I think this song is about a person suffering from Anxiety.
The reason I say Anxiety is because The person feels useless, or scared or worried. The person is afraid to speak about how they feel hence, "Come out of things unsaid." So there is that! They have a trouble that they can't explain to ANYONE because they are afraid to get bullied, made fun of, put in hospitals, or just anything bad.
After the first chorus, They are afraid of running out of time, to live. They feel like they will have a short life and die soon. They wan't to come back home with their family. To feel safe.
"Am I part of the cure or am I part of the disease" They don't know if people love them or if they are just another problem in life.
"Nothing else compares" They don't think anyone suffers like they do. They wan't to stay away from people.
"Home,where I wanted to go" They don't want to be in public. They wan't to be home where they are safe.
Well thats my opinion. Hope you like it!
@ShooFlyPie Very nice interpretation!
@ShooFlyPie Very nice interpretation!
@ShooFlyPie i like your interpretation a lot, but who is he addressing when he says "you are"?
@ShooFlyPie i like your interpretation a lot, but who is he addressing when he says "you are"?
@ShooFlyPie I think the 'you are' part is about all the thoughts going through your head when you have a panic attack. 'you are' is an unfinished sentence because when you panic your thoughts are going so fast that you don't even have enough time to process them before they turn into other thoughts. the sentences alway start with 'you are' because you feel like you can't talk to anyone about it so you try to talk to yourself about it. either reassuring yourself or distracting yourself or making it worse with bad thoughts that you can't control. well that's...
@ShooFlyPie I think the 'you are' part is about all the thoughts going through your head when you have a panic attack. 'you are' is an unfinished sentence because when you panic your thoughts are going so fast that you don't even have enough time to process them before they turn into other thoughts. the sentences alway start with 'you are' because you feel like you can't talk to anyone about it so you try to talk to yourself about it. either reassuring yourself or distracting yourself or making it worse with bad thoughts that you can't control. well that's what I think about that part floridaman hope that clears it up for you :)
I must be off because my interpretation doesn't seem to gel with the others. I LUV the band (new to them) and I like this song, but it's sad. It appears to be about someone who has something to say (to someone perhaps) but he cannot get out the words. He feels he's missed opportunites in his life due to his inability to take action. And it feels as though the walls are closing in on him while he's running out of time to take action. He views someone as "home," where is where he wants to be but doubts he will ever reach there. Very sad song by a talented band.
Dude bravo!
Dude bravo!
@MaryMaryQuiteContrary I like your interpretation.
@MaryMaryQuiteContrary I like your interpretation.
@MaryMaryQuiteContrary Hm. I really can see where you're going with this interpretation and I like it. There does seem to be a feel of regret, despair, or resignation to the lyrics and melody. A lot of questions are posed either directly or subtly.
@MaryMaryQuiteContrary Hm. I really can see where you're going with this interpretation and I like it. There does seem to be a feel of regret, despair, or resignation to the lyrics and melody. A lot of questions are posed either directly or subtly.
i think its a description of how he is left missing his ex after a breakup. The first few lines describe that horrible, unavoidable ( 'i cant be saved' ) time at night, when all the defences you put up during the day, about not thinking about that person, come down. 'Tides that I tried to swim against, have put me down upon my knees' the trouble that cant be named, are his inexpressible emotions and the tigers that need to be tamed could possibly symbolise the ferocity of his love for which he needs to deal with. the 'you are' part of the song is quite profound, and quite a philosophical statement (descartes? ) about the existance of man.. she just simply 'is' .. either he just doesnt need words to describe what she means to him, or he in unable to find ones that could ever do her justice. The next part shows more about his discomfort without her, the ticking clocks could just represent how aware he is of the time he is without her. He regrets what he did which must have caused the breakup 'I could not stop what you now know' and wishes she would come and take away these waves of misery and regret that are affecting him so badly. Am i a part of the cure or the disease could be him wondering if he would do any good for her, or if he were to enter her life again would he just make the situation worse. He concludes with saying how he misses her, how nothing else can compare to her, and how much he wants to be back with her. but this of course is just my interpretation lol and i know there are loads of others.. great song :)
@Asunder Oh man, you wouldn't even believe how perfectly close you described what this song is to me. Being caught by all the thoughts with your defenses down, the ticking of the clock, the realization that you may be part of the “disease” and not the “cure”, the desperate desire to go “home”, and the understanding that you cannot step into the same river twice.
@Asunder Oh man, you wouldn't even believe how perfectly close you described what this song is to me. Being caught by all the thoughts with your defenses down, the ticking of the clock, the realization that you may be part of the “disease” and not the “cure”, the desperate desire to go “home”, and the understanding that you cannot step into the same river twice.
I think its about him missing opportunities and regretting choices he should have made. It may or may not be referring to a recent break up. Its actually kinda sad if you think about it. At the end he just wants to go home. Not sure what the "singing" part means. Its definitively very upbeat as far as rhythm and notes go. My personal fav out of Coldplay.
@Whovian12 I agree entirely with you. It's about the oppotunities he lost and the sure that now he finds again his way, with her, that's because he says he is coming back home.
@Whovian12 I agree entirely with you. It's about the oppotunities he lost and the sure that now he finds again his way, with her, that's because he says he is coming back home.
Not to be totally unoriginal, but the lyrics to this song are incredible.
The central theme of this song is time, no doubt. Clcoks is an incredible title because if you think about it, time is very difficult to measure without clocks(and sometimes still difficult to measure).
I believe in the opening stanza the writer of the song realizes that he is mortal and that the one truth in his life is that he will die(tides that i tried to swim against). However, this realization of his own mortality forces him to try and do great things(the tiger's waiting to be tamed).
The begining of the second stanza refers to the fact it's only a matter of time before the walls "close in" on us(death) and take us back home(heaven, reincarnation, whatever you believe in). The line "I could not stop that you now know" is kinda tricky in my opinion. In one sense, he could be referring to the fact that you just can't stop living because you know that you are going to die. Also, he could be referring to the fact that he couldn't just end the song right there without further explaining himself. The last two lines of the stanza strike me as this: he wonders if this song will be good for people because now they will want to live to the fullest knowing that the walls are always closing in(part of the cure) or if it will deeply discourage them because nothing we do can change the fact we will die(part of the disease).
All in all, this is just a fabulously written song. It's up there with "Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce and "Wish You Were Here" by Floyd as songs that use very few words to say so much
This song always makes me travel the nostalgic road of what ifs? What if I had taken a different road. One cant help but wonder at times. The glances across a crowded room not followed up upon.........the chances not taken.
i was listening to this track, knowing somebody close to me had just passed away this morning, couldnt help my tears..
i had a similar experience late last year when my grandfather passed. it was comforting to hear these lyrics, i felt serene. i honestly think it helped the mourning go by smoother, it was very powerful. music like this is beyond contemporary, it's geniune art.
i had a similar experience late last year when my grandfather passed. it was comforting to hear these lyrics, i felt serene. i honestly think it helped the mourning go by smoother, it was very powerful. music like this is beyond contemporary, it's geniune art.
I was listening to this song while driving in my car today and it just really helped me feel more alive for some reason. I had been in a pretty crappy mood until it came on for the second time and bang, something about it struck me.
I am not a fan of Coldplay, however that being said, I stumbled across this song when I was having relationship problems with my wife. Everything he said in the song just was exactly what I was feeling. He is singing about being in a conflicted, but very intense relationship and time is ticking away. When he is singing about "Tides that I have tried to swim against have brought me down upon my knees." That is about trying to do your own thing, your own way and in the end it is not what makes you happy. Going...
I am not a fan of Coldplay, however that being said, I stumbled across this song when I was having relationship problems with my wife. Everything he said in the song just was exactly what I was feeling. He is singing about being in a conflicted, but very intense relationship and time is ticking away. When he is singing about "Tides that I have tried to swim against have brought me down upon my knees." That is about trying to do your own thing, your own way and in the end it is not what makes you happy. Going and doing things for himself crushed him in the end, or brought him to his knees. "Confusion never stops, closing walls and ticking clocks." He is saying how niether of them are sure and that time is running out for them and he feels the pressure. Later he is questioning if he is a healthy part of the relationship or is he the problem with it. "Am I part of the cure or am I part of the disease." I think that anyone who has been in love and had rough times and doubt can relate to this song. It is definatly one of my all time favorites!
I hadn't ever thought of it this way - but it does make sense. Definately one of my favorite songs.
I hadn't ever thought of it this way - but it does make sense. Definately one of my favorite songs.
yo gee wats crackin yo!
yo gee wats crackin yo!
Hey, Carlos, it's really easy to figure out... It's in E flat major... You should probably be able to get it with that information.
Anyway, this song is great! And it has that tendency when you're pissed off or sad to make you extremely upbeat.
When people on songmeanings say something along the lines of "Ok, this isn't ilovethissong.net, it's songMEANINGS.net" it makes me sort of mad - when people express how much they love a song, I think they are expressing how much it MEANS to them. Everyone needs to chill about that.. It's not a big deal.
Brilliant song... the line "curse missed opportunities" really hits me hard.
YOUR KINDA RIGHT, BUT, THEN AGAIN SAY YOU LOVE THE SONG BUT ALSO SAY WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU EXACTLY....
YOUR KINDA RIGHT, BUT, THEN AGAIN SAY YOU LOVE THE SONG BUT ALSO SAY WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU EXACTLY....
Suddenly you are flying, a beam of light, rolling over while asleep, gravity growing upwards, a tree growing outwards, lost at sea, sacred subtleties, the ferocious terrors that live in your soul.
Expanding stuffed animals consuming megalopoli, sitting with a fold up wooden chair in the sunlight.