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“Mama”
From the album The Black Parade
Recorded: April – August, 2006
Track number: 9
Length: 4:39
The Black Parade
This article is part of a Series
Singles
Track Listing
  1. The End.” – 1:52
  2. Dead!” – 3:15
  3. This Is How I Disappear” – 3:59
  4. The Sharpest Lives” – 3:20
  5. Welcome to the Black Parade” – 5:11
  6. I Don’t Love You” – 3:58
  7. House of Wolves” – 3:04
  8. Cancer” – 2:22
  9. Mama” – 4:39
  10. Sleep” – 4:43
  11. Teenagers” – 2:41
  12. Disenchanted” – 4:55
  13. Famous Last Words” – 4:59
  14. Blood(Hidden Track) – 2:53
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"Mama" is the ninth track from My Chemical Romance's 2006 album, The Black Parade. A single version was set to be released on November 12, 2007 along with a music video directed by Gerard Way himself. However, it was postponed to November 16 of that year, which also did not take place.

Background[]

"Mama" was written by My Chemical Romance's lead singer Gerard Way for their third studio album The Black Parade. Wanting a female vocal who "had a lot of character, someone that was very strong, sorrowful", Way enlisted veteran singer Liza Minnelli to perform a guest vocal spot on the song. Way reported that his grandmother was a big fan of Minnelli's and that Minnelli performed the vocal without cost. Minnelli recorded from New York, while the group corresponded from Los Angeles, and as such, never met her in person. Near the middle of the song, there is a part that bears a resemblance to the Pink Floyd song "The Trial". This keeps with the statements of the marketing campaign where My Chemical Romance stated that Pink Floyd had an influence on this record. The release date for the video has now been postponed due to issues with their label and the breakup of the band.

Structure[]

"Mama" is performed in E minor with hints at the Freygish or Klezmer scale, an Eastern-European and Jewish Ashkenazi musical mode often referred to as the Gypsy scale.

Promotion[]

In preparation for releasing the single, "Mama" has been featured as telecast performances by the group throughout 2007, causing speculation for over six months as to its status as a single. A video for the single has also been filmed, being directed by the band's lead singer, Gerard Way.

Lyrics[]

[Verse 1]
Mama, we all go to hell
Mama, we all go to hell
I'm writing this letter and wishing you well
Mama, we all go to hell

Oh, well, now
Mama, we're all gonna die
Mama, we're all gonna die
Stop asking me questions, I'd hate to see you cry
Mama, we're all gonna die

[Chorus 1]
And when we go don't blame us, yeah
We'll let the fires just bathe us, yeah
You made us oh, so famous
We'll never let you go
And when you go, don't return to me, my love

[Verse 2]
Mama, we're all full of lies
Mama, we're meant for the flies
And right now they're building a coffin your size
Mama, we're all full of lies

Well, mother, what the war did to my legs and to my tongue
You should've raised a baby girl
I should've been a better son
If you could coddle the infection
They can amputate it once
You should've been
I could have been a better son

[Chorus 1]
And when we go don't blame us, yeah
We'll let the fires just bathe us, yeah
You made us oh, so famous
We'll never let you go

She said: "You ain't no son of mine
For what you've done they're gonna find
A place for you
And just you mind your manners when you go
And when you go, don't return to me, my love"
That's right

[Chorus 2]
Mama, we all go to hell
Mama, we all go to hell
It's really quite pleasant
Except for the smell
Mama, we all go to hell

[Breakdown]
Two - Three - Four
Mama! Mama! Mama! Oh!
Mama! Mama! Mama! Ma...

And if you would call me a sweetheart
I'd maybe then sing you a song

But there's shit that I've done with this fuck of a gun
You would cry out your eyes all along

[Outro]
We're damned after all
Through fortune and fame we fall
And if you can stay, then I'll show you the way
To return from the ashes you call
We all carry on
When our brothers in arms are gone
So raise your glass high
For tomorrow we die
And return from the ashes you call

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