Annotations for Helena

Lyric: And what’s the worst you take (Worst you take)
 From every heart you break? (Heart you break)
Annotation:
Gerard has said this was an open letter to himself after his grandmother’s death. maybe he’s asking himself if he’s heartbroken enough from her death to take his own life.

Lyric: And like the blade you stain (Blade you stain)
 Well, I’ve been holding on tonight
Annotation:
Along with the  previous annotation of this line, this could also refer to the effect a blade has on skin. A blade will stain the skin and leave a scar forever. It can fade and blend in but at the end of the day it will always be there; a daily reminder of the pain they underwent. Her death has permanently lodged itself into the back of his head; something he will never be able to forget. Her death, all in all, has torn and stained the very fabric of their lives, like a blade will stain skin, forever.

Lyric: What’s the worst that I can say?
 Things are better if I stay
 So long and goodnight
 So long and goodnight
 Well, if you carry on this way
 Things are better if I stay
 So long and goodnight
 So long and goodnight
Annotation:
Pleading, screaming, or begging till you’re blue in the face isn’t changing anything, so let go. He’s choosing not to go with her because it would just bring more pain. He’s saying goodbye. Some people are taught to never say goodbye to someone you love because it is considered final. Instead, they use other phrases, like ‘goodnight,’ even if they will never wake up. This could be referring to Gerard Way’s grandmother, who the song is written for after her passing. She may be gone, but it’s better if he doesn’t follow her.

Lyric: Came a time when every star fall
 Brought you to tears again
 We are the very hurt you sold
Annotation:
This could mean Helena was so fed up with living in pain that every day she lived she’d cry at night wishing on falling stars she’d go in her sleep. Her giving up was her way of selling her life, not thinking about how it would affect her loved ones. He’s calling her selfish in a way. Also, it can refer to watching a star “fall from grace”, meaning watching someone you love and idolize, like a singer/actor, slowly falling apart and being helpless cause you can’t stop it and in turn crying cause you know how it will end. Artist s live their lives in the public eye, they live through their arts… so they affect us greatly, because as fans we can relate to them in some form or another. They’d sell us their pain, so when they die they take a piece of us with them.

Lyric: What’s the worst that I can say?
Annotation:
It doesn’t matter what he says or does because he’s angry and hurt, it won’t bring her back.. so in the next line he finally says goodbye.

Lyric: And like the blade you stain (Blade you stain)
 Well, I’ve been holding on tonight
Annotation:
This line might refer to her having surgery and the blood on the blade that couldn’t help save her now represents him. He’s holding on to pain as thick as blood on a knife blade. Also, could mean he’s a “cutter”, people who self-mutilate,  replacing one pain by another. He’s fighting the urge to cut deeper and end it… he’s determined to make it though the night. Perhaps this could also be a reference to the grim reaper’s scythe if death is being personified.

Lyric: Burning on, just like a match you strike to incinerate
 The lives of everyone you know
Annotation:
The fire represents two things: The death of his grandmother   The destructive nature of Gerard's actions The death affected everyone she knew in a very negative way, almost to say it burnt or “incinerated” them.  Gerard uses the fire metaphor to allude to both his grandmother’s death and his own self-destructive behavior. Gerard and Mikey’s grandmother, Elena Rush (or Helena), had a huge influence on Gerard’s musical career. She fed his and Mikey’s dreams and supported them in everything they did. On the surface, Gerard seems angry for her leaving, as if she’s the reason why everyone is hurting.  However, these lyrics  act as a letter to himself, expressing the self-hatred he felt at the time. With this in mind, when he says “you,” he’s referring to himself.  He’s the one who struck the match.

Lyric: Long ago, just like the hearse, you die to get in again
 We are so far from you
Annotation:
Gerard is using the “hearse” in this line to reference the fact that you probably won’t get to ride in one unless you die. Similarly, death is the only way he could be reunited with his grandmother. When he sings “you die to get in again,” he could mean he misses her so much he’d do anything to get her back again, perhaps even commit suicide.  Years after the song’s release, MCR started offering t-shirts with a hearse graphic.

Lyric: Can you hear me?
 Are you near me?
 Can we pretend to leave, and then
 We’ll meet again when both our cars collide?
Annotation:
These lyrics reflect Way’s feelings for his late grandmother, Elena Lee Rush, who the song was written for. He wonders about the afterlife and the possibility of communication. How close are the souls of the living to those of the dead? ‘We’ll meet again…’ could refer to the hearse mentioned in the first verse. It could also mean death by car crash. Gerard is finding comfort in the fact that when he dies they will be reunited. At this point in the music video, Helena crosses over to the afterlife. She dances through the pews to symbolize the path her spirit takes.

Lyric: Things are better if I stay
 So long and goodnight
 So long and goodnight
Annotation:
Gerard’s life would be so much easier if he accepted her death, and said goodbye for the last time. This creates a contrast between his emotional movement- leaving or moving on, and his lyrical movement- staying. She has died, so for him, moving on means staying where he is and not following her in death. The band also discusses indecision in their song  “The Ghost Of You.”

