'Confusion never stops, closing walls and ticking clocks.' He is saying how niether of them are sure and that time is running out for them and he feels the pressure. Going and doing things for himself crushed him in the end, or brought him to his knees. When he is singing about 'Tides that I have tried to swim against have brought me down upon my knees.' That is about trying to do your own thing, your own way and in the end it is not what makes you happy. He is singing about being in a conflicted, but very intense relationship and time is ticking away. Everything he said in the song just was exactly what I was feeling. I am not a fan of Coldplay, however that being said, I stumbled across this song when I was having relationship problems with my wife. It's up there with 'Time in a Bottle' by Jim Croce and 'Wish You Were Here' by Floyd as songs that use very few words to say so much Reason: It's up there with 'Time in a Bottle' by Jim Croce and 'Wish You Were Here' by Floyd as songs that use very few words to say so muchĪll in all, this is just a fabulously written song. The last two lines of the stanza strike me as this: he wonders if this song will be good for people because now they will want to live to the fullest knowing that the walls are always closing in(part of the cure) or if it will deeply discourage them because nothing we do can change the fact we will die(part of the disease).Īll in all, this is just a fabulously written song. Also, he could be referring to the fact that he couldn't just end the song right there without further explaining himself. In one sense, he could be referring to the fact that you just can't stop living because you know that you are going to die. The line 'I could not stop that you now know' is kinda tricky in my opinion. The begining of the second stanza refers to the fact it's only a matter of time before the walls 'close in' on us(death) and take us back home(heaven, reincarnation, whatever you believe in). However, this realization of his own mortality forces him to try and do great things(the tiger's waiting to be tamed). I believe in the opening stanza the writer of the song realizes that he is mortal and that the one truth in his life is that he will die(tides that i tried to swim against).

Clcoks is an incredible title because if you think about it, time is very difficult to measure without clocks(and sometimes still difficult to measure).

The central theme of this song is time, no doubt. Not to be totally unoriginal, but the lyrics to this song are incredible. He concludes with saying how he misses her, how nothing else can compare to her, and how much he wants to be back with her.īut this of course is just my interpretation lol and i know there are loads of others. He regrets what he did which must have caused the breakupĪnd wishes she would come and take away these waves of misery and regret that are affecting him so badly.Īm i a part of the cure or the disease could be him wondering if he would do any good for her, or if he were to enter her life again would he just make the situation worse. The next part shows more about his discomfort without her, the ticking clocks could just represent how aware he is of the time he is without her. either he just doesnt need words to describe what she means to him, or he in unable to find ones that could ever do her justice. The 'you are' part of the song is quite profound, and quite a philosophical statement (descartes? ) about the existance of man. The trouble that cant be named, are his inexpressible emotions and the tigers that need to be tamed could possibly symbolise the ferocity of his love for which he needs to deal with. 'Tides that I tried to swim against, have put me down upon my knees' The first few lines describe that horrible, unavoidable ( 'i cant be saved' ) time at night, when all the defences you put up during the day, about not thinking about that person, come down. I think its a description of how he is left missing his ex after a breakup.

Coldplay clocks