Swallowed in the Sea

it's rare that song lyrics stand out to me, but this song immediately grabbed my attention. This "person A" was feeling lost and confused, for whatever reason, and is singing about "person B", who saved them from heading down a dangerous path. I think there is something keeping them from being together - whether it be distance, etc. This had caused Person B to give up hope of ever being happy and just wanted to settle for less ("swallowed in the sea" of fish), but Person A had completely selfless feelings for them and knew that they deserved better. . I'm not sure if I believe in the idea of soulmates, but I think this song pretty accurately describes it. Two people who are meant to be together in the end, no matter what. Fate only takes you so far, the rest is up to you.

I'm dealing with something like this right now, it's tough and it hurts - but I have faith. complete faith. it seems ridiculously naive but I can't change the way I feel. I refuse to settle for less. I kind of feel like a tool for writing this, I just felt like letting it out.

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!

I love this song. One of my favorites off X&Y.

"You belong with me, not swallowed in the sea" Anybody remember the saying "there are plenty of fish in the sea"? That lyric reminded me of that saying. He's saying that she belongs with him, not swallowed in the sea of other fish (people).

"Get lost and then get found"- he's lost her and found her again. Maybe they broke up and got back together again.

This song immediately stood out in my mind as a way to express the hardships of all those affected by the tsunami. The lyrics do sound personal, between one person and another of a close relationship, but several lines reflect events from the natural disaster in january. In the third stanza, chris uses the words "shook" as an earthquake, "lost and found" and of course the title "swallowed in the sea".
I'd like to think that this song is a bit of a pray for those that were swallowed by the sea that day. Chris shows a lot a socio/religio/political emotion in his songs and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if he does it here again.

like always, every song means something different to everyone...

This is the most beautiful song off the new album, so amazing.

Well I can actually TELL you what it means. I was looking at the official Coldplay site and somewhere on it there is mention to the new album and the song Swallowed In The Sea. The song is actually about the death of a loved one.

Hence the swallowed in the sea lines and "you belong with me". He misses the person he has lost and wishes they were back with him.

"you belong with me Not swallowed in the sea"...Maybe this part is talking about a guy saying to a girl that she belongs with him not by someone else....LIke "there are plenty of fish in the sea"...swallowed in the sea might mean she gets taken by another guy

This song means a lot to different people. But to me, it's about two people with a tricky relationship. It could be girl singing to guy, but since I'm a girl I picture it coming from a guy.

"You cut me down a tree and brought it back to me, that's what made me see where I was going wrong"

He realizes she would do anything for him, and he realizes how much he's in love with her.

"And I could write a song A hundred miles long Well, that's where I belong And you belong with me

And I could write it down Or spread it all around Get lost and then get found Or swallowed in the sea"

But he really just doesn't know how to love her, even though he wants to. This is hurting her and she becomes "swallowed in the sea" The sea of her own self-hatred/depression. Instead he just writes because that's all he knows to do.

"You put me on a line And hung me out to dry And darling that's when I Decided to go to see you

You cut me down to size And opened up my eyes Made me realize What I could not see"

He realizes how badly she is hurting. She lashes out and that's when it hits him that she needs help.

"And I could write a book The one they'll say that shook The world, and then it took It took it back from me"

He could fill a whole book with this feeling, etc.

"And I could write a song A hundred miles long Well, that's where I belong And you belong with me"

He could and would (and is) write a song for her. He goes on to say that she doesn't deserve to be "swallowed in the sea" of sadness, she belongs with them. And they deserve to be happy together. He says this over and over again. One thing with depression is counselors sometimes make their patients repeat things over and over like "I am loved" or "I deserve happiness" He's trying desperately to convince her of this.

"The streets you're walking on A thousand houses long Well, that's where I belong And you belong with me"

To me, the "streets" she's walking on, symbolize the journey she is taking to get better. It's an extremely long road; "A thousand houses long." To me, it's implied there is eventually a house at the end of this road just for them. But that's probably just me who thinks that. He says "the streets YOU'RE walking on." He's basically saying "well, if that's where you are, then that's where I should be, because we belong together. Even if it's a thousand miles long"

"Oh what good is it to live With nothing left to give Forget but not forgive Not loving all you see"

Reminding her how beautiful life can be. Why would you want to live if you can't love?

This is the most beautiful song off the new album, so amazing.