For me this song has always seemed to be talking about Louis XVI's fall from power and the fleetingness of that power. He used to rule the world, but now he sweeps the streets he used to own. Now obviously he's not literally sweeping the streets, but sitting in a prison cell. His castles stand upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand because his life was ripped apart so easily by the people. It talks about how he was taken away from the comfort of his life "It was a wicked and wild wind...". I think the main giveaway that it is talking about Louis XVI is the part "Revolutionaries wait for my head on a silver plate" because he was beheaded. "The sound of drums" refers to the fact that drums were played before his beheading to drown out the sound of any supporters of the king. I don't think "I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing" is supposed to be taken completely literally. It makes me think of the traditional symbol of a bell tolling at the end of a person's life. After he was executed, the citizens attending the beheading began chanting "Vive la Republique!". The fact that the song's title is "Viva la Vida" is no coincidence. The citizens may have been chanting "Viva la Republique", but this song is from the point of view of Louis XVI, and although "vida" is Spanish and not French, as king, he's reminiscing on his life, not the new republic.
For me this song has always seemed to be talking about Louis XVI's fall from power and the fleetingness of that power. He used to rule the world, but now he sweeps the streets he used to own. Now obviously he's not literally sweeping the streets, but sitting in a prison cell. His castles stand upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand because his life was ripped apart so easily by the people. It talks about how he was taken away from the comfort of his life "It was a wicked and wild wind...". I think the main giveaway that it is talking about Louis XVI is the part "Revolutionaries wait for my head on a silver plate" because he was beheaded. "The sound of drums" refers to the fact that drums were played before his beheading to drown out the sound of any supporters of the king. I don't think "I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing" is supposed to be taken completely literally. It makes me think of the traditional symbol of a bell tolling at the end of a person's life. After he was executed, the citizens attending the beheading began chanting "Vive la Republique!". The fact that the song's title is "Viva la Vida" is no coincidence. The citizens may have been chanting "Viva la Republique", but this song is from the point of view of Louis XVI, and although "vida" is Spanish and not French, as king, he's reminiscing on his life, not the new republic.