Coldplay: The Scientist Meaning

Song Released: 2002

Covered By: Willie Nelson

The Scientist Lyrics

Come up to meet you,
Tell you I'm sorry,
You don't know how lovely you are.

I had to find you,
Tell you I need you,
Tell you I set you apart.

Tell me your secrets,
Ask me your questions,
Oh, let's go back to the start....

1. anonymous

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   Dec 10th 2007 !⃝

   This song (to me at least) is about a man who always looked at everything in his life from a scientific point of view. But when he lost someone he love (no necessarily through death) he realized that science cannot answer every question and solve every problem. Love is one of the things that science can't always explain. Nobody said it was easy. Thats the point of the song.
2. Deni1383

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   Nov 27th 2007 !⃝

   I personally think that this song is about two people who were in a long relationship, but towards the end it became an on again, off again thing ("come back to haunt me, tell me you love me, and I go back to the start"). And that every time they get back together and "run in circles" they are taken back to the start of their relationship, but then it is always is hard again and they break up again. I think the song is for after one of them (probably her) decided they did not want that for their life and now he is trying to figure out why she does not want to try anymore, he cannot figure it out on his own, so he is trying to logically think about it like it is a puzzle. He is deeply hurt, but ("i'm going back to the start") wishes to live in the beginning when things were good. My personal interpretation. I like this song a lot because it relates to my situation.
3. anonymous

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   Nov 12th 2007 !⃝

   This song is not about anything all of you have spoken about.
   The first verse is him saying to himself I can open up and sing about my life and experiences and just have to get used to the fame. The lines, Questions of science, science and progress Don't speak as loud as my heart. Is him (Chris) saying hey maybe I don't want to sing about real things that happen to me and keep myself private I will just sing about art, politics, science etc... would not speak as loud as his heart (see the first verse). That is my 2 cents.
4. anonymous

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   Oct 31st 2007 !⃝

   K I have a question
   
   Did anybody say that it was going to be easy????
   and Did anybody say it was gonna be that hard???
   
   That's been confusing me lately.
5. anonymous

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   Oct 13th 2007 !⃝

   Well its like all well written songs, they seem resonate well with most situations.
   
   For me personally I think it's about losing a loved one and reasoning it out with science and coming to no clear conclusion. He also wishes he could have this person back and tell them how they mean to him.
   
   Apparently its actually inspired by a book chris read but as I said earlier all good songs can be interpreted to fit most common situations, so it strikes a chord with everyone.
6. anonymous

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   Sep 29th 2007 !⃝

   When I hear this song, I think of Dr. Frankenstein. He's a scientist, he reanimated his wife. He can go back to the start.
7. anonymous

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   Sep 24th 2007 !⃝

   He is the scientist trying to figure out what went wrong... probably with a relationship.
   
   He's trying to figure out what went wrong as a scientist... with numbers and figures and analysing things or whatever scientists do lol,
   "I was just guessing at numbers and figures, pulling the puzzles apart."
   
   I think he says,
   "Comin up tails, Heads on the science apart"?
   Maybe that has something to do with a coin... probability, statistics... Something scientific lol... maybe that symbolises confusement... Maybe tails is his heart... but then the "heads" also comes up. "Heads" being the scientist part of him.
   
   He realises that the heart is more important than logic.
   "Questions of science, Science and progress, Do not speak as loud as my heart."
   Then he says
   "I'm going back to the start"
   Ahooooooooo :D
   
   That makes sense to me... It probably won't to you haha.
   Yeah :D
8. anonymous

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   Sep 7th 2007 !⃝

   He doesn't want to break up with his girlfriend, despite loving her more than anything, but he has to because she is his mistress; nobody said it was easy. He's having an affair. Or alternatively one has to assume that each and every one of us can apply it to our own lives, as with any song. Except 'Tubthumping' by 'Chumbawamba'.
9. anonymous

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   Aug 20th 2007 !⃝

   I really think this song is about how confusing and daunting love and relationships can be. This guy just ended a relationship and he is trying to figure out what the heck went wrong. Like a scientist, he mathematically tries to go about in a logical fashion determining where things went wrong. He just wants to go back to the start of the relationships where everything was right and good.
10. emo

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    Aug 9th 2007 !⃝

    I think the song does not pointing specifically to just one relationship. It fits all, from your dead mother to your ended affair. It all deals with loss: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. denying to accept the truth that you have lost something or someone a part of you. Anger, blaming somebody even to yourself cause you don't have the guts/power/control over the thing or someone that it is slipping out of you. bargaining, your trying to rationalize to turn back the time to settle the dispute, event or your deeds which is impossible. depression, the loneliness and anxiety for you know you can't do anything. finally the acceptance of the reality that you loss it, but you hardly want it back.
11. anonymous

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    Jul 15th 2007 !⃝

    Everyones interpretation of a song like this is going to be different. To me, I heard my best friend playing this song in the background when I was on the phone to her, the night after she'd kissed my boyfriend.
12. jukeday

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    Jul 15th 2007 !⃝

    The Scientist is about a man trying to figure out a girl. All guys know girls are the biggest puzzles in the world, and this song speaks of that.
    
    "I was just guessing at numbers and figures, pulling the puzzles apart, questions of science, science and progress, did not speak as loud as my heart"
    
    He's saying that he's trying to figure her out and has all these questions about her, but they don't really matter, all that matters is how he feels in his heart.
    
    He feels like he's getting nowhere "Running in circles, chasing tails"
    
    Then he bemoans his attempts to land the girl "Nobody said it was easy, no one ever said it would be sooo hard"
13. jukeday

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    Jul 2nd 2007 !⃝

    Actually the guy in front of me might be on to something. The "scientist" will only let himself be invaded sexually if the person trying can figure out a complex puzzle. "Nobody said it was easy, nobody said it would be so hard" the writer cries and he tries over and over to deduce it. "I'm going back to the start"

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
14. anonymous

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    Jul 2nd 2007 !⃝

    The Scientist is about sexual attraction towards scientists....kind of like a fetish. Scientists are always ridiculed and made fun of as 'nerds.' Which is why the song starts out "Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry, you don't know how lovely you are." Finally, ending in a sexual encounter with the scientist (pulling the puzzles apart), puzzles meaning boxers.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
15. anonymous

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    Jun 14th 2007 !⃝

    Now I'm not sure how this sounds but I don't think the whole scientist thing has anything literal to do with the song. My interpretation is that whoever was involved in the relationship has a scientific approach to the relationship, not in terms of maths or actual science but that mindset which is based on being able to work things out rather than just feel. So I believe the song is talking about a guy whose had this approach to the relationship and then finally wakes up and realises his mistake, and begins to realise that a relationship and the feelings that come with that relationship cannot necessarily be catorgized or worked out logically. So I think its kind of like this transformation or realisation he's having, where he goes back to the beginning and wants to start again not making the same mistakes as before, because he realises his need for her or the fact that he is in love with her and comes back to those basics instead of a complex scientific outlook to love...just a thought.

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