Coldplay – What If

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What if there was no lie
Nothing wrong, nothing right
What if there was no time
And no reason, or rhyme
What if you should decide
That you don't want me there by your side
That you don't want me there in your life

What if I got it wrong
And no poem or song
Could put right what I got wrong
Or make you feel I belong

What if you should decide
That you don't want me there by your side
That you don't want me there in you life

Oooooooh that's right
Lets take a breath try to put it aside
Ooooooh that's right
How can you know it if you don't even try
Ooooooh that's right

Every step that you take
Could be your biggest mistake
It could bend or it could break
That's the risk that you take

What if you should decide
That you don't want me there in your life
That you don't want me there by your side

Oooooooh that's right
Lets take a breath try to put it aside
Ooooooh that's right
How can you know when you don't even try
Ooooooh that's right

Send "What If" Ringtone to Cell


Lyrics submitted by emgee

Track duration: 04:57

"What If" as written by Martin/wilson

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


What If song meanings
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  • 0
    My Interpretation:i really think its about a girl thats convinced she cant be with him and he is trying to tell her that how do you know if you havent tried
    Flag johansgon December 18, 2012   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation:I believe this song is about a man who is singing to a girl who is scared of falling for him possibly due to past experiences in relationships. She is terrified of taking a risk but the guy tries to reason with her:
    "Every step that you take, could be your biggest mistake
    It could bend or it could break, but that's the risk that you take"

    "Oooh that's right,
    Let's take a breath and put it aside"

    He is telling the girl to put her past relationship which caused so much hurt aside.

    "Oooh that's right,
    How can you know it if you don't even try?"

    How can she know what to expect from the relationship if she hasn't even tried it with the guy?

    This is a brilliant song I only found recently. What have I been missing?
    Flag MirlyMeon November 12, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:To me this song is asking somebody to take a chance with them. They're saying that well what if they decide they don't want to be together? He's telling her to be brave and take that chance whilst it's there otherwise he will always be thinking about what could have been and will never have known if they could have been great together and will always be thinking well... 'what if?'
    Flag vicksy123on March 09, 2012   Link
  • +2
    General Comment:It sounds like ode to bravery. Or mental state that's pushing us to make big decisions.
    I understood it like attempt to finally let someone go, when your mind is aware of the fact that it has to be done, though the heart hurts incredibly.
    So we "take a breath and jump over the side".
    So, even though we don't want to believe in the "what if" question, the mind keeps asking.
    If you were in a position to be the one that has to make a move, and the other side (whether it's a lover or a friend) is the one that has to go :( or that wants it but don't want to make you suffer and later feel guilty about that, you'll understand this song the same way.
    So, what if the time has come to let someone go?
    "What if I got it wrong
    And no poem or song
    Could put right what I got wrong
    Or make you feel I belong"
    So, no matter how hard I try, what if there is no way for making you stay?
    And "what I got wrong" is actually the way he understood things, it should not be understood as "what I did wrong".
    "What if I got it wrong" is a thing that you'd ask yourself if you were in a state of confusion for too long, that's the first thing you would ask yourself. Whether you are ready to accept it or not.
    When you love somebody and you feel it's wrong, you tend to feel sorry particularly because of that idea that IT COULD WORK; and, what if you got it wrong.....
    Flagged WorldEndson January 26, 2011   Link
    • 2 Replies
  • 0
    Song Meaning:Its like "let's take a chance and see what happens!" like when we burned our hands back when we were children.
    Flag Conspicuouson May 23, 2010   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:
    This song definitely speaks to a person not willing to commit in a relationship.

    Every step toward the relationship could be a mistake, and it could all fall apart. But that's part of the risk you have to take. That's what makes a worthwhile relationship so damn special. But someone is too scared to commit, waiting to decide whether or not they want to move forward; without ever trying to give them a shot.

    He's saying let's take the risk. Let's find out together. Let's take a deep breath and see how far we can go.

    Flag Nyloon September 18, 2009   Link
  • -6
    General Comment:Stole the Title from Creed....
    Flag greatelephant1966on March 06, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:What if means to me, What if you done something that you could never fix and much like "flying fuck" from page 1 said, the love is still there but nothing can fix that wrong. Understading that poems & songs are two of the closest things to literally exposeing your soul to aperson when written honestly for a person from another person. To go as far as to say that those twoemotionally charged things can not put this wrong that was done right is saying that it truly is a lost cause, and even though the love is still there, it may be time to take a breath and jump over the side because truthfully when two people love each other and no common ground can be found it is time to jump over the side because like Chris Martin said if you dont you will never know because you never try. When you can no longer be together with a person DESPITE how much you love them it tends to make you afraid to leave because a love so strong that it makes you afraid to leave even in the face of pain has to be a major and maybe even dare i say, a once in a lifetime thing.But on teh flipside of that is a failed relationship which still has love that strong is a horrible contradiction to live because the emotional side of you longs for that connection but the mental side of you wants to rescue you from teh pain of the realationship that has failed so you have to take a breath and jump over the side just to save yourselves
    Flag Rakim360on October 11, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:To me this song talks about all the thoughts that run through the mind of ppl when they are in a relationship thats becoming serious. they start thinking all these horrible things and end up messing up the wonderful relationship they are in. The song is telling ppl forget all that bs and just go with it. Give it a chance. Dont be afraid. Ull never know until u let go.
    Flag DrachmasEruson July 16, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I completely agree with Klodholz, i came out of a relationship because she wouldn't commit to it and it felt as if i was the person doing all the work while she was just sitting there relaxing and enjoying it all, even though i always ended up fucking things over because she wasn't willing to try new things

    The first time i heard this song after we had broke up i ended up crying myself to sleep :(
    Flag Tdavila123on June 23, 2007   Link

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