Coldplay: Clocks Meaning
Song Released: 2003
Clocks Lyrics
Tides that I tried to swim against
Brought me down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead
Singin’, come out if things aren’t said
Shoot an apple off my head
And a, trouble that can’t be named...
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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It's about....time.
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The songs "Clocks" by Coldplay is about death, more to the point where you stop regreting your life and think how much better heaven is. The song and the lyrics contrast each other. The music represents the thinking of heaven and the lyrics voice concerns when someone is dying or has died. The first verse,
"Lights go out and I can't be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
You've put me down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and please, singing." This verse is about a man fighting to stay alive but how he just cant overcome death or time. The next verse is about everying he has not accomplished in his life. The problems he'll never know and the "taming a tiger" is the problems he'll never be able to solve. the next verse is about the sprial of death and the time is near. "Home" means the heavens. The chours is about the connection between music and lyrics and how great place heaven is and they are dead and will stay forever. this song's iterption is upto debate buit i thinnk it is about death and you cant control it -
This song to me is very clearly about a man who likes a girl but is so afraid of telling her that when he finds out she already knows he goes into a coma and has a dream in which he is forced to sift through his memories and morals in order to free himself before his body stops from the stress caused by the fear of telling the girl how he feels. the very beginning of the firs verse "lights go out..." basically him going into the coma. "i cant be saved" means that no one can save him because the problem isn't physical, its mental. "tides that i tried to swim against" is a metaphor for the twisting chaos of the dream he is in, because he is basically seeing all sorts of crazy objects that ether represent something about him or are part of his memories. "You've put me down upon my knees" means that he has become humbled by the experience that he is going through. "oh I beg I beg and plead" means that he is praying to god to help him escape the confines of the crazy world of his mind that he has been trapped in. "come out of things unsaid" means that what he is going through is because of something that he has been keeping to himself. "shoot an apple off my head" means he is being asked to do something very hard to say yes to (because if you have an apple on your head and someone is going to shoot it there is a good chance that you're head will get shot instead). "trouble that can't be named" refers to his feelings for the girl that he cant tell her. "a tigers waiting to be tamed" is a metaphor for the trouble caused by his feelings that he needs to sort out. the next verse in witch he repeats "you are, you are" isn't finished because he is trying to say how he feels about the girl but he is so afraid that his emotions prevent him from expressing his feelings. "confusion never stops" refers to the twisted and confusing chaos that his dream is exploding in to, and how he doesn't understand what his brain is trying to tell him. "closing walls and ticking clocks" is referring to his body that is vastly approaching the point when his heart stops from how he is so afraid of expressing his feelings. "come back and take your home" is narrating something that in his dream he is trying to find the girl he likes so he is calling out for her to find him. "i could not stop that you know know" refers to how no matter what he did he couldn't prevent her from finding out and causing him to enter this coma. "come out upon my seas" basically means that he is calling out for his minds representation of her to come out into the open so he can find her and hopefully escape the dream and wake up in the real world. "cursed miss opportunities" means that he is finally starting to realize the problem and thinks that if he had told her beforehand this might never have happened to him. "am I part of the cure, or am i part of the disease" is even more reference to him finally realizing why he is in the coma, which is because he assumed that the whole time he was supposed to find his minds representation of the girl, when really that was why he was in the coma, what he should have been doing was bring himself to realize how stupid it was to be afraid of how h felt. the next parts are his desperate attempt to overcome his feelings before his heart gives out, and how he finally manages to get a few words of how he feels out "and nothing else compares...". however it is to late and he dies, but as he is drifting in to death he thinks to himself how simple the answer is and how all he really wanted was to return home "home, home, where i wanted to go".
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Time Moving By Too Quickly
Although the Coldplay song “Clocks” can be widely interpreted into almost every situation, the speaker seems to be engaging in a losing battle with time and his life ending. The opening line of “Lights go out and I can’t be saved” sound like he is on his death bed nearing the end and nothing can be done about it – he is past the point of no return. In the second verse, “Confusion never stops” suggests that the speaker doesn’t understand why his life is coming to an end so soon when he feels that he has so much more to accomplish. Similarly, “Closing walls and ticking clocks” signify that time keeps passing him despite his trying to fight it, and the closing walls is time caving in on him, thus the reality of death settling in. “Cursed missed opportunities” is a regretful reflection of the past wishing he would’ve taken more risks. In the chorus when the speaker sings “You are” and cannot finish the line, it gives the impression that he is dying and can’t gain the strength to finish what he has to say. “Oh no nothing else compares” may be referring to the value he puts on his life, though it is dwindling down right in front of his eyes. The last line of the song reads, “Home, home where I wanted to go” which struck me as if he just wants to leave his death bed and go back to his home where he feels a sense of safety and security. Overall, this song proves to be the singer’s battle with time. -
This song, Clocks, has much meaning in it. It can be interpreted in many ways and can be applied in many situations. But, this is song is strikes mostly as a relationship song. This speaker is a sad boyfriend, who's heart has been broken. By "tides that I tried to swim against", he means that he's gone through so much trouble and he's tried so hard to make things work. By "You've put me down on upon my knees" he means that he feels hopeless. When he says "part of the cure, or am I part of the disease", he's questioning and blaming himself. He's confused and regretful. You can also see how pressured he feels when he mentions how the "confusion never stops, closing walls and ticking clocks". This line also means that time is running out, chances for a better relationship are running out. The interesting incomplete segment of "you are" shows how all he thinks about is her. No matter where he is, or he's with, it's all about her. The line "home, home, where I wanted to go", refers to him wanting to be in a more comfortable and happy place, when he and his girlfriend were happy and content. The overall meaning of the song is about how he regrets a breakup with his ex-girlfriend, and he wishes that they could get back together. This is such a poetic song that can fit into anyone's life.
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The song “Clocks” by Coldplay, written by Chris Martin, is about an addiction that is taking over the speaker’s life. The speaker is someone who feels helpless against the powerful addiction and feels like he or she has lost control. The first line is, “Lights go out and I can’t be saved,” which means that the speaker feels like he or she is in the dark, lost and hopeless. The speaker is losing the fight against the addiction, and uses a metaphor, “Tides that I tried to swim against,” to symbolize his or her weakness. The speaker says, “I beg and plead,” which personifies the addiction by making it something that the speaker can ask for mercy from. The speaker’s problem is a “trouble that can’t be named” because it is an unbearable subject for him or her to talk about, and he or she may be in denial. The addiction is like a tiger “waiting to be tamed” because doing so is nearly impossible, just like the speaker feels it would be to quit his or her addiction. The speaker says, “You are, you are,” but never finishes this sentence because he or she is confused and in denial. This is a trickier part of the song, and shows that this person wants to say so many things about the problem, but can’t. To him or her it is a shameful subject that cannot be discussed. The speaker feels like his or her options are dwindling, symbolized by “closing walls,” and time is running out to fix the problem, like “ticking clocks.” The speaker has “missed opportunities” because of his or her addiction. The speaker wonders, “Am I a part of the cure or am I a part of the disease,” showing that he or she feels any efforts to get better may have been counterproductive and actually made the situation worse. He or she says that “nothing else compares,” showing that the problem has taken over. The speaker says, “Home, where I wanted to go,” meaning that the addiction never made him or her feel truly happy, like being home would.
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In Coldplay’s song “Clocks” the speaker tells a tale of a dysfunctional relationship that he can’t manage to escape. The speaker starts out the first verse by saying “Lights go out and I can’t be saved,” this gives the reader a glimpse of the speakers failed relationship. He then uses the metaphor, “Tides that I tried to swim against,” to show just how much he is struggling to get out of the relationship gone wrong. The Speaker then says “Confusion never stops, closing walls and ticking clocks (gonna)/ Come back and take you home, I could not stop that you know (singing)/ Come out upon my seas cure missed opportunities (am I)/ A part of the cure or am I part of the disease (singing),” by saying this he is showing that he is wasting his time in the relationship, and missing out on opportunities. He also wonders if maybe his relationship problems are partly his fault. The song ends with the lines “You are [continues in background]/ Home, home, where I wanted to go [2x] (I went)/ Home, home, where I wanted to go (I went)/ Home, home, where I wanted to go,” the speaker can’t bear to finish the sentence “You are…” because he is unsure to of how he feels about his girlfriend. The word home is repeated to show resemblance of a ticking clock, because time keeps passing but he refuses to do anything.
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In the Coldplay song "Clocks" the speaker is trying to overcome an addiction, whether it is alcohol or a drug, and is realizing that he or she is helpless with no one to blame but himself or herself. He or she wants to return to his or her old life. The speaker is trying to overcome a serious problem-addiction-and wants to return to their old self. By the lines, "Tides that I tried to swim against/ You've put me down upon my knees," the speaker is saying that he or she is helpless against his or her problems and is struggling to survive, but now that addiction has taken over him or her and he or she is technically controlled by it, trying to find a way out. The line, "Confusion never stops, closing walls and ticking clocks," is saying that his or her options are running out and he or she is running out of time to get his or her life together and fix everything that has been destroyed in his or her life. By the line, "A part of the cure, or am I part of the disease," the reader can grasp that this person thought that by doing this drug, or whatever addiction it is, he or she would be helping himself or herself from a life that they did not want. It would help him or her forget about the past, but really it has just taken over and instead of helping to forget about the past it has taken over his or her present as well, which will eventually ruin his or her future. This addiction has taken control over his or her entire life. A key part of the song is when it keeps repeating "You are." This is important because it shows that he or she is not able to finish his or her thought because he or she finds it extremely difficult to talk about it because he or she is basically in denial. This has become a daunting task because he or she really doesn't want to confess to the things he or she has done. It also could mean that he or she is in such a bad state that they can't even finish their statement. Finally, by saying "Home, home, where I wanted to go" is his or her last thoughts and words. He or she wanted to "go home" and return to his or her old life with more happiness, where him or her struggling for survival wasn't being concerned about death, it was more concerned with maybe finding a job to support a family, or something of that sort. They are both very difficult tasks, but facing death is much harder to overcome. This song can have many different interpretations, but to me this song is having to do with an addiction and struggling to overcome the bad choices that were made.
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I think the song “clocks” by Coldplay is about a person who had given in to peer pressure and now regrets it and wants things to change. The person now wants to branch out and go on his own, do his own thing, but it is difficult to get out of these bad habits. By saying: “tides that I tried to swim against” the author shows that this obstacle won’t be easy to overcome and it will take work. He/she is surrounded by a society that brings challenges every day and must not give in in to what is easy but must learn to do what is right. The line “you’ve put me down upon my knees” shows that this person may not always seem to have the upper hand in the battle but must be strong enough to :“come out of things unsaid” and get past this. Even after the person has gotten out of the way things were, the lyrics say: “confusion never stops, closing walls and ticking clocks(gonna)/come back and take you” which means that there will always be that temptation to go back to how things were but you must be better than those temptations. Towards the end of the song, “nothing else compares” to this new way of life, the singer seems happy to be getting past the old bad habits and getting on with his life. He feels at home and that’s what he wanted. So, we can conclude that the person has gotten over the battle and come out better on the other side.
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The song "Clocks" by Coldplay has to do with fighting a losing battle with an addiction. The speaker starts out with saying "Lights go out and I can't be saved/Tides that I tried to swimm against/you've put me downn upon my knees". The speaker is saying that his addiction has taken over the person he use to be. When the speaker says "Come out upon my seas, curse missed opportunities" he/she is talking about how many life experiences have passed him by due to their drug or alchohol addiction. Lastly, the speaker says in the last verse "home, home, where I wanted to go". Home is referring to the person they were before the addiction started. Sometimes going back "home" to the person you want/use to be is hard when ann addiction is pulling you back to a place you do not want to go or a person you do not want to be anymore.
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The song "Clocks" by Coldplay tells the tale of the speaker, who is losing his grip on his loved ones as well as reality as he struggles with insanity. The first evidence of this is shown by "lights go out and I can't be saved", showing us that the speaker's sanity has left him, with the lights of his brain going out, and his acknowledgement that there is little chance of recovery, by saying he cannot be saved, like many of the mentally unstable. The speaker asks those around him to help him get over this, "shoot an apple off my head", to do this very hard task. He is unsure of his condition, "trouble that can't be named", but knows it is out of control, "a tiger's waiting to be tamed", then the speaker tries to address his condition, but cannot bring himself to, "You are, you are". He is always confused, and aware of his time running out to find a cure, "confusion never stops, closing walls and ticking clocks". The speaker asks for someone to save him from his uncontrollable symptoms "come out upon my sea". Then, he wonders if his efforts are hurting him, or only making things worse, "am I a part of the cure or am I part of the disease". Lastly, after several attempts to state his condition, "You are", the speaker repeats a few times that he had wanted to go home, but since he says "wanted", in the past tense, he is possibly accepting aid for his condition, and needs to stay at some place like an institution, away from home,saying that although he had wanted to go to home in the past, know he just wants to be cured, "home, home, where I wanted to go".
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I have to say it may be all of the above. The meaning could just simply that of your own. It may not have a "true" meaning. It could be about life or death, addictions, loves lost or loves gained. Finding yourself. But non the less it speaks to all of us in away that we all are saying something about it.
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Like many of the other entries have stated, I also believe that he song is about death. But not the general death reference, but a specific account: during a night a car crashes off of an elevated roadway (sonic suggestion is from a flat tire), plunges head first into a body of water, and then sinks to the dark depths, carrying away the driver (protagonist) to his death as beings are welcoming in to the afterlife.
I will explain this as if it was a film by giving the linear story structure with sonic reference. Also, you need to understand that the narrative is split. Points #1-#5 are ocurring (in slow time mainly) while the man is already drowning. #6 goes back moments before (in real time mainly) and shows us the wreck. #7 runs through the actions we witnessed in #1-#5, but in real time, and then takes us to the end.
1. Piano intro - directly before first stanza: The screen opens with the view level with the roadway and drops view from the point the car ran off to the waters below. Time is real time.
2. First stanza - end of first chorus: Inside the drowning man's head in his water filled vehical. Time has slowed. Notice when the singing begins the music thins and there is a wavy/pulsating atmospheric sound while Chris sings. The atmosphere and thinning creates a sonic sense of being under water with time slowing. The lyrics are what the man in the car is experiencing and thinking. "Lights go out and I can't saved, (visual ref to the light of the night sky fading as he sinks, opens with an impending death ref) Tides that I tried to swim against, (first water ref). Next two lines and the following stanza seem to have little narrative meaning. Then the chorus "You are, you are." It's is beautiful in it's creepiness. In falsetto Chris is giving the first suggestion of another presence besides the drowning man. The first two stanzas are the drowning man thinking in first person. The chorus is in third person. Since the man is underwater he cannot hear. It's telepathic.Chris is characterizing the being that has arrived to assisst the protagonist through the spiritual transmigration. It serves many purposes besides charaterization. Always in lyrics, poetry, and narratives it is key to look for repetition. What is being repeated contains important info for the narrative (even if it is not known by the listener/viewer yet), adds structure and form to the work by acting like chapter breaks, and it usually manifests itself and it's true meaning at climax. Coldplay does that masterfully here. But for now it is the introduction of the beings presence.
3.Music up to the next stanza: Time is now again in real time. The music amplifies now and the wavy/pulsation ceases. We are now outside of his head. There is high anxiety and struggle in the sound as it races forward up to the start of the next stanza, suggesting the man is struggling for escape.
4. Fourth stanza - chorus: Just like the first stanza cycle, the music thins back down (time slowing) and the wavy/pulsation returns (water). "Confusion never stop," (ref to the confusion one feels only once; when we are caught in the dying process. It is one of only two unique guaranteed experiences that we will go through only once. Birth and death. I can only imagine the terror and confusion that is to be felt then.) "Closing walls (the water) and ticking clocks. Gonna come back and take you home," (a direct narrative reference to him traveling somewhere when the accident occured)" I could not stop but you now know." (Second ref to accident). Stanza 3 "Come out upon my seas," (another water ref). The next three lines have seemingly little narrative value. Then the spooky chorus again. Notice when you listen that the last "You are" turns away in sound and seems to creat a sinking/falling sensation.
5. Music up to "Nothing else compares...": Again the music amplifies and we return to real time. Much anxiety and panic. The struggle of a drowning man.
6. "And nothing else compares... - Piano solo: This is the meat of the song. As mentioned before, #1-#5 occurs while the man is submerged in the car. This part skips moments back to the wreck. Listen closely after Chris sings "and nothind else compares" the last time. It's the wreck. The car is traveling down the elevated roadway. Listen to the drums. They begin to create the sonic sugestion of a flat tire with their quickened beat. Then you hear the wah-wah-wah-wah-wah-wah/weh-weh-weh-weh-weh-weh/wah-wah-wah-wah-wah-wah/weh-weh-weh-weh-weh-weh (suggest oncoming traffic honking)and then crash (literally the crash of the drum suggesting the car vears off the road and crashed through the guard rail) and the piano solo. The most important point. Notice all of the high tempo, stressfull, anxiety sound dissappears as the piano solo begins. The piano solo is in a sonic arc-it represents the arc of the car as it falls from the cliff and crashes into the water. The end of the solo is met with another drum crash (sonic suggestion is the car crashinng into the water).
7. The End: The climax. The music quickens again and we travel in real time through all we witnessed in #1-#5 and we catch back up to where we were when we left the drowning man in #6-#7. #1-#5 was mostly in slow time. We now travel through those moments in real time.
Now the reveal. The reason for the chorus and it's repetition. "Home...Home...is where I wanted to go, Home...Home...Is where I wanted to go, Home, ("Yooouuuu....)Home...is where I wanted to go ("arrrreeee"), Home...(Yoooouuu...)home...is where I wanted to go (arrreeee...). His last thoughts as he sinks to the bottom and dies is that he wants to be away ffrom here and in his panic thinks of his home/family, and the spooky/consoling being tells him that this is his home. The bottom of the waters and death. The spookiest point of all of this is that no matter what the man thought or tried, the telepathic comment the being gave him everytime was "you are." The being always knew what the final thought would be and spoke it in perfect timing through the song (though it sound slightly unbalanced earlier) so that it would occur precisely when the man mentioned home. We are left with the ghastly vision of the car passing from our view, the tailights fading in the murky depths, as the being howls a final "yooouuuuu...arrreeeee....."
I know that when you read this in the form I present it may not have the right feel, but I suggest taking these points and imagining them as you listen to the song. Carry that storyline in your mind. Also, too many people get caught up in a word for word, literal interpetation of music. The lyrics are usually only suggestions, the lines, and the music is the actor. Lyrics are typically much more general and music carries the narrative through its sonic qualities.
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