Lyrics for Cemeteries of London as interpreted by rorow1

Cemeteries of London Lyrics
At night they would go walking
'till the breaking of the day
The morning is for sleeping
Through the dark streets they go searching
To see god in their own way
Save the night time for your weeping
Your weeping

Singing la la la la la la ehh
And the night over London lay

So we rode down to the river
where the Victorian ghosts pray
For the curses to be broken
We go underneath the arches
Where the witches are and they say
There are ghost towns in the ocean
The ocean

Singing la la la la la la ehh
And the night over London hey

God is in the houses and god is in my head
And all the cemeteries in London
I see god come in my garden but I don’t know what he said
For my heart it wasn’t open
Not open

Singing la la la la la la ehh
And the night over London hey

Singing la la la la la la eh
There’s no light over London today

Interaction
Mail to a friend Send Lyrics to a Friend
Share on Facebook

Stumble It
Add to Del.icio.us Add to Del.icio.us




  • 45 Comments
  • Printer Friendly Lyrics
oldest first     Expand All
tcaporale
06-05-2008

Rated 0 
I could see this becoming a single...Viva la Vida is the best album Coldplay have yet done. You can tell the band was having fun while recording it. Nobody can say they're just Radiohead or U2 copycats now...they've created their own unique sound.

This song itself is very cool...I love the chorus...not sure what it's about...a celebration of the dead, maybe? That's what this album seems to be about...a celebration of life and death. Great song, and, again, I wouldn't be surprised to see this or possibly 42 as a single.

Log in to reply
legoman163
06-07-2008

Rated 0 
probably just about those nights where everything is dark and everything is not going your way, and maybe you've sinned, with the lines "I see god come in my garden but I don’t know what he said
For my heart it wasn’t open"

Log in to reply
Tom T
06-10-2008

Rated -6 
oh my God after 3 excelleent albums we end up with this mess. what the hell makes it so difficult to write some descent pop songs without trying to be the soft rock black sabbath. I mean what have u morons been doing, watching casper the friendly ghost while dropping acid-God u guys suk.

Log in to reply
2 Replies
noyes
06-10-2008

Rated 0 
these are the correct lyrics:

At night they would go walking
'till the breaking of the day
The morning is for sleeping
Through the dark streets they go searching
to see god in their own way
Save the night time for your weeping
Your weeping

Singing la la la la la la laiy
And the night over London lay

So we rode down to the river
where Victorian ghosts pray
For the curses to be broken
We go underneath the arches
where the witches are and they say
There are ghost towns in the ocean
The ocean

Singing la la la la la la laiy
And the night over London lay

God is in the houses
and god is in my head
And all the cemeteries in London
I see god come in my garden
but I don’t know what he said
For my heart it wasn’t open
Not open

Singing la la la la la la laiy
And the night over London lay

Singing la la la la la la laiy
There’s no light over London today

Log in to reply
noyes
06-10-2008

Rated 0 
these are the correct lyrics:

At night they would go walking
'till the breaking of the day
The morning is for sleeping
Through the dark streets they go searching
to see god in their own way
Save the night time for your weeping
Your weeping

Singing la la la la la la laiy
And the night over London lay

So we rode down to the river
where Victorian ghosts pray
For the curses to be broken
We go underneath the arches
where the witches are and they say
There are ghost towns in the ocean
The ocean

Singing la la la la la la laiy
And the night over London lay

God is in the houses
and god is in my head
And all the cemeteries in London
I see god come in my garden
but I don’t know what he said
For my heart it wasn’t open
Not open

Singing la la la la la la laiy
And the night over London lay

Singing la la la la la la laiy
There’s no light over London today

Log in to reply
ihatehatehaters
06-10-2008

Rated 0 
Wow Tom T is an ass. He is one of those mindless fools who would prefer a band to recycle the same melodies and ideas album after album. I think Coldplay created a masterpiece here. This song is really cool, it has a really eerie feel which makes it a cool way to open the album lyrically.

Log in to reply
Tom T
06-10-2008

Rated -2 
errie way to open an album, How old ãre you 3. my God these guys need to make some songs that you can connect with on some level-what did they do have ã band sleep over and tell some real scary stories-gee maybe they forgot the flashlight-oh YA Ihate the village people have ã new cd out sounds about your cereable potential.

Log in to reply
Rhiannonroulette
06-10-2008

Rated 0 
Great signature you've got there, "ã"? I'm not surprised that you can't tell the difference between eerie and a Halloween caricature. I haven't had the misfortune to come across the village people album, but since you're so well acquainted with it perhaps you should stick to commenting that instead of wasting space. And if you're going to insult something for god's sake at least spell your insults properly.

Careful, your inadequacy is showing.

Log in to reply
Tom T
06-11-2008

Rated -3 
I understand that coldplay think there going to stepinto u2's shadow-nice try-might happen after rhiannons sex change so it can form village fags tribute band-loser

Log in to reply
ihatehatehaters
06-11-2008

Rated +2 
Tom T, sweet spelling. It's no surprise that someone on such a subpar intellectual level would choose to insult such a great song. But it looks like I'm the ass here, after all, I was just called a 3 year old by someone who misspells something that is already correctly spelled out for them. Go throw on your old Village People albums and quit commenting on things that are far over your head.

Log in to reply
Tom T
06-11-2008

Rated -1 
its to bad Ihate is such dolt-well one day he might discover one lonely neuron to help him find some decent music-besides coldplays wierdo rants about ghost playing london bridge is falling down on there career-oh on another note do u still go to the village people reunions-bunghole boy

Log in to reply
ihatehatehaters
06-12-2008

Rated -1 
Tom T, your so funny. You think you have everyone all figured out and that your opinion is the only valid one. I'll let you set in your ignorant ways. You're only hurting yourself by being so close minded. Maybe someday you will grow up, maybe not but in the end it is you who ends up sounding like a fool.

Oh, and I have never been a fan of The Village People but I can say that I can throw up one mean YMCA.

Log in to reply
1 Reply
HoliHallow
06-14-2008

Rated +1 
Guys? Grow up
This isn't a reviewing site anyway, it's for discussing the song meanings and the lyrics
I like this new album, it's very different from their previous stuff, but a little different is good sometimes :) other it'd just get boring if they recycled the same old songs over and over. My view on it.

This song is vague with it's meaning, but that's why I love coldplay, they leave you to make the interpretations. I think it's about someone searching for something, a truth or meaning, 'to see god in their own way' it describes their journey. Meaningful for someone who is searching for some truth or meaning in their life.

Log in to reply
ihatehatehaters
06-15-2008

Rated 0 
HoliHallow, didn't you just give your opinion on the song and the album? How is this different from reviewing? And when did it becoming childish to voice your opinion?

I do agree with you though that it definitely has the feel of someone searching for something to believe in. Even though the lyrics are vague, they still appear to be pretty deep.

Log in to reply
ItsAbout
06-16-2008

Rated 0 
The first post. Hello everyone. This one really captivates me, I've formed a special connection with it, and 42 too. It seems to be expressing some desire to connect with whats 'out there' a sort of spiritual vibe going on, its mystical and explores a new dimension. When we die we shed our pride (I'm being deep because Coldplay blatantly are) we go off to the grave and we are all equal, I think its about embracing the next phase and feeling whole again. Kind of envying the dead, but at the same time loving life too.

Log in to reply
KNGwithOUTaCrwN
06-17-2008

Rated 0 
well i agree with tom t in one way. i like the music that you can somewhat relate to and which makes it easier to understand too...the somewhat new and unique sound isnt that bad but...whatever

Log in to reply
rhllwyd
06-18-2008

Rated 0 
anyway...
must say that i disagree with somethings and can sense a definite radiohead influence, but people should stop criticising (sorry, i can't spell either!) them for that. never thought that anyone could pull out an album that could come close to be compared with the unique quality that radiohead produce. but finally i think coldplay have created something beautiful here, and VLV is a massive step forward for colplay...

Log in to reply
Maenberlin
06-19-2008

Rated 0 
I think Coldplay has extrapolated on a trend that is not at all foreign to what they've done past - and that is creating good music. Enough said.

Log in to reply
gerardokosonoy07
07-02-2008

Rated 0 
well i have to agree with HoliHallow on the statement that the lyrics are not precise on the meaning and also i don't believe the point he was trying to come across about people being childish on the internet was referring to giving out your opinion.. but on disclaiming someone elses interpretation of the song..(that was to you ihatehatehaters) well i believe this song is about someone who was searching for meaning in there life and perhaps they were without god...oh yea and you guys are idiots the ones who said that they're trying to copy radiohead...EVERYONE GREW UP LISTENING TO DIFFERENT TYPES OF MUSIC and it's obvious coldplay has been influenced by certain bands but it's how they manage to make it there own that really separates coldplay from being just another one hit band oh and yea guys just because you use big words which you obviously googled doesn't make you more of an intellectual^_^ alright

Log in to reply
UhnointedFaithful1
07-03-2008

Rated 0 
I think it's about not being able to hear or understand in God.

Log in to reply
acecartoons
07-04-2008

Rated 0 
WAY TO REALLY EMBARRASS YOURSELF TOM T
Coldplay just did something really ballsy and broke out of their cookie-cutter pop mode to create something truly epic and you're bitching, and bitching with terrible spelling nonetheless.

Since you are either nine or have the "cerebral" capacity of a nine-year-old, you weren't alive to see THE BEATLES go from cookie-cutter pop to the most influential band ever. Coldplay is just early on in their development, but definitely good to see them breaking the mold.

Log in to reply
Fish Maw
07-04-2008

Rated 0 
They should make a video for this song. This song give me a lot of pictures.

Log in to reply
shugabugs
07-05-2008

Rated 0 
i agree with uhnointedfaithful1 - the start of the song makes me think of folks out on a pub crawl to the early hours with partying as their form of religion. a lot of people reject god (inc me !) and he is therefore unable to shine his light on us

Log in to reply
illjumpforyou
07-06-2008

Rated +1 
In my opinion, this song is very difficult to understand, because from what i've taken in, very little of it can really be taken literally. The parts about death and ghosts could actually mean what they say, or it can be about memories, things or feelings that have "died" but that are revived by the places where they are most vividly remembered. Also I think the parts about night, day, morning, etc. need to be looked into further.
"At night they would go walking
'till the breaking of the day
The morning is for sleeping
Through the dark streets they go searching
To see god in their own way"
this is just a very far-out guess, but when i read this the expression "to be in the dark about something" comes to mind. so maybe they were "in the dark" about a belief or something (maybe that has to do with god?), and then the searching would fit in. the morning, or light could signify that after you have found what you were looking for, it has to sink in.
"I see god come in my garden but I don’t know what he said
For my heart it wasn’t open"
again, gives me the feeling that he is trying to understand god, and is searching for understanding?

Log in to reply
earthenvessel
07-09-2008

Rated +1 
I like your train of thought illjumpforyou. I think we have to remember Coldplay's use of metaphor in much of their lyrics to come to an accurate understanding of the song.

The imagery of ghosts and witches is not likely literal, but rather a metaphor for those who are spiritually dead. They long for life and know there is something else out there, and are desperately looking for it, but in the meantime are perhaps embarrassed about the way in which they currently understand (or don't understand) God. The clue to this is that the dead only go on their search at night, they walk the streets in darkness when they can safely remain hidden, but they put this part of themselves to bed in the morning, afraid to let the light of day reveal just how vulnerable their spiritual longings make them.

The writer observes there are ghost towns in the ocean. Indeed the ocean is full of graveyards in the literal sense of sunken ships, but I think the metaphor here might be that the sheer vastness of the ocean and way that it ties the whole world together with all its billions of people represents that this is not isolated to "my own garden" or even exclusively to his own town (i.e. London), but the writer is coming to an awareness that there are countless numbers in the world feeling this same sense of death inside.

Quite a sad song, really. It does not resolve with a shred of hope of any kind, in fact ends with "there's no light over London today," as if saddened by the fact that no one is ever actually real with themselves about this hidden part of their soul as we put it to sleep in the day and only allow it to explore in the darkness of night.

Log in to reply
1 Reply




  • Add Your Comments
What does this song mean to you?

You must be logged in to post your comments.

Feel free to create an account with us, or log in with your existing account, to start adding your comments to songs.





Popular
Top:   Lyrics, Artists, Albums
Random:   Lyric, Artist, Album

Your Ad Here