're "never coming home."

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