Viva la Vida

I think that the song is about an individual's rise to power, his revelation that his power base is unstable, his power having been usurped from him, dealing with rebellions, and the impending fall from power that awaits the protagonist.

I think that the song is about an individual's rise to power, his revelation that his power base is unstable, his power having been usurped from him, dealing with rebellions, and the impending fall from power that awaits the protagonist.

"I used to roll the dice Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes Listen as the crowd would sing 'Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!'"

"I used to roll the dice Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes Listen as the crowd would sing 'Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!'"

The speaker was a rising star in the world, he defeated someone great and powerful before him.

The speaker was a rising star in the world, he defeated someone great and powerful before him.

"One minute I held the key Next the walls were closed on...

"One minute I held the key Next the walls were closed on me And I discovered that my castles stand Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand"

After the protagonist has taken the crown, he now sees that he's trapped in his current situation. His castles stand on pillars of salt and sand, meaning that the very foundation that he established his power on is unstable.

"For some reason I can't explain Once you go there was never Never an honest word And that was when I ruled the world

It was the wicked and wild wind Blew down the doors to let me in Shattered windows and the sound of drums People couldn't believe what I'd become"

The beginning of the King's demise began when the title changed his personality. The narrator of the song's story became dishonest, he used his power to get what he wanted from other people, "It was the wicked and wild wind. Blew down the doors to let me in." The king is no longer the man that people remembered him as he's become corrupted from power.

"Revolutionaries wait For my head on a silver plate Just a puppet on a lonely string Oh, who would ever want to be king?

I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing Roman Cavalry choirs are singing Be my mirror, my sword and shield My missionaries in a foreign field"

Now the current king is dealing with rebellions while his power is being usurped from him by the people surrounding him. The song doesn't say exactly who is usurping power - it could be his military that he depends on to protect him from the rebels, his bureaucrats, the men of his court, etc. But, the fact is that the narrator says that he's no just a "puppet on a lonely string. Oh, who would ever want to be king?"

"For some reason I can't explain I know Saint Peter won't call my name Never an honest word But that was when I ruled the world"

As the speaker's story is coming to an end, he thinks to himself that Saint Peter won't call his name, mentioning that he "Never [said] an honest word". Because, power has corrupted him and made him an evil person, the narrator knows that he's going to burn in Hell for what he's done while he sat on his throne.

The song doesn't really relate to any one person in particular. One could guess Napolean since he had such a big fall, but his defeat was from foreign powers and not by rebellions. A Roman Emperor might be more appropriate, since there's mention of "Jerusalem bells" and a "Roman Calvary choir", and since Roman emperors in history usually did come to power through bloodshed. But, even then there's really no mention on WHO the speaker of the song is.

One could speculate that the protagonist's predicament is an analogy for Chris Martin's anxieties now that he's famous. Although, fame and power aren't quite the same thing, they are similar in that they're the kind of things that many people want but don't consider that also come with a heavy price.