Viva La Vida - Coldplay
Lyrical Analysis
Coldplay's Biography
Coldplay are an English alternative rock band from London, formed in 1998. The group comprises Chris Martin (lead vocals, keyboards, guitar), Jonny Buckland (lead guitar), Guy Berryman (bass guitar), and Will Champion (drums, backing vocals, other instruments).
Coldplay's early material was compared to acts such as Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, U2, and Travis. They achieved worldwide fame with the release of the single "Yellow", followed by their debut album, Parachutes (2000), which was nominated for the Mercury Prize. The band's second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), won multiple awards, including NME's Album of the Year. Their next release, X&Y (2005), received a slightly less enthusiastic yet still generally positive reception. The band's fourth studio album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008), was produced by Brian Eno and released again to largely favourable reviews, earning several Grammy nominations and wins. Coldplay have sold over 50 million records worldwide.
- A direct quote from lyricsfreaks.com
Literary Divices in the Song
Metaphors
There are two metaphors in this song and these are them just a puppet on a string & I used to roll the dice.
Biblical Allusions
There are many biblical allusions to those who can see them. They are very well hidden in this son, but they are still there. One of them is a reference of an old bible tale. It is that if you build your castle on salt or sand, it will surely fall. This is seen in this line : "And I discovered that my castles stand;Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand."
The next thing that is seen in the song is this line in the chorus: "Roman Cavalry choirs are singing..." This is a reference to the soldier who said "This is truly the son of God!" at Jesus' crucifixion. The singer is Pontius Pilate, who is regretting his decision. The final allusion is right before the song ends, which is this:"I know Saint Peter won't call my name." This shows that the singer thinks that he will not go to Heaven, but to Hell for his actions.
Rhyme
Every line rhymes except for these two lines: For some reason I can't explain
Once you go there was never. The rest of the lines rhyme.
Websites used to aid me in my search: rock.rapgenius.com; google; A-Z Lyrics and other lyric websites.
Figurative or Literal?
It is figurative, as seen by how the song is from a deceased persons point of view.
Finally, Golden lines.
Just a puppet on a lonely string, oh who would ever want to be king?
I use to roll the dice, feel the fear in my enemy's eyes.