“When I was a young boy
My father took me into the city
To see a marching band.
He said, "Son, when you grow up
Would you be the savior of the broken
The beaten and the damned?"
He said, "Will you defeat them?
Your demons, and all the non-believers
The plans that they have made?"
"Because one day, I'll leave you a phantom
To lead you in the summer
To join the black parade."
-My Chemical Romance, "Welcome to the Black Parade"
This. Song.
There’s something about this song that hits me different than any other song I’ve ever heard. It’s powerful, emotional - it’s archetypal. Who doesn’t want their father to ask them to save the world in an acceptance of inevitable death? I mean, come on…
In all seriousness, this song has moved me to tears, to action, to hope, to perseverance. I’m not even a big My Chemical Romance fan, but this one has it all. I don’t normally go through songs line-by-line, but this is one deserves special treatment.
When I was a young boy My father took me into the city To see a marching band.
The opening stanza reminds me of childhood - of my own father taking me into Manhattan to do all kinds of activities - watch parades, go ice skating, go to a ballgame. It sets the stage of a period of innocence, one that I, personally, remember fondly.
He said, "Son, when you grow up Would you be the savior of the broken The beaten and the damned?"
This, for me, is one of the most memorable lines in any song, ever (hefty statement, I know). It plays on the notion we all had as children - the idea of being a hero, of saving people. My question is, why does this go away? Why do we grow up and stop trying to be heroes? We so easily cast aside the broken, the beaten and the damned in favor of our own lives and gain. Granted, life gets hard, but in this digital age it’s too easy to get wrapped up in our own bubbles. Everywhere around us people are suffering, so who else is going to step up? If not us, then who?
He said, "Will you defeat them? Your demons, and all the non-believers The plans that they have made?"
Another shot straight to the jugular. I might as well make this the tagline for Modern Bronze. This is what it’s all about. We are all haunted by our own demons, most of which we run from, and we are constantly bombarded with doubt, skepticism and criticism (from the “non-believers”). So much of our purpose in this short time on Earth is to face both of these head on. Face your demons. Live your truth. These are the necessary ingredients to make life a heroic adventure.
"Because one day, I'll leave you a phantom To lead you in the summer To join the black parade."
Why not finish with a little Memento Mori? We’ve forgotten the ancient art of remembering death, living as if there’s no end, and our lives often reflect that. If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do today? Who would you see? Where would you go? Nothing in this life is ever guaranteed, but we so easily take that for granted. Let’s take a step back for a second - we’re not going to live forever.
This week, be the savior of the broken, the beaten and the damned.
This week, face your demons and all the non-believers.
This week, remember that you have to die.
I have a feeling it’s going to be a good one.