What does Green Eyes mean?

Coldplay: Green Eyes Meaning

Album cover for Green Eyes album cover
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Green Eyes Lyrics

Honey you are a rock
Upon which I stand
And I come here to talk
I hope you understand

That green eyes
Yeah the spotlight shines upon you
And how could anybody deny you
I came here with a load
And it feels so much lighter
Now I met...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 10th 2010 !⃝

    Undoubtedly, this is a love song. However there are hints to suggest that there can be an alternative meaning. In other words, I believe this song is intended to be ambiguous. If this song is purely a love song, the chorus "green eyes" is problematic because "green eyes" represent jealousy or envy. Shakespeare says in Othello that jealousy is a "green eyed monster". If we decide to interpret the song believing that the "green eyes" belong to the narrator, instead of his/her lover, the meaning changes significantly.

    In the first verse, the narrator claims that his lover is a "rock". This is a symbol of stability, or faithfulness. However, by the time the song reaches the second verse, the narrator says his love is a "sea", the epitome of instability. This represents the struggle in the narrator over deciding whether his lover is faithful or untrustworthy.

    Furthermore, the narrator's desire to talk can be seen as an attempt to begin an interrogation. The narrator begins with "the spotlight shines upon you", imagery that could depict an interrogation. Then he/she asks the question "how could anybody deny you?". This can be taken two ways. It can be understood to mean that no one should deny the lover because he/she is truthful; or a claim that it is unbelievable that the lover can remain faithful despite being extremely desirous.

    In the next part, the narrator says that, "[he/she] came here with a load, and it feels so much lighter since [he/she] met [her/him]". This also can be understood in two different ways. Either the narrator came with a burden in his/her heart and felt much better after talking to his/her lover; or the narrator came with a "load", which can be taken to mean ammunition, and he/she feels lighter after emptying the barrel.

    In conclusion, the song can be taken in two different ways. Either, the green eyes are a symbol of the beauty of the lover; or it is symbolic of the envy of the narrator. The way the song is worded is intentionally ambigious. For example, "I hope you understand" is sandwiched by "I came here to talk" and "green eyes". So, either, the narrator is asking the lover to understand on some spiritually deep level why he/she came to talk; or he/she wants the lover to understand why he/she has "green eyes", or envy. The fact that a love song can be interpreted to be a song about jealousy raises complex questions over the nature of love and speaks of the ability of envy to dominate what began as a loving relationship.

    I want to add that this song imitates Othello's interrogation of Desdemona in Shakespeare's, Othello, with the prevalence of religious and judicial language, and that there is a high probability that Chris Martin used "green eyes" as an allusion to Shakespeare, as he probably had knowledge of Shakespeare's works due to education at one of England's premiere universities.

    Of course, my interpretation could just be some wild theory that never entered the songwriter's head as he wrote the song. I apologize for the length of the analysis. I just felt that the song needed to be thoroughly analyzed if my proposition was to be held credible.

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 22nd 2009 !⃝

    The lyrics are open to anyone's interpretation.

    For me, it basically describes how lovestruck I am for a girl at the moment.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 28th 2006 !⃝

    This song isn't about gwyneth paltrow. It was written for a past girlfriend. Chris has said that this is the reason why he never sings it anymore as she has blue eyes and not green.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Sep 30th 2020 !⃝

    He has found someone that he never dreamed that he would ever find. He was down and she brought him out of the darkness. She became his shinning light. He needed stability, someone to lean on and she was the one. He was so much in love and she so perfect he couldn't imagine anyone ever denying her. She was someone so right he could not even imagine someone like her in his life. Now that he found here, can't imagine his life without her.

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    May 11th 2017 !⃝

    Green eyes. It came to me while I was driving down the street listening to the song. Whether the meaning is meant to be interpreted this way or not, you can decide. "Green eyes" represent the green lights of traffic lights. In some sense, the streets have eyes of there own. "The spotlight shines upon you". The light is the light the shines through the green cap of the light. "How could anybody deny you?" In other words, how could anyone sit at a green light without moving forward? It is our tendency to accept the green light and move forward. "I came here with a load", representing the load of cars that build up at the streetlights of cities at red lights, "And it feels so much lighter now I met you" the mass of cars move forward and empties the area that sits before the green eyes. "Green eyes, you're the one that I wanted to find". On your way to a destination, the green lights are preferred over red lights, especially when running late. "And anyone who tried to deny you must be out of their mind". Anyone who decides to sit idle in front of a green light would be perceived as crazy by any other driver. Just imagine a city road, and a person who decides to not pass through a green light. "And honey you should know, that I could never go on without you" The green eyes signal street traffic to move forward. Drivers sit patiently behind red lights, waiting for green eyes to allow us to move forward. "Honey you are a rock" Rock representing street. "Upon which I stand", speaking from the perspective of a vehicle.

    If you don't believe me, play this song while driving through a busy street and see the green lights as green eyes. :)

  6. anonymous
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    Mar 22nd 2017 !⃝

    Ive heard that it is about a girl or that it is about his cat or that it is about his friend but he might of made it for them but it still about how he loves someone or something so much he can't let it go or let it go through pain and that he wants it close to him without it won't be the same.

  7. anonymous
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    Jun 4th 2014 !⃝

    Chris is not gay, he just has a best friend, that has green eyes. He shares his load with his friend, he finds moral support in him. I think it's really sweet for friends to do, and Chris just made this song with the word "honey" to people don't think he wrote it for a friend

    ~BUCKIN <42

  8. anonymous
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    Oct 2nd 2013 !⃝

    The song 'Green Eyes' has been proven in several interviews with Chris and Jonny and by the band's Oracle (an anonymous person who answers submitted questions on the boys' website) that 'Green Eyes' is meant for Jonny Buckland, Chris' longstanding friend. It has many fans proving the existence of a love/friendship relationship between the two blokes known as Buckin.
    Gwyneth and Chris didn't get married until 2003(?) and the song was most likely written between September 2001 through March 2002 for their album 'A Rush of Blood to the Head.' So most likely, it wasn't written for Gwyneth (who has blue eyes).
    If you watch interviews or live performances, you can see the smile chemistry between Chris and Jonny. One of the most profound being when Chris said that "I used to sing about people and a lot of those people were boys. It's just that, a love song addressed to your guitar player… It's easier in interviews to say: "Oh yeah, it's about a girl."

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 24th 2013 !⃝

    There are reports of it being about his wife and that he feels it wrong to sing about green eyes when she has blue but in my opinion it IS about his best friend Jonny Buckland, his best friend for over 15 years.
    He has green eyes and he has said that his longest relationship he's ever had was with Jonny and he says he'll always introduce him as a best friend than a bandmate.
    That's where Buckin (BUCKland/MartIN) comes along since love doesnt have to be just couples but friendships and in my opinion it is about him since he loves his best friend. Jonny is said that he has always been insecure about his appearance and he is shy.
    This was Chris's way of telling him he's good looking and amazing just the way he is.

  10. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 17th 2013 !⃝

    Mate, get your facts straight, this song was written way before Chris Martin met Gwyneth Paltrow! It can't be for her!

  11. anonymous
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    Dec 1st 2012 !⃝

    Its for Gwyneth Paltrow, look up images of her, see her eyes.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  12. anonymous
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    Nov 15th 2012 !⃝

    Green Eyes is totally about Chris's best friend (actually it's way more than that)(just Google Image the words ''Buckin Coldplay'') Jonny Buckland. They are definite soulmates. If you know this band, then you know that it's about Jonny, and Jonny alone. And it's beautiful.

    ~QZ~

  13. anonymous
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    Oct 22nd 2012 !⃝

    It was written for Chris Martin best friend and guitarist in Coldplay, Jonny Buckland, because they are both secertly gay and dating each other. Jonny has green eyes. It fits.

    BUCKIN FOREVER <3

  14. anonymous
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    May 20th 2012 !⃝

    I think Green Eyes is a prayer to God. In the Bible God is name as a Rock and as a Sea. God always calm the people trough his words of wisdom, but the people must find him so "You are the one who always try to find!" God is undoubtly true so "How anybody try to deny you it must be out his mind". When we have loads of problems we can elevate a prayer and always we feel lighter because God can take control of those. In the Bible in the book of Mathew God says: "brings all the loads to me, my yoke is lighter", so that is the message.
    I don't really think that Chris Martin wrote this song for a prayer to God, but that is Art! a way to evoque emotions everyone can interpret a piece of art and feel any emotion.

  15. anonymous
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    Nov 29th 2011 !⃝

    Absinthe.

  16. anonymous
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    Jun 16th 2011 !⃝

    You guys see this poem way to figurative... It turns out Chris Martin is rocksexual and honeysexual, and he makes love to it by standing on the rock. During the sexual intercourse he was planning to talk to the rock, just to try something new and he hopes the rock will understand it.

    The green eyes represent the two green eyes he drawed on the rock to make it look like a face, so it looks more humane. The spotlight that shines upon the rock means that he is just filming his sexual intercourse so he can later see it back to see what he did well and what could be improve. Here he also says that he thinks it's strange how people could deny the rock, he probably has a personal view on that.

    He came with a load and it felt so much lighter when he met the rock. I don't think explanation is necessary here... Next line shows that he actually has to relationships! He suddenly is honeysexual too. He likes to have sex with honey.

    Next verse shows that he was heavily under the influence of shrooms, for he confuses honey to be the sea. He also thinks he can float on the honey, which is the way to perform sexual intercourse with honey. He also wants to talk with the honey during the sex to see how the honey will react. That he wants us, the listeners to know.

    Again he came with a load, but now to the honey and again, it felt much lighter since he met the honey. Guess how. He is now seriously considering to choose the honey above the rock.

    Next he sees green eyes everywhere in the sky or something which he finds so sensational, he ejaculates again, by saying 'Ohohohohooooo' with it four times.

    Last he thinks the honey is the rock and he goes performing sexual intercourse with the rock again.

  17. anonymous
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    Mar 21st 2011 !⃝

    This song means he was in love with someone with green eyes. And that he regrets ever loosing them...:/

  18. anonymous
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    Apr 11th 2009 !⃝

    The song was written for an American friend and Coldplay's guitarist Jonny! It's not for Gwyneth or for a girlfriend! It's for his best friend! It doesn't have to be a love song you know! Chris does perform Green Eyes live but not, all the time, it's not that Gwyneth won't let him, Chris is just sick of people thinking it was written for Gwyneth. It's Jonny's song.

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