| Coldplay – Swallowed in the Sea Lyrics | 19 years ago |
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First of all, this is one of the most endearing songs I've heard in quite some time. Absolutely gorgeous in more ways than just melody and chord changes. Secondly, the song reminds me of a very Irish sea-faring melody. Irish music has a penchant for being particularly "sad"...which, while this song IS about love, I get more of the "lost chance" love song than a truly uplifting song. My analysis (completely my opinion, and I'm going to assume that a GUY is singing to/about a girl): "You cut me down a tree..." - seems to me that a girl wrote a long "dear john" letter to the singer. "You put me a shelf..." - the girl puts his picture in a box on a shelf. NOTE...this picture theme will come back. Obviously, it was something he did. "I could write a song..." - (refrain) the singer is reflecting on his love...obviously, he has a lot of love for the girl. He belongs "in love". She belongs with him (in love). "and I could write it down..." - (more refrain) sort of a duplication of the previous metaphor only with a book. I like this verse because of how he's referring to "timeless love", ending up in the lost & found or even lost (swallowed) at sea...which incidentally, while being literal can obviously be a metaphor for love being lost forever. "You put me on a line..." - beautiful double meaning here. (literal) Line = Telephone call that doesn't go very well. (metaphor) This is the picture thing...pictures are put on a line and hung up to dry (yes this could be laundry too...but I like the picture analogy). Anyway, he goes to see her in person. "You cut me down to size..." - double meaning again. (Literal) they had an arguement. (Metaphor) cutting down a picture to fit in a frame. Sorta gives you the dirt and the hope all in the same sentence...very tidy. "And I could write a book..." - (refrain-ish section) Lots of love and drama going into this "book" of his. The nice thing about this section is that it talks about the "world taking it back" as a reference to being swallowed in the sea. "And I could write it down..." - (refrain section 2) see previous refrain sections. Obviously, we're getting the point that he has a lot of love to show. He's very hopeful that she gets the point of this song. "ooohhh...ahhh" - typical B section in most songs. Not much to say, which contrasts nicely to the onslaught of poetry sandwiching this section. "I could write a song..." - (refrain) see previous refrains. "The streets your walking on..." - (refrain section type 3) There is beauty in this refrain section since it's different than the other refrain sections, but he's obviously professing that she should forgive him and they should be together. "O what good is it to live?..." - (refrain section variation) He's telling her that life is better in love than not. Why not forgive him? etc. "Oh the streets you're walking on..." - (refrain section type 3 again). She belongs with him. Not lost forever. (end analysis) In the end, it's a song about needing forgiveness. So indeed, a "hopeful" song, yet particularly sad since it's not quite in a state of resolve. Oh well, let's hope the guy gets the girl after all. Beautiful song! |
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