Annotations for Headfirst for Halos

Lyric: [Instrumental Intro]
Annotation:
Probably one of the best Ray Toro has ever written.

Lyric: We’ll fly home
 You and I, we’ll fly home
Annotation:
Sited often as the tipping point for the frontman in his discovery of singing, Gerard played Peter Pan in a 4th grade musical production: https://youtu.be/gUbpJXVaoY?t=568 The character of Peter Pan is known for his ability to fly, which he uses to transport his friends away to a “magical place,” however this story-line is sometimes speculated to be an allegory for something  much darker: that Pan is actually taking his new, recently deceased friends to the afterlife. This dark undertone to an otherwise sweet and innocent story matches Headfirst For Halos perfectly: a song with a bouncing, uplifting melody, paired with (arguably) some of MCR’s darkest lyrics. The chorus isn’t the sole reference to this childhood story; lyrics which reference pixie dust and thinking happy thoughts are clear examples of inspired writing as well. And as the fragments of your skull begin to fall Fall on your tongue like pixie dust, just thing happy thoughts

Lyric: Well, now, I’m back in the middle of the day that starts it all
 I can’t begin to let you know just what I’m feeling
Annotation:
This is a continuation of the first line of the song. He’s relived his memories (he’s “back”) and now he’s trying to describe what he’s feeling but can’t, likely because of how painful it is.

Lyric: Well, let’s go back to the middle of the day that starts it all
Annotation:
This could be a reference to 9/11– the day that “started it all” for the band (seeing 9/11 occur was what inspired Gerard to start MCR). “Go[ing] back” could possibly mean remembering what happened that day and reliving it.

Lyric: Whoo!
Annotation:
The “Whoo!” can also reflect the feeling that he must feel after finally killing himself. It also doubles as a great ending lyric.

Lyric: I can’t begin to let you know just what I’m feeling
Annotation:
This could mean that he doesn’t know how to even start to tell her how he feels. It’s hard to open up to people, for multiple reasons, ranging from fear of judgement to just not knowing what to say.

Lyric: Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts
 Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts
 Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts
 Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts
Annotation:
This line being repeated over and over could be him fighting with himself to not commit suicide, but presumably he does anyway.

Lyric: Think ha...
Annotation:
He doesn’t finish the phrase because he dies by suicide in the narrative of the song. I say this because he first says “think happy thoughts” in the song right after he says “as the fragments of my skull begin to fall fall on your tongue like pixie dust”. It seem like he is repeating it (or maybe counting down) until he does blow his brains against the ceiling in the song narrative, thus not finishing the phrase.

Lyric: And now, the red ones make me fly and the blue ones help me fall
Annotation:
Red pills are used as a stimulant, and are often used as a pain killer. They get the writer going and mask their pain in an exhilarating way. Blue pills on the other hand, do a better job at numbing their victim, easier to fall asleep or keep your emotions blank. The writer uses a balance of both the red pills and blue pills so when he get too exhilarated from being intoxicated he can use the blue to numb him down a little and vice versa. To him, this is the algorithm to become a normal human. The verse alludes to a famous quote from the film  The Matrix, where Morpheus explains to Neo the difference between the red pills and the blue pills: This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill—the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill—you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember: all I’m offering is the truth. Nothing more.

Lyric: And we’ll fly home, we’ll fly home
 You and I, we’ll fly home
 Come on!
Annotation:
Through the aid of prescription drugs, the characters will escape their depression and go to a place of comfort. One interpretation of “home” is a mindset so clouded by effects of drugs that the pain is absent. Another interpretation of “home” is the life after death, as the song is said by Gerard Way to be about suicide.

Lyric: And I think I’ll blow my brains against the ceiling
Annotation:
One way that some people commit suicide is by using a firearm to eliminate brain function by forcibly removing the organ from the skull. This method has been used in several high-publicity suicides, such as that of  Kurt Cobain.

Lyric: And as the fragments of my skull begin to fall
 Fall on your tongue like pixie dust, just think happy thoughts
Annotation:
He’s asking her to drown out any emotions or feelings with happiness as he kills himself in order to ensure a happy future for them both (and we’ll fly home). This is a very unrealistic expectation with an almost sarcastic reasoning.

Lyric: And the blue ones help me fall
Annotation:
Blue pills often refer to "downers" or depressants. A famous user of both this drug and uppers is Marilyn Monroe. She took uppers to wake up in the morning and downers to go to sleep at night. This harmful lifestyle eventually led to her death,  which is officially classified as a suicide, (though this is widely contended).

Lyric: And now, the red ones make me fly
Annotation:
Red pills often refer to “uppers” or stimulants. Uppers help people feel good, triggering pleasure in the  ventral tegmental area, or VTA.

