See the man who stands upon the hill
He dreams of all the battles won
But fate had left its scars upon his face
With all the damage they had done

And so tired with age, he turns the page
Let the flesh submit itself to gravity

Let our bodies lay, mark our hearts with shame
Let our blood in vain, you find God in pain
Now, if your convictions were a passing phase
May your ashes feed the river in the morning rays
And as the vermin crawls, we lay in the foundations of decay

He was there the day the towers fell
And so he wandered down the road
And we would all build towers of our own
Only to watch the roots corrode

But it's much too late, you're in the race
So we'll press and press 'til you can't take it anymore

Let our bodies lay, mark our hearts with shame
Let our blood in vain, you find God in pain
And if, by his own hand, his spirit flies
Take his body as a relic to be canonized
Now, and so he gets to die a saint
But she will always be a whore

(You look stressed out)

Against faith (cage all the animals)
Against all odds ('cause the message must be pure)
Against change (you can wander through the ruins)
We are free (but the poison is the cure)

You must fix your heart
And you must build an altar where it swells
When the storm, it gains and the sky, it rains
Let it flood, let it flood, let it wash away
And as you stumble through your last crusade
Will you welcome your extinction in the morning rays?
And as the swarm it calls, we lay in the foundations

Yes, it comforts me much more
Yes, it comforts me much more
To lay in the foundations of decay

Get up, coward


Lyrics submitted by EternalTearsOfSorrow

The Foundations of Decay Lyrics as written by Ray Toro Gerard Way

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

The Foundations Of Decay song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

4 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    Sonically, it draws from a similar dark rock vibe as the band’s 2004 classic hit song 'Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge'. Theme wise, I think this is about the hopelessness & derailment of human psyche in the wake of all that continues to go on with the world as of late. Furthermore it encapsulates the zeitgeist, most heavily downtrodden in spirit & bereft of faith.

    EternalTearsOfSorrowon May 13, 2022   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines: "Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet" So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other: "I had all and then most of you" Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart "Some and now none of you" Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship. This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Album art
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version. Great version of a great song,
Album art
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Album art
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example: "'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
Album art
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.