The End is een nummer
van de Amerikaanse band My Chemical Romance uit New Jersey uit het
album The Black Parade (2006) In
dit album staat het thema 'de Dood' centraal. Gerard Way bezingt het
verhaal van 'The Patient', een personage van een man wiens leven is
geëindigd, en wie nu door de dood wordt ontvangen. In het nummer
Welcome To The Black Parade wordt The Patient opgehaald door de dood.
Het idee van de zanger was dat de dood men ophaalt in hun beste
herinnering. Zo dus wordt The Patient opgehaald in de vorm van een
parade waar hij als kleine jongen was. In dit album deelt Gerard Way
behalve het verhaal van The Patient ook zijn eigen verhaal. Hij gaat in
op zijn verleden met verslavende middelen en andere problemen in zijn
leven.
Over het nummer The End schreef iemand: "I see this song having
two meanings, in a way. Firstly,
there is the printed meaning. It shows the death of The Patient and his
feelings towards his funeral and people's reactions- 'I'd expect you
won't cry.' However, I see another
vein running through the song-
being transgender. As a trans guy myself, some of the lyrics in this
song see extremely reminiscent of my own experience. 'You might wake up
and notice you're someone you're not' is the moment when everything
clicks, and you realise who you are and suddenly your body is even more
of a stranger now you know yourself. Then 'If you look in the mirror
and don't like what you see/You can find out firsthand what it's like
to be me' is another really hard-hitting one. It's gender dysphoria,
the feeling of your body being not you. It sums up the daily looking in
the mirror and not seeing who you are but instead a distorted figure.
'Here's my resignation, I'll serve it in drag' to me represents acting
as the gender you were assigned at birth when you know you're not,
comparable to drag as it is acting as another gender from your own.
Finally, the reoccurring 'Save me's' are a cry for help, getting the
hell out of the prison your body is."
Now, come one, come all
to this tragic affair Wipe off that makeup,
what's in is despair So throw on the black
dress, mix in with the lot You might wake up and
notice you're someone you're not
If you look in the
mirror and don't like what you see You can find out, first
hand, what it's like to be me So gather 'round,
piggies, and kiss this goodbye I'd encourage your
smiles, I'll expect you won't cry
Another contusion, my
funeral jag Here's my resignation,
I'll serve it in drag You've got front row
seats to the penitence ball When I grow up, I want
to be nothing at all!
I said yeah, yeah! I said yeah, yeah!
Come on, come on, come
on, I said Save me! (Get me the
hell out of here) Save me! (Too young to
die and, my dear) You can't! (If you can
hear me, just) Take me! (Walk away)