This song and "Glass of Water" are my favorites from the EP, and should ahve been included in "Viva La Vida".
My interpretation of this song is that it is certainly a war/battle - but not in the way that you think. I don't believe that Chris is a writer that is necessarily obvious when it comes to songs such as these. Of course, this song has all the makings of a story about a real war, and Chris very well may have used one as a model. But I believe this is about a personal war within one's self, trying to figure out how to get out of it.
"I ask somebody what the time is, but time dosent matter to them yet."
This person is asking merely for help, for advice, but whoever they are asking can't help them, or dosent know how to answer thier question. They may see it as an akward situation and try to shy away from it, leaving the person in need lost again.
"People talking without speaking, trying to take what they can get."
This person and others like him are perhaps thinking to themselves, gathering thier surroundings or memories of thier own past, and trying to find solutions or answers. They are essentially talking to themselves in their mind, without saying it out loud. Talking without speaking.
"Drums! Here it comes."
The thing/thought/person that started the problem is approaching this troubled person - like the sound of drums signaling a battle - the internal battle is beginning for this person.
"Don't you wish that life could be as simple as fish swimming around in a barrell when you've got the gun?"
This person is wondering why this problem has to be so hard, and realizes that the outcome is in his own hands (when you've got the gun)
"Oh and I run, here it comes."
the thing/thought/person that started the problem is still coming, and this person decides to try and outrun it - think of other things, distract himself - run away.
"We're just two little figures in a soup bowl trying to get behind some kind of control, but I wasn't one."
The thing/thought/person has been chasing this person to his/her limit around what he/she may consider a limited space - he/she can only run so far (two little figures in a soup bowl), but the thing/thought/person has the upper hand, the advantage, and the troubled person fears it (but I wasn't one.)
"And here I lie on my own in a seperate sky. I don't want to die on my own here tonight, but here I lie on my own in a seperate sky."
This person cannot stand to be alone in this ordeal and is searching for anything or anyone that he/she can rely on to help him/her get out. This person feels apart from the rest of the world because he/she is perhaps not being listened to or considered (on my own in a seperate sky). This person feels he/she is on the verge of exploding or breaking down, and is afraid that if it is to happen, that there will be no one or nothing to help he/she recover (I don't want to die on my own here tonight). He/she then realizes that at this moment at least, he/she is are still alone and just thinking about it hasn't helped him/her make progress. A final realization of what he/she already knew - "But, here I lie on my own in a seperate sky."
The ending leaves the question open ended - does this person get the help they need? Do they get everything figured out? And perhaps leads the listener to wonder if they, themselves, are going through something similar. That is what I thought upon listening to it for the first time, and I consider it to be not only one of coldplay's best songs, but one of thier more thought provoking ones as well. I think it is proven by the many takes on what it means, which cements it's brilliance.
This song and "Glass of Water" are my favorites from the EP, and should ahve been included in "Viva La Vida".
My interpretation of this song is that it is certainly a war/battle - but not in the way that you think. I don't believe that Chris is a writer that is necessarily obvious when it comes to songs such as these. Of course, this song has all the makings of a story about a real war, and Chris very well may have used one as a model. But I believe this is about a personal war within one's self, trying to figure out how to get out of it.
"I ask somebody what the time is, but time dosent matter to them yet."
This person is asking merely for help, for advice, but whoever they are asking can't help them, or dosent know how to answer thier question. They may see it as an akward situation and try to shy away from it, leaving the person in need lost again.
"People talking without speaking, trying to take what they can get."
This person and others like him are perhaps thinking to themselves, gathering thier surroundings or memories of thier own past, and trying to find solutions or answers. They are essentially talking to themselves in their mind, without saying it out loud. Talking without speaking.
"Drums! Here it comes."
The thing/thought/person that started the problem is approaching this troubled person - like the sound of drums signaling a battle - the internal battle is beginning for this person.
"Don't you wish that life could be as simple as fish swimming around in a barrell when you've got the gun?"
This person is wondering why this problem has to be so hard, and realizes that the outcome is in his own hands (when you've got the gun)
"Oh and I run, here it comes."
the thing/thought/person that started the problem is still coming, and this person decides to try and outrun it - think of other things, distract himself - run away.
"We're just two little figures in a soup bowl trying to get behind some kind of control, but I wasn't one."
The thing/thought/person has been chasing this person to his/her limit around what he/she may consider a limited space - he/she can only run so far (two little figures in a soup bowl), but the thing/thought/person has the upper hand, the advantage, and the troubled person fears it (but I wasn't one.)
"And here I lie on my own in a seperate sky. I don't want to die on my own here tonight, but here I lie on my own in a seperate sky."
This person cannot stand to be alone in this ordeal and is searching for anything or anyone that he/she can rely on to help him/her get out. This person feels apart from the rest of the world because he/she is perhaps not being listened to or considered (on my own in a seperate sky). This person feels he/she is on the verge of exploding or breaking down, and is afraid that if it is to happen, that there will be no one or nothing to help he/she recover (I don't want to die on my own here tonight). He/she then realizes that at this moment at least, he/she is are still alone and just thinking about it hasn't helped him/her make progress. A final realization of what he/she already knew - "But, here I lie on my own in a seperate sky."
The ending leaves the question open ended - does this person get the help they need? Do they get everything figured out? And perhaps leads the listener to wonder if they, themselves, are going through something similar. That is what I thought upon listening to it for the first time, and I consider it to be not only one of coldplay's best songs, but one of thier more thought provoking ones as well. I think it is proven by the many takes on what it means, which cements it's brilliance.