UpPastMidnight June 6th, 2008 09:07PM  
Pretty sure this is about the French Revolution, and the ultimate beheading of King Louis XVI.

p.s. It is Cavalry not Calvary.

anonymous June 14th, 2008 01:04PM  
It is a General Message of any Power(be it great or small)that if not used in the proper manner will be lost by means of Revolution or change from the oppressed party. That party could be a partner in a relationship or the "Greatest empire ever to rule the world-the Roman Empire". For me I'd like to compare it to OUR NATION-ruler of the world, abusing our power, or rather a few individuals at the command control. There is a song by the Flowbots-I can ride my bike with no handlebars, check out those lyrics.

anonymous June 19th, 2008 10:54PM  
Did anyone consider the obvious possibility of a double meaning. Its actually quite common in songs this powerful.

anonymous July 9th, 2008 02:04PM  
I think that the lyrics refer to the end of any reign, not specifically the French Revolution, and perhaps have more to do with humanity itself than history. It could just be about a single person who has experienced a downfall in their life, and is comparing their own misfortune to a much grander scale. Also, the painting on the album cover is not of the French Revolution. The French Revolution lasted from 1789-1799, and the painting, entitled "Liberty Leading the People" (French: "La Liberté guidant le peuple") was in truth painted in commemoration of the July Revolution. The July Revolution was a singular and separate event that occurred in France in 1830, well after the French Revolution.

anonymous July 24th, 2008 12:22AM  
The cover painting is actually by painter Eugčne Delacroix. The title splashed in red paint is an homage to a different work, by Mexican symbolist painter Frida Kahlo.

They are drawing inspiration from the painting which depicts "Liberty Leading the People," as a reference to life's more absolute truths.

a sort of modern day rebellion

anonymous July 24th, 2008 06:38PM  
The song states the person "sleeps alone/sweeps the streets [he] used to own." this would imply that the perspective character has fallen from power, he's still alive. That would contradict the idea it was an executed king. The interpretation of this as being about Jesus... just doesn't fit. I think this is a song about having power, becoming arrogant, alienated, and ultimately suffering some kind of fall.

Ksloy August 11th, 2008 07:50AM  
To set the record straight once and for all "viva la vida" is a Spanish command meaning "live the life" so it is not vive (he/she/it lives), it's viva- a command (telling you to live).

Anyway...

Maybe the song isn't about any one event in particular (jesus, french or spanish revolution), but anyone who has ever been through a hard time in life but through it all was still able to see the good in life, even though they've been knocked down hard. The feeling of being on top of the world one minute and then at your worst the next. I thought about this when I saw this quote from Chris Martin about his influence from the Frida Kahlo painting: “She went through a lot of shit, of course, and then she started a big painting in her house that said 'Viva la Vida',” explained Martin of the choice. “I just loved the boldness of it.” Which means that he was moved by how after all that Frida Kahlo had been through in her life (and yes, she did go through a lot) she was still able to move on with her life and make something good out of it.

and this is kind of out there, but the possible references to great people in the song, (Jesus, kings, etc.). It makes me feel like he's trying to say, by comparing the everyday person to these great or powerful people, that no one persons struggle is any less important than the next. That just how I feel though, the song kind of gives me an empowered feeling.

anonymous August 16th, 2008 02:20AM  
I don't really get all technical when I listen to this song. I just enjoy the music, because I think it's great.

The meaning I get out of this, is that we all have peaks in our lifetime. at one point, we come as close to having it all as we possibly can. Then, a long time down the road, we end up in a state of wondering. we start wondering how it's going to end up. we start wondering where all of that time went. we realize that at some point, our life is going to end. but...how could this be ? it feels like we use to 'rule the world'. we had the power in our hands to make any decisions we wanted, and somehow we'll eventually end up on the brink of old age no matter how we roll the dice. It's just a matter of being able to do what you did your whole life-brace yourself for whatever is next to come. what happened, happened. and hopefully it brings you to where you wanted. Hopefully it all makes sense to you.

Aidan September 8th, 2008 09:11PM  
I don't believe it's about Jesus. For starters, he made it clear his kingdom was not of this world. He's also recorded as having calmed the seas, rather than making them rise, as the song says. It's definitely about an earthly ruler.

One ruler who hasn't been mentioned is Charles I. He followed the idea of divine right of kings, like his dad, well known for the Bible with his name on it, James. The band is British too. And Charles I lost his head as well. William Blake can explain the mention of Jerusalem and its connection with England. The cavalry choir can be either the Cavaliers or Roundheads on horseback.

Aidan September 8th, 2008 10:03PM  
I have enjoyed the Louis XVI interpretations the most.

Going back to Jesus, he made it clear that his kingdom was not of this world, so it has to be about an earthly ruler, and not about Jesus. And Jesus is recorded as having calmed the seas, rather than giving his word to make them rise, as the song mentions.

This song could very well be about Charles I of England; Coldplay is from England. William Blake forever made the connection between Jerusalem and England. "And did those feet in ancient time...."

"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!'"

This could well mean Charles's battles first with Scotland, and then during the Civil War period. Or it could mean his relationship with Parliament. When James I died, Charles's father, Charles would have been proclaimed king.

"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"

This could mean Charles's loss of power over the five year period from when the Civil War began until the Presbyterians gave him over to Parliament. Less than two years later he was beheaded. He had held the key, and then the walls closed in on him. The war did not turn his way. His castles? How about Carisbrooke, Hurst and Windor?

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

Again, with Jerusalem, Blake writes "till we have built Jerusalem,in England’s green & pleasant land...." The bells of course might not be actual bells, but can symbolize death. The Roman Cavalry is obviously the Cavaliers, the supporters of the Roman Catholic king. Jerusalem is London. As mentioned by a previous poster, the mirror, sword and shield is the Bible. Charles's father was King James. The King James Version of the Bible! The missionaries on a foreign field could possibly mean England joining the race for colonies in the Americas a bit late. Jamestown was established in 1607, shortly after a failed attempt. But other European nations were there and firmly established by then. His missionaries could also be his fellow Roman Catholics in the religious turmoil of England after the break from Rome, particularly those Puritans (Cromwell and Parliament).

"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"

Charles was killed in January of 1649, or with the changing of the calendar, in the winter of 1648. Historians write that there were drums as Charles awaited death. Some also write of a groan among the crowd, in disbelief of what had just happened once the king was beheaded.

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

For the last months of Charles's life, he was a puppet, something to bargain with. With the Restoration, you can bet that the son of the beheaded king had to tread lightly at first, and never enjoyed the divine right of kings as his father and grandfather had.

BuildGreen September 23rd, 2008 01:16PM  
Live you life. Everybody interprets based on their experience. I see it quite simply: Be in charge, have others depend on you, make the important decisions. I do. Sometimes I feel like I just want to sweep the street, no responsibility. I rode that wave. I have the confidence to do it again, just choose not to. Lives are at stake. Until you've had the obligations and burdens you may not understand. The old guy bagging your groceries may have been a VP of a fortune 500 company. We are all moving on.

Meaning November 23rd, 2008 05:15AM  
A lot of people have interpreted the song as a portrait of King Louis XVI, etc. but I feel that the song's purpose is a lot more general than that.

King Louis XVI was found guilty of treason, and ultimately beheaded. However, the song clearly states a transition from ruling to not ruling. He is still alive, and he is reflecting on his past. (now in the morning I sleep alone, sweep the streets I used to own.)

So I will try to generally analyze this song as best as I can:

"I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the
word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own"

He was a ruler with immense command. Seas of people would rise at his command.
This is contrasted with the fact that he has been displaced from ruling. (It's interesting that he sleeps in the morning.) Now he is a servant, or a beggar. "sweeping the streets."
From riches to rags, from kingship to poverty.

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

Rolling the dice means that he gambled with his power.
He took risks. He became close to a tyrant, a crusader, and took over other kingdoms. He would replace other rulers, as a kind of expansionist/imperialist. "now the OLD king is dead, long live THE king."

"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"

Everything happened so fast, from one minute to another. When you are in power, you get caught up with your success, and time flies. In one instant he held the key. In fact, he held the key to many castles, many kingdoms, all these countries that he conquered, were under his power and domain.
And in the next instant he lost EVERYTHING. The castles symbolize his power. Symbolically speaking, his power had a weak foundation, a weak base. What did he base his power upon? Himself. His castles stood upon pillars of SALT and SAND. They stood on weak foundation, just as he stood on a weak foundation.

"I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing
Roman cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
Missionaries in a foreign field"

It seems that he used religion as an excuse for conquest, as can be seen in these words:
"Jerusalem bells, roman cavalry choirs."
Be my mirror, sword, and shield: means basically:
Represent my image, my power, and my strength.
Missionaries, or crusaders, in the end they are conquering foreign countries.

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

Drunk with power, he lied. He never gave an honest word. He manipulated and used people for the sole end of increasing his territory and power.

"It was a 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"

He transitions from ruler to tyrant. And the people realize what he has become. Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

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

In the end he laments being King. Sure he had power, but the truth is, he is at the mercy of the people. There is a price on his head, and he realizes he is a puppet, on a string controlled by others.

(Repeats Stanza)
"For some reason I can't explain
I know St Peter won't call my name"

He fought in the name of Christianity, but he knows that he will not be able to enter into the promised land. His intentions were deceptive. Remember, never an honest word.

"Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world"

Reiterating that he has lost his power.

Hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing
Roman cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can’t explain
I know St Peter won’t call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

Theme: Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Chris Martin has explained the song lyric "I know Saint Peter won't call my name" in an interview with Q magazine: "It's about ... You're not on the list. I was a naughty boy.
(Wikipedia)
When asked about the song, bass guitarist Guy Berryman said, "It’s a story about a king who’s lost his kingdom, and all the album’s artwork is based on the idea of revolutionaries and guerrillas."
(Wikipedia)
Viva La Vida, in Spanish translates to "long live life."

This song has many important implications, and VERY relevant to our times.

We should always be suspicious of people in power, who seem to fight under the banner of religion, freedom, etc. Because in the end they are just merely people, and are subject to corruption, just like anybody else.
Ultimately, people in power will become corrupted. It is human nature.

This is relevant in terms of history. Think about the crusades. The Holy War. The American Revolution. The French Revolution. Spanish Conquistadores. Rulers at first, come with good intentions, but over the course of time, they seek power.
Right now, the U.S. Is involved in the Middle East. What did we first come for? Weapons of Mass Destruction. We toppled Saddam, but we still haven't found any WMD's.
What about 9/11? Remember, Al Qaeda in Afghanistan attacked us in 9/11. So why are we now in Iraq, and not Afghanistan??
We still haven't captured Osama bin Laden, and we are stuck with Iraq, and we are in power, and people are such a BURDEN. We think we are in power, but the truth is that in the end we have to appease the IRaqi people. They were a sovereign nation, and in a way, right now, they are "the white man's burden."

History is an endless waltz.
Fated to repeat itself.


-What do you guys think?

anonymous February 11th, 2009 06:58AM  
While, this song is a direct reference to the rule of King Louis XVI, it also conveys the very theme of the song and album. It is a song about humility, as one who could vey well be ruling the world one day and be reduced to sweeping the streets the next (even though Louis was beheaded). Thus the meaning of "viva la Vida" is sent. Directly this is translated as "live the life", however it is a term used more so to mean "long live life". The message is to live your life to its fullest, and live in the moment, because you never know when the world may turn upside down around you.

anonymous February 26th, 2009 08:38PM  
Though it could be easily referred to historical happenings, the song could also be brought into a point of view where a regular person would be the main character. To me, I could see a person that's been left alone by his/her friends because of an action that this person has done. He/she begins to feel regret and at the chorus,
"I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing"
It may be suggesting a chance to redeem him/herself.
By the end of the song with
"For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name"
It could be saying that not all people will forgive the happening,
"Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world"
But he/she will continue to persist for forgiveness without going back to his/her original social status.

anonymous March 1st, 2009 09:30PM  
It's about King Louis XVI during the French Revolution and the painting on the cover is about the French Revolution, "Liberty Leading the People" by Eugene Delacroix. King Louis XVI because he once lived a life of extravagence and intimidating respect only to lose it all and be beheaded by the people of France.

anonymous June 4th, 2009 02:39AM  
Sounds like he's referring to our beloved W Bush to me.

anonymous June 11th, 2009 08:11PM  
Love your explanation UPpastmidnight about Jesus, you are right on.

anonymous July 17th, 2009 09:33PM  
there could be many reasons. french revolution and the saying what comes up most come down. when you are always above people and intimidating, in the end, the wall breas

anonymous August 10th, 2009 02:22PM  
Not to downplay any of the interpretations posted here (I think the great majority of them are really good!), I reckon the best way of going about interpreting a good song is to see how it applies, or what it means, to you and your life - the experience is better this way. So whether it is about Napoleon, King Louis the XVI, George Bush (hmm..) or whoever else isn't that important. Especially because unless Chris Martin actually posts his own interpretation on this thing (unlikely.. but crazier things have happened :P), we're never going to know exactly what every line was written to mean.

But that's the beauty of music.. It means something different to every individual, so let's not get too specific with the lyrics, otherwise we might exclude some people from finding any meaning in them for themselves. For myself it's quite personal - I sacrificed parts of myself to rise to the top of my social circle ("rule the world") and went from being a good studious lad to getting into heaps of bad stuff ("It was the wicked and wild wind, blew down the doors to let me in"). Although it was great for a long time, it inevitably backfired (revolution) as I wasn't being completely honest with myself ("never an honest word") and I lost respect with people who'd known me my whole life like my family ("people couldn't believe what i'd become"). It says to me that even kings (perhaps especially kings) need to question the real value of their lives. Sorry to get all soppy on you :P

Also, referring back to what someone said earlier.. I'm a bit of a muso myself and have written a few lyrics - not quite as good at it as coldplay :( but if all the lyrics in a song rhyme, I reckon you can be pretty sure they don't all have a perfect correlation or consistency with the intended meaning.. I could be wrong but I just think this would be quite a substantial coincidence! After all they are 'pop-rock', so catchiness and rhythm in the lyrics play a pretty big part.

Absolutely awesome song though.. Despite my little self-analogy back there I actually find it really uplifting. Why can't Satriani just be flattered!

anonymous August 11th, 2009 01:16PM  
i agree that the song could be about both the French king and Jesus. However, I think that the phrase "my head on a silver plate" refers to John, who baptized Jesus. He was beheaded and his head put on a silver plate.