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Was a long and dark December
From the rooftops I remember
There was snow
White snow
Clearly I remember
From the windows they were watching
While we froze down below
When the future's architectured
By a carnival of idiots on show
You'd better lie low
[Chorus]
If you love me
Won't you let me know?
Was a long and dark December
When the banks became cathedrals
And the fox
Became God
Priests clutched onto bibles
Hollowed out to fit their rifles
And the cross was held aloft
Bury me in armour
When I'm dead and hit the ground
My nerves are poles that unfold
[Chorus]
I don't want to be a soldier
With the captain of some sinking ship
Would stow, far below
So if you love me
Why'd you let me go?
I took my love down to violet hill
There we sat in snow
All the time she was silent and still
[Chorus: x2]
From the rooftops I remember
There was snow
White snow
Clearly I remember
From the windows they were watching
While we froze down below
When the future's architectured
By a carnival of idiots on show
You'd better lie low
[Chorus]
If you love me
Won't you let me know?
Was a long and dark December
When the banks became cathedrals
And the fox
Became God
Priests clutched onto bibles
Hollowed out to fit their rifles
And the cross was held aloft
Bury me in armour
When I'm dead and hit the ground
My nerves are poles that unfold
[Chorus]
I don't want to be a soldier
With the captain of some sinking ship
Would stow, far below
So if you love me
Why'd you let me go?
I took my love down to violet hill
There we sat in snow
All the time she was silent and still
[Chorus: x2]
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"Was a long and dark December
From the rooftops I remember
There was snow
White snow
Clearly I remember
From the windows they were watching
While we froze down below"
"Dark december" indicates that it was a hard time, but it's not the only indicator. The second verse means that there's a huge wealth gap- the wealthy watch the dirt poor freeze outside.
"When the future's architectured
By a carnival of idiots on show"
The government is a shadow, useless puppets controlled by money.
"If you love me
Won't you let me know?"
The subplot of the song, the narrator has someone he loves but she won't say she loves him back.
"Was a long and dark December
When the banks became cathedrals
And the fox
Became God"
Banks became cathedrals suggests that money has become the most important thing, with a greater hold on people's lives than anything else. Foxes served as tricksters in a lot of Native American lore, meaning the second two lines here refer to bankers and the rich as greedy manipulators with the one thing people need and value.
"Priests clutched onto bibles
Hollowed out to fit their rifles
And the cross was held aloft"
Corrupt religious leaders pretend to rally around spiritualism, but are really just trying to gain power.
"Bury me in armour
When I'm dead and hit the ground
My nerves are poles that unfold"
"Bury me in armour" is the narrator asking for God's protection after he inevitably dies, forced to be a soldier for the falling, useless government, which we know because of these lines:
"I don't want to be a soldier
With the captain of some sinking ship
Would stow, far below"
Again, he's been forced to fight for a doomed cause.
"I took my love down to violet hill
There we sat in snow
All the time she was silent and still"
Violet hill refers to a soldier's cemetery, where the narrator's been buried. His love comes to visit him, but she still doesn't say she loves him.
Beautiful song, and pretty sad. Coldplay, in my opinion, is like poetry with music backgrounds. It really is amazing.
Think I got anything wrong? Feel free to tell me in the comments.
"Priests clutched onto bibles
Hollowed out to fit their rifles
And the cross was held aloft"
This is about how Christianity is trying to warn and protect America from the Muslims.
The hypocrisy in our government is ridiculous, isn't it?
Obama will in one breath say the "Holy Q'uran" and "The Holy Prophet Muhammad" and in the next breath simply say "Bible" and "Jesus". If you're going to show respect to a religion who blows people up, at least show respect to the ones who don't.
"Was a long and dark December
From the rooftops I remember
There was snow
White snow"
This is talking about how, from a future perspective, this character fondly looks back to a time without the conflict, before the oppression of this religion.
"Clearly I remember
From the windows they were watching
While we froze down below"
I believe this is talking to the govenment, who have allowed its own people to be oppressed, mistreated and discrimitated against.
"When the future's architectured
By a carnival of idiots on show
You'd better lie low"
This is saying that things are now controlled by these religious lunatics who are willing to kill for their god, and people should convert or die.
I think the chorus is saying to the government, who still tries to install some kind of pride in their diminishing society, if you love us so much, why are you letting this happen.
"Was a long and dark December
When the banks became cathedrals
And the fox
Became God"
This is saying that eventually, this invasive religion took over everything in their lifestyle and the banks are now controlled by them, along with other important aspects of their life.
"Priests clutched onto bibles
Hollowed out to fit their rifles
And the cross was held aloft"
I think this is also saying how people are killing for god. However, i also think this means members of other religions are trying to fight back against the oppressing extremists.
"Bury me in armour
When I'm dead and hit the ground
My nerves are poles that unfold"
I think this is saying that whoever is telling this story is not going to give in to this religion and is going to fight untill he dies.
"I don't want to be a soldier
With the captain of some sinking ship
Would stow, far below"
This is saying that although he will die for his cause, he wishes the oppressors would just leave them alone and stop the killing.
"So if you love me
Why'd you let me go?
I took my love down to violet hill
There we sat in snow
All the time she was silent and still"
The first part is him again asking those who once ruled his nation, why they let this happen. The last part is talking about his grave.
By a carnival of idiots on show"
I think it cuts a bit closer to home than religious lunatics - George Bush and Tony Blair, perhaps?
"Was a long and dark December
When the banks became cathedrals
And the fox
Became God"
Perhaps the lyrics are trying to say that money has become their new religion, with the banks as their places of worship (cathedrals). As for the fox - it's Fox News.
And then it's talking about Fox News "When the fox/ Became god"
This is basically a huge liberal ranting, and it's awesome because you'd never expect Coldplay (out of all of the bands in the world) to ever go political. Viva La Vida is a spectacular album and doesn't get the credit it deserves from the hipsters at Pitchfork.