Coldplay: Shiver Meaning
Song Released: 2000
Shiver Lyrics
But you paid me no attention, do you.
I know you don't listen to me.
'cause you say you see straight through me, don't you.
On and on from the moment I wake,
To the moment I sleep,
I'll be there by your...
-
1TOP RATED
dreamydress Dec 1st 2007, 14:12 report
I feel like this song is about being in love with a close friend. A friend that's always in and out of bad relationships. And when they fall to pieces, you're always there to put them back together.
You're the only one who can see how great you'd be together. And until that person finally sees it, you're determined to wait...
But on and on, from the moment I wake,
'Till the moment I sleep,
I'll be there by your side,
Just you try and stop me.
I'll be waiting in line,
Just to see if you care. -
anonymous Dec 29th 2012, 23:40 report
*A song about two lovers, interpretation written from the perspective of the one singing the song*
(So I look in your direction,
But you pay me no attention, do you?)
I look at you, for help, for love, for respect, but you just ignore it, you ignore me.
(I know you don't listen to me.
'cause you say you see straight through me, don't you?)
You don't listen to me and you see straight though me as if I'm a ghost to you, I'm nothing to you anymore.
(And on and on
from the moment I wake,
To the moment I sleep,
I'll be there by your side,
Just you try and stop me,)
Every day, from the second I wake up to the moment I fall asleep I think of you. I'll be there for you if you need me, no matter what you say or do to me.
(I'll be waiting in line,
Just to see if you care.)
There are others you put before me now, I'm way far back in the line where I used to be first, where I was loved and valued, but you no longer care. I'll wait for you, as long as it takes for you to see me and care about me again. I'll be there for you until the day I die.
(Did you want me to change?
Well I changed for good)
You asked me to change; I wasn't good enough for you. Every problem we ever had was something that I caused...
cause I was always wrong. I've changed forever now, there is no turning back to the person I was before.
(And I want you to know
That you'll always get your way)
You always get your way, I'm always wrong and at fault. I'll be the one to change and to fix all of our problems, not you. I see you as perfection.
(I wanted to say,
Don't you Shiver
Shiver)
Don't shiver, don't cry, don't be in pain anymore.
(Sing it loud and clear
I'll always be waiting for you.)
I'm telling you, right now, that I'm always there for you when you need me. I need you to understand.
(So you know how much I need you,
But you never even see me, do you?)
I've needed you. I've cried and almost died because of some things that have happened to me. When I needed you the most you pushed me away, you gave up on me, and I had to work to get you back. When we had problems and I asked to see you and talk to you to work things out, you didn't see me.
(And is this my final chance of getting you?)
I will try, and try until the day I die to get you back, but is this the last chance you will give me? I will never give up on you. -
anonymous Feb 6th 2012, 12:31 report
I would agree with some of the other interpretations where its about being in love with a girl who doesn't like you back. You can try as hard as you want and hold on to her but it's clear that she doesn't like you. But that doesn't matter. Because when you truly love someone like that, it doesn't matter if they don't care about you. The priority is that she is always cared for by you. No matter what. Even so it does hurt when she doesn't like you back. However she probably doesn't even realize the pain she's causing. That's why Chris Martin is asking how she can be so cold, and yet, not shiver. An interesting way to word it indeed.
-
BriarM Nov 12th 2011, 06:52 report
To me this isn't a romantic 'love' song. It's about a guy who has a crush on a girl which turns into a kind of obsession. Perhaps they once dated but she ended it because she wanted him to change. She completely forgot about him while he developed a stronger obsession for her, as suggested in:
"So I looked in your direction,
But you paid me no attention, do you.
I know you don't listen to me.
'cause you say you see straight through me, don't you."
He is so obsessed with her that he grows crazy:
"On and on from the moment I wake,
To the moment I sleep,
I'll be there by your side,
Just you try and stop me,
I'll be waiting in line,
Just to see if you care."
He loves her so much that he is truly willing to do anything for her:
"Did she want me to change?
But I change for good.
And I want you to know.
But you always get your way,
I wanted to say,"
He sees her as his precious posession and as very delicate so he doesn't want her to supposedly 'break to pieces':
"Don't you shiver..."
It kind of seems like he has been plotting some kind of way to get her to love him back:
"And this is my final chance of getting you."
I know I could be way off here, but to me the tone in which he sings this song is really intense and sounds slightly deranged.
Big Coldplay fan, great song. -
anonymous Oct 13th 2011, 18:54 report
This song is exactly about Emily and me. I look in her direction, but she pays me no attention. She doesn't listen to me, she sees straight through me. From the moment I wake, to the moment I sleep, I would be by her side. If she wanted me to change, I would change for good. She would always get her away. I love her, but she has no idea.
-
anonymous Jul 20th 2011, 04:30 report
taking it line by line (for the most part):
"So i look in your direction, but you pay me no attention, do you?" fairly straightforward, he always acknowledges her, hoping today is the day they'll make eye contact and speak to each other, but no luck.
"i know you don't listen to me because you say you see straight through me don't you?" she always says 'boys are all the same' and she doesn't give care to get to know him because she thinks he's not worth her time.
"but on and on from the moment i wake to the moment i sleep i'll be there by your side just you try and stop me" he's always thinking about her, and he's gonna keep trying to win her even if she doesn't seem to care to get to know him
"i'll be waiting in a line just to see if you care"
a bunch of guys admire her and chase her, and he realizes he's just "another guy hitting on her" when his intentions are to connect with her so she might realize she has feelings for him too. he sees himself as another guy who is trying to make an impression on her (to see if you care)
"did you want me to change? well i'd change for good. and i want you to know that you'll always get your way" he's to the point where honestly he'd do anything to impress her. he'd try and act like whatever kind of guy she's into and no matter how unfair or unreasonable she is, he'll still be at her feet trying to win her over.
"i wanted to say don't you shiver" i still don't get this part :P maybe he wants to be the one to comfort her when she needs it. she wants to keep her warm and be there for her
"and i'll always be waiting for you" also fairly straightforward, but in my opinion (or in my love life) it is much more profound.. i've always been the nice guy, while the girl i liked always went for the classic douchebag that girls say is a jerk yet they're all after him. then i'd sit there.. waiting and waiting for my chance.. wondering if it would come, but waiting nonetheless.
next verse kinda repetitive of the first verse... "is this my final chance of getting you?" that's that moment when it's the perfect opportunity to share how you feel and make your move on her.. but you hesitate and don't end up doing it because you're thinking about it too much.
then more repetitiveness...
"And it's you I see
But you don't see me
And it's you I hear
So loud and so clear "
i'm sure you guys have had that crush where whenever she walks into the room, she's COMPLETELY the center of your attention. somehow, her voice is the most audible and your eyes immediately draw to her. (you i see... you i hear so loud and so clear)
so yeah that's my interpretation of it.. let me know if you wanna add anything or disagree or something -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
-
anonymous Apr 8th 2011, 06:21 report
i think it's about a guy who likes a girl who doesen't feel the same,or it's about a guy who had hurt a girl and then he started liking her,and he realized he had made mistake,and this could be his apology to her.
-
anonymous Mar 30th 2011, 10:29 report
I never thought of it with the topic of death, but it actually makes sense..
anyways.. what does: "did you want me to change, well I changed for good" mean? -
anonymous Jan 27th 2011, 00:52 report
The song is about death, and is written from the point of view of the person that passed away. Think about it. Not sure if it's true, but I've listened to it 500 times. Either way, it's a great love song.
-
anonymous Dec 6th 2010, 18:58 report
...One meaning of shiver, which is now largely forgotten, is 'to break into pieces'. ...
-
anonymous Nov 12th 2010, 13:57 report
No one has hinted as to what the title may mean, going to give it a shot.
I believe the "shivering" is a physical representation of "warming up to the idea," the idea of being back together.
I feel the song revolves around a "lost love," a former love who has moved on whereas the other has not, but has initiated an ultimatum of change (Even though the lost love knows that the relationship is no longer possible.)
These two lines speak highly in my opinion. "Oh... did she want me to change, but I'd change for good." The possibility that the former love offered an ultimatum of change, possibly in the past where change was not initiated.
"So you know how much I need you
But you never even see me, do you?
And is this my final chance of getting you?"
(Relationship on the brink of an ultimatum of change, my final chance of getting you... my final chance at changing "myself" in order for recipricol love.
-
anonymous Jun 6th 2010, 01:09 report
I heard this for the first time at the exact time my brother was dying far away. I was always telling him in life how full of bs he was and how I could see straight through him and he needed to change. He loved me for not swallowing his crap and being blunt with him. Though I did not agree with his lifestyle he was always big brother and I knew he loved me as I did him. I know this isn't the artists intention with the song but it fit that moment exactly. RIP Shadow.
-
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
-
anonymous Feb 1st 2008, 09:25 report
My boyfriend dedicated this song to me after I moved away to another country...in this sense I think the song is about losing someone you love and that you still love them regardless of their feelings for you...
-
anonymous Oct 4th 2007, 05:30 report
These lyrics are wonderful. It's obvious it's a lovesong, but another VERY important point to it's meaning is he doesn't care about her ignoring him. Though she doesn't look at him and doesn't listen to him, he still feels the same because HE KNOW'S HE'S RIGHT
I was 'in love' with this guy for a year when I was 15. He had a girlfriend, but I didn't care at all, I wasn't even jealous because he seemed so perfect, inhuman, complete, angelic... That it wouldn't have worked out with me being just human :) -
scott_g Jul 28th 2006, 08:08 report
This is about liking a girl but she does not like you back.
"so I look in your direction but you pay me no attention, do you"
its about how much he likes her aswell.
"from the moment I wake till the moment I sleep, I'll be there by your side, just you try and stop me" -
karam Feb 6th 2006, 12:05 report
This boy is insanely in love with this girl she doesn't give him a second look she never thinks about him he says he will wait forever to get her she sees nothing in him this boy reminds me of who I was when I was 14.
There was this gorgeous girl created by angels and I thought about her every damn day I cried I wept.
She never called I always thought something would bring us together ni the future, but nothing ever happened
so ached and I bled till I decided I would forget
More Coldplay song meanings »
Shiver is considered:
Songs about Unrequited Love
[ suggest ]
Submit Your Interpretation
Trending:
Just Posted
| So Appalled | kristen.baxter.94 | |
| Poker Face | anonymous | |
| Talk That Talk | anonymous | |
| Take A Bow | anonymous | |
| God & Satan | anonymous | |
| Case Closed | eira.willemark | |
| Razorblade | anonymous | |
| Saviour | anonymous | |
| So Cruel | anonymous | |
| Viva La Vida | anonymous | |
| When I Was Your Man | anonymous | |
| Eet | anonymous | |
| Digital Bath | anonymous | |
| Little Talks | anonymous | |
| Little Talks | anonymous |
10 Most popular bands this week
| 1 | Beatles |
|---|---|
| 2 | Ed Sheeran |
| 3 | Silverstein |
| 4 | Taylor Swift |
| 5 | Coldplay |
| 6 | Imagine Dragons |
| 7 | Rihanna |
| 8 | Eminem |
| 9 | Linkin Park |
| 10 | Pink |
