Annotations for Drowning Lessons

Lyric: And dressed in red and blue, I squeezed
Annotation:
Gerard Way explained this lyric to Skratch:

Lyric: Without a sound, I took her down
Annotation:
PROPOSED SUGGESTION: Maybe the woman hanged herself and the narrator unhanged her. He did it without a sound because he was shocked and mourning.

Lyric: These hands, stained red
 From the times that I’ve killed you and then
Annotation:
PROPOSED SUGGESTION: his hands are permanently red, at least in his eyes, the blood will never leave, not after all of the people he’s murdered, a concept further explored in ‘I never told you what I do for a living’ which holds the same meaning, killing people changes you, makes you numb, unclean, the protagonist is a psychotic serial killer,  he’ll even kill the one he loves to temporarily satisfy his insatiable bloodlust

Lyric: Let’s say goodbye the hundredth time
Annotation:
This might be about the character wanting to say something to his victim, to feel a little less guilty. So he says goodbye before getting rid of the evidence.

Lyric: A kiss goodbye, your twisted shell
Annotation:
Since he is reliving this day , he says goodbye to his victim ,knowing that it’s not really a goodbye. This shows the twisted nature of the narrator through this semi-ironic statement. The person is dead and therefore their body is empty and only a “shell” is left .This shell is “twisted ” because the body has been damaged in some way (thats why the person is dead). Also a body would most likely be “twisted” after being dropped into a well.

Lyric: Let’s say goodbye the hundredth time
 And then tomorrow, we’ll do it again
Annotation:
The narrator relives the moment/day when he kills his lover over and over again .So when he says “Tomorrow ,we’ll do it again”,he genuinely means it. This idea is reinforced because of the repetition of this line and others throughout the song ,as if in a loop.

Lyric: I dragged her down, I put her out
 And back there, I left her where no one could see
 And lifeless, cold into this well
 I stared as this moment was held for me
Annotation:
The protagonist is describing his murderous ways. In this line, he’s hiding the body of his lover. The reference of a well could mean a few things. First would be the literal; he threw her into a well. But, this could also be connected to the later line: Without a sound And I wish you away Just like a coin, he’s making a wish on her as he throws her down into the well. The final line explains how time seemed to stand still for him as he did this, as it was obviously an unusual event.

Lyric: Without, without a sound
 Without, without a sound, and I wish you away
 Without a sound, and I wish you away
 Without a sound, without a sound, and I wish you away
 Without a sound, without a sound, and I wish you away
 Without a sound, without a sound, and I wish you away
Annotation:
This line can be seen as a play on words. Earlier, it was established that the protagonist had disposed of the body into a well. “Wishing her away” could very refer to how wishes are made by throwing coins into a well. In this case, he would be granting his wish by throwing  her into the well. It would be done soundlessly, because she is dead.

Lyric: I never thought it’d be this way
 Just me and you, we’re here alone
 And if you say, all I’m asking for is
 A thousand bodies piled up
 I never thought would be enough
 To show you just what I’ve been thinking
 And I’ll keep on making more
 Just to prove that I adore every inch of sanity
 All I’m asking for is, all I’m asking for is
 Come on
Annotation:
This song is an introduction to the lore behind the Demolition Lovers. This is the point where the man makes a deal with the Devil in order to be with his lover and bargaining 1,000 souls for his lover’s life. The Devil asks him for the souls of 1,000 evil men. If you read the lyrics a certain way, you see that this is his response to the devil’s proposition. He is surprised that the Devil has agreed, and is determined to follow through to prove his love. This story is continued in  My Chem’s next album. The concept for this album is that a man, thought to be one of the Demolition Lovers from their first album, is gunned down in a fight, but makes a deal with the Devil that if he brings him the souls of a thousand evil men, his life will be restored and he’ll be reunited with his love – otherwise, he gets dragged to Hell and will never see his lover again.

Lyric: Imaginary wedding gown
 That you can’t wear in front of me
Annotation:
A groom can’t see his bride in her wedding dress before the wedding because it is believed to bring bad luck. Other mentions of a wedding can be seen again  later in the song. Alternatively, she is unable to wear the dress because she is dead.

Lyric: As rice grains and roses fall at your feet
Annotation:
Rice grains and roses are traditionally thrown at a newly-wed couple. In this line, the protagonist is–or fantasizing about– marrying his lover

Lyric: We can wash down this engagement ring
 With poison and kerosene
 We’ll laugh as we die
 And we’ll celebrate the end of things
 With cheap champagne
Annotation:
Their relationship is poison, and by getting back together  for the 100th time, they know they’re killing themselves. This can also be taken as though they’re planning to kill themselves after the wedding, and they’re going to make the most of it.

