clocks...meaning

[guitarchic]

hey i was just wondreing if anyone knew what the song "clocks" is really about?thanx.

[Guy'sChick]

well as moderator i should help ya but i really cant i dunno if its really about something in particulair but i do get the lyrics thought its just hard to explain,,,,welcome though:D

[guitarchic]

hi

[guitarchic]

i have to write a term paper on how i interpret the song except i have no clue where to begin so i would really appreciate it if you could try to explain what you think it means...thanx so much...

[shangrila]

Hello there guitarchic, sorry don't know your name. I think you got to take it line by line. ask yourself why you like the song and does it make any connection with personal experiences you've had? For instance, the lines...

*lights go out and I can't be saved
tides that I tried to swim against
have brought me down upon my knees...you are, you are...

I interpret these lines as me running out of time to solve a personal problem, something that I tried to change and yet couldn't and I'm sorry for not being able to succeed, but there is that special someone that will make it okay.

I hope this gets you started

[Guy'sChick]

lol i couldnt have write it down as good like that :shock: i mostly take ages when im trying to explain something cos dutch words and english words are swimming together in my little brain haha

[fiendishpixie]

:twisted:

[shangrila]

lol i couldnt have write it down as good like that :shock: i mostly take ages when im trying to explain something cos dutch words and english words are swimming together in my little brain haha

:)

[Guy'sChick]

:twisted:

evil :D :twisted:

[Evori]

hahahaha

[Manders]

i think it means.....you get the nerve up to tell someone how you feel and when you do it turns out they feel the same and in the end if you woulnd thave got the nerve up to ask than nothing good would have come out of it...cuz life imitates actions....well that what i think but who knows what chris felt while writing it

[Chrissy]

omg, you guys are so philosophical :o i dont think about the lyrics that much, i listen to the music before the lyrics :shrug:

[Manders]

erm...

[Chrissy]

well i do..

[Manders]

i do too...i just kinda catch on..but i look up some of them...cuz sometimes i ::in a british accent::: cant understand what he saying hehe

[Evori]

yeah but the lyrics sometimes are important.....

[Manders]

yea

[cold_kitty]

omg, you guys are so philosophical :o i dont think about the lyrics that much, i listen to the music before the lyrics :shrug:

haha i'm with you chrissy! i'm like that too!

[Chrissy]

we could form a club: the 'it could might as well be in hawaiian' Club :lol: :lol: :lol: nah, somebody i listen to it, it's just a tad to.... i dont now...i get to emotional i guess. because i dont got anyone to sing like that for :shrug: but i alwas ALWAYS sing along! :D

[Manders]

:D :-D :) ;) :lol: :P

[blahblahmiscblah]

the lyrics are another instrument.. to the whole musical idea of the song..

:-D :idea:

[Guy'sChick]

yeah i agree :D welcome to the board btw :D im angela :D

[blahblahmiscblah]

fantastic to meet you!. im very much enjoying this site and those that hang around here. :)

[Guy'sChick]

well im glad you do :D where you from :D

[blahblahmiscblah]

mid michigan area.. pretty boring around here.. main hobbies are computers and music.. i love music.. the emotion.. the skill it takes to play.. im learning the piano and guitar.. if i could only play coldplays music id be thrilled.. :-D

[Guy'sChick]

oh cool im in essex at the moment at uni but im from holland originally...love computers and music aswell .. i wanna be a webdesigner :D and yeah i can play a little bass :D

[blahblahmiscblah]

bass. excellent.. i want to learn bass eventually.. maybe some banjo. *twang* *twang*

[Chrissy]

bring out the caaaawbaayyy haaats yyeeeehaaaa!

[Guy'sChick]

cowboy :D :P

[Oh HoNEy]

me thinks its jus about clocks?? LOL l dunno maybe something that has to do with time??

[Guy'sChick]

dunno :shrug:

[Politik Is My Life]

Someone said somewhere that Clocks show the fact that Chris Martin is obsessed with death... I've been trying to figure this out, but haven't. So what does that exactly mean, that this song shows that he's obsessed with death... :-o

[teresa]

i think don't panic shows his obsession with death, not this one!

i think this one just shows that life never stops and that when you need some time to figure out something it just goes faster. ok, may be is something about life being short.....

[Guy'sChick]

Someone said somewhere that Clocks show the fact that Chris Martin is obsessed with death... I've been trying to figure this out, but haven't. So what does that exactly mean, that this song shows that he's obsessed with death... :-o

lol :D

[ShiveringGirl]

Ok, personally, I've always thought "clocks" was about memorys :-o like the last few lines "home, home where I wanted to go" and I mean, clocks, as a object, could stand for the memorys of the past... like he remembers the time when so and so occured? :? Yeah, this is making less sense then I imagined.... :shrug: Well, its a beautiful song, and I guess it means whatever you want it to. Just what you take away from the melody :)

[Guy'sChick]

bring out the caaaawbaayyy haaats yyeeeehaaaa!

i love your avatar! :)

[chuck kottke]

Hmm.. that's a good question - what does it mean!:rolleyes: I really can't say what Martin was thinking at the time.. A neighbor of mine says that a lot of song writers tend to just use stream of consciousness to write lyrics - that could well be the case!
I'm guessing it has something to do with the mystery person's nature, purpose in life, or state of mind. Since William Tell's legend was seeing a revival in Europe at the time, I think it has something to do with that, as Chris was perhaps thinking along those lines. Since the original keyboardist is unknown at the time the music was played, Chris is asking "you are.. you are..?"
It's the thoughts that the music evoked at the time he wrote the lyrics - since the music is a haunting melody, hence he's guessing "with a trouble that can't be named".. and the serious, determined look on the mysterious person's face - "a tiger's waiting to be tamed"
The name was actually by accident - "What is it?" was the question asked. "Clocks" was the answer, as the mysterious person was looking for a watch, or the time, and was in a hurry to meet an appointment. I guess, in a way, this could be seen as the image we see when we visualize trying to make an appointment by a certain time. The piece could have been named "Watch", or any other thing, but Chris and Bono both liked the name, saying "that's great, that's great!" - it stuck, and now wears that badge.
But really, when one thinks of it, the meaning is more about the feelings the song evokes - it is drama, intensity, and inspiration; rising and falling action; melodious birds and the chimes of a clock, all done with great intensity within the echo chamber of our mind's ear.

[Tnspieler1012]

I have a bad habit of overanalyzing some things. One time I my thinking led me to believe that the song was about God, and analyzing from a more literal standpoint, it very well could be. But I reckon it's generally about the imminence of death, the wonder of life and the struggle of optimism and pessimism about both.

[rudy_o]

i think clocks is more about curiosity (i don't know the right spelling) of life

[chuck kottke]

That well may be true Rudy! The keyboard and accompaniment came first, and the lyrics second - so perhaps curiosity was the spark in Chris Martin's imagination!
The intensity was the result of determination - to be heard, to create a mood of triumph over one's own sense of insecurity; But it evokes more than that - maybe an almost innate sense of wonderment and awe at the world around us at the moment of discovery..

[rudy_o]

:laugh3: your explanation is so brief!! well, i guess you are right... but, chuck, where's your COLOURS???

[*Laura*]

Clocks are'nt just a small machine that organize our minds in relation with our enviorment, Some of us just have wasted our moments, our life moments in looking at clocks because we're worried about the thing i've to do next or what's coming next... just we've to enjoy our time, without watching any clocks... maybe one day we'll want to look at our past becuse we are lost in our presents or we could not see any future in what we thing is our place and then our eyes would have noticed how fast our time have passed...
taking the person we love with us and enjoying our moments sharing with her/him will be the way we won't matter the hours, minutes or seconds...

[chuck kottke]

:laugh3: your explanation is so brief!! well, i guess you are right... but, chuck, where's your COLOURS???

In a deeper sense, White light is composed of every Colour of the rainbow!:P Nah! So there!:laugh3:

[rudy_o]

In a deeper sense, White light is composed of every Colour of the rainbow!:P Nah! So there!:laugh3:

wooohohoho... how smart are you! use scientific facts to prove it! Colour is your copyrighted thing.. And do you know a Brazilian girl named GABEE?? She used her unique laugh as her trademark... Her laugh is like this-- HSHEISHEOSHE SHEOSHSHHOHOEHE <--- so difficult to pronounce

[chuck kottke]

Clocks are'nt just a small machine that organize our minds in relation with our enviorment, Some of us just have wasted our moments, our life moments in looking at clocks because we're worried about the thing i've to do next or what's coming next... just we've to enjoy our time, without watching any clocks... maybe one day we'll want to look at our past becuse we are lost in our presents or we could not see any future in what we thing is our place and then our eyes would have noticed how fast our time have passed...
Yes. Nothing is ever wasted, but time could be better spent, on occasion. I feel the frustrations sometimes too.. Probably in some ways it would be better to just have someone gently remind us it's time for the next thing, or follow through with what's being done, and then do the next. Some happy medium there somewhere, I'm sure! Time passes quickly, but then time is relative, really - we've just structured our ways of thinking about time.. I've had plenty of wasted moments:laugh3: - but then maybe those are just coasting lessons, and none to worry - time to reflect on things isn't really wasted, but is more like gliding down the hill just climbed!
I know I'm evolving a better understanding, and time to me means less about each minute, and more about just working on ideas..
taking the person we love with us and enjoying our moments sharing with her/him will be the way we won't matter the hours, minutes or seconds...
You know, that's so true Laura:)..

[rudy_o]

you're right, laura... brief and nice explanation..
sometimes i don't want to read things that written so long and complicated but this one is great..

[ricardo]

I think chris was inebriated when he wrote that song :P
Now, seriously what the hell does "you are" means in this song? nothing else compares, you are, these 2 match. I think Chris wanted to say in this song when you leave your social life, when you want to find yourself, to know what are you, who are you, what is life, but whatever you do life finds a way, the time passes by, eventhough you keep wondering about everything, your memories and the universe. And well, I can give this meaning but I really don't know wtf was chris thinking. And laura your explanation rocks!! :thumbsup: but then "you are" doesn't have sense:confused:

[Tnspieler1012]

When it comes to the phrase "you are" you could think it's an incomplete sentence with a missing adjective at the end.

But I look at it in the simplistic literal sense. " You are.", as in you exist, as in you're alive. As in you have a life, an indefinite one.

A possible outlook on the lyrics: "The tides that I tried to swim against" perhaps a metaphor for trying to fight the wave of time that pulls us towards our end.
The later lyrics "confusion that never stops, the closing walls and ticking clocks" seem to refer to a continuation of the same paranoia about the tides of time, and trying to deciding what and how to use that time in the best possible way.
A part of me thinks that the remaining, more confusing lyrics of the second verse are about a positive resolve to the craziness. Chris says that the aforementioned hazards are gonna "come back and take you home" Now, I think it makes the most sense to assume that "home" means the same as the outro. In which case I think this lyric means that after all the distractions you encounter in life, the pressure of time will bring you back to your home and your family.

"I could not stop that you now know(an apology for the aforementioned distractions), singing...come out upon my seas curse missed opportunities(pretty self explanatory, you're not going make all the right decisions in life, just take what you get). am I a part of the cure or am I part of the disease(last minute ponderings about whether or not your existence has made the world a better place).

"Nothing else compares!"
I might be dead wrong but I think that after the second verse the riff in minor key riff switches to a riff in major key. This would reflect a change to optimism about life as the bridge lyrics scream out in defense of the wonder and beauty of life, after all....nothing else compares.

Finally the outro "home, home, where I wanted to go" is a happy return to home and family, which the lyrics in the second verses predicted.

The way I see it, it's almost a cameo to the tragedy and optimistic resolve of don't panic. In an interview I remember Chris saying that in almost all of his songs he's complaining about something, but by the end reflects and says, what am I so sad about?

[Tnspieler1012]

Lol, I get carried away. Sorry for giving you the exact opposite of a brief and nice explanation.

[rudy_o]

Omg transpieler, are you a literature teacher??
anyway.. i love CLOCKS

oh no.. im starting to like colours... i don't want to be another CHUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!! help me~~~~~~~~!!!

[chuck kottke]

Songs are poetic, so in a sense, they mean many things at many different levels, and are a form of "fuzzy logic". Since this song is about someone, when he sings' "you are.." he is asking a question; but perhaps wanting to know more about that person than just what's at the surface, as the melody is enchanting and haunting, and this person is a complete mystery to him.
Perhaps more than I could explain here; if you think about it, we all operate on the dreams along the threads of our feelings; If I wear my heart on a sleeve, I may be risking more than I care to, as memory tells me so.. This song is what the listener unfolds it to be; and it bears new gems with every turn.

[Stefan-C8]

My guess is that's it is about the destructive power of time.

[ricardo]

wow more meanings, and I liked them all!! I think we ought to ask chris. and, I don't get Don't panic either :confused:

[chuck kottke]

"you are"...
It's just a question about the mysterious keyboardist whom he encountered in the mall! Trust me on that one;) He's a fast lyricist.

[Tnspieler1012]

I'm not a literature major, just some guy who tries to sound more intelligent by using big words ;).

I personally don't think it makes much sense for him to say "you are..." as if it was an incomplete sentence. I mean, if he's trying to get to know somebody better like chuck kottke says, than it seems far too simple and really doesn't jive well at all with the frantic intensity and other lyrics of the song.

That's just my humble opinion, as I think the epic nature of the song goes beyond two people getting to know one another.

In response to Ricardo

I've seen some incredibly negative outlooks on don't panic on things like songmeanings.com. Many people assert that the chorus "we live in a beautiful world" and the closing lines are a sarcasticly optimistic response to the verses. That is, somebody trying to deny the truth about what has happened.

I find that rather depressing as Chris Martin is way too high on life to to stoop to such a pessimistic level. I think the song title says it all "Don't Panic" meaning shit happens, tragedy strikes...there's no preventing it, but when the dust clears and when you surpass your rough times you begin to realize how great and beautiful the world really is. The lyrics are merely a dialogue of our pessimism and optimism in life. As I was saying about the "what am I worrying about?" resolve in clocks, one minute it sems like the world is a horrible place, but later you reflect and realize that despite the tragedies, wars etc. life is ultimately an amazing, beautiful thing.
Sometimes when I'm down about something I'll hum the lyrics and think "why am I so unhappy? I live in the rich minority of the planet with a loving family in a wooden house where making more friends is easy :D, the world has given me so much...how dare I only focus on the negative. Often if I just look at the world around me instead of focusing on my problems...I'll start feeling a lot more appreciative.

I'll also think it's a fitting match to everything's not lost. The two songs together pretty much describe the message of the album as a whole "Don't panic, everything's not lost".

[chuck kottke]

Tnspieler1012, here's my best:
"Lights go out and I can't be saved"
>Closing his eyes and remembering the music
"Tides that I tried to swim against"
>Chris transposes himself into the mind of the keyboardist, who is unsure of himself at first, and still, against the stage-fright, restarts the song / or Martin can't resist the "pull" of the music..
"Have brought me down upon my knees; oh, I beg, I beg and plead"
>He's humbled by the force of the music, and want's to know what it's about / what the keyboardist is about/ can't resist the song's appeal? Send more music?
"Singing, "come out of things unsaid; shoot an apple off my head"
>Explain yourself; why the plain clothes from another era? What is your politic? What great changes are you trying to make in the world? And then a reference to William Tell, who led the Swiss to revolt over the corrupt rulers, after being forced to risk his own son's life..
"With a trouble that can be named"
>See above
"A tiger's waiting to be tamed"
>meaning a source of inspiration; or perhaps a bachelor? Catch a tiger by the tale - who are you? to find out more, and calm this person down?
"singing, 'you are..., you are...'"
> Who are you? or, you are at the moment, the music! ..at home with the music..
"Confusion never stops; closed-in walls and ticking clocks"
>Deadlines mount, and frantic activity of life.. A deadline to meet in a closed studio, with the clock ticking away, adding pressure
"Gonna come back and take you home.. I could not stop that you now know"
>The keyboardist learns that the music was actually put into a song and played on the radio & elsewhere - so then the keyboardist knows! Taking the music from it's original source in the mall to England. Perhaps an invitation to take the keyboardist to England?
Later.. "oh and I'm feeling skunk keys.." which was dubbed over as "oh and nothing else compares.."
"You are Home, Home, where I wanted to go.."
So maybe "you are" refers later to how someone feels when they feel "at home" with the music; or confident in ones' place to feel as one would at home. Something anyone who travels can relate to!
"where I wanted to go.." A hopeful gesture? A longing for home?

The music is inspirational; so are the lyrics! I think, like poetry, much is left to the imagination to have many meanings and be unclear, so as to create more a sense of mystery, a sense of discovery, and inspiration into new avenues of thought and feeling.
Anyhow, that's the best from this humble farmer.
I'm going back to my plow.
Best of Success with the music!!

[Tnspieler1012]

Yeah, the one thing I've always loved about Coldplay is the ambiguity of the lyrics. Chris captures emotions more than tell detailed stories which, for me, is a plus as it brings up more universal, deeper themes than sex or what not.

I'm sorry if I came off as trying to undermine your interpretation of the lyrics. What really matters is the feeling and emotion that the music and lyrical content creates. What I mean is, we could debate for weeks over whether it's about God or some keyboardist at a mall(was there an article I missed? because I'm really curious where this mysterious mall keyboardist is coming from).

but what really matters are the universal themes surrounding the song such as the distress of trying to swim against the waves or the joy of going home, or on a grander scale the powerful mix of inspiration and confusion that is created.
The pedantics of the matter, in this song anyway is somewhat irrelevant. Martin isn't a detailed storyteller, but naturally I think he at least had particular things in mind when composing the lyrics (as do you), but the vast ambiguity of the lyrics has an impact on a much broader, relative scale.

[chuck kottke]

Yeah, the one thing I've always loved about Coldplay is the ambiguity of the lyrics. Chris captures emotions more than tell detailed stories which, for me, is a plus as it brings up more universal, deeper themes than sex or what not.
Yes, that really does create a sense of wonder within their songs!

I'm sorry if I came off as trying to undermine your interpretation of the lyrics. What really matters is the feeling and emotion that the music and lyrical content creates. What I mean is, we could debate for weeks over whether it's about God or some keyboardist at a mall(was there an article I missed? because I'm really curious where this mysterious mall keyboardist is coming from).
I wasn't sensing that - the lyrics are so flexible in meaning anyway - then we can make up our own minds as to what they mean (which makes the music all the more personal in nature). All I can really say is that most music groups borrow heavily from other sources. They make the music their own in one sense, but the original for most groups is from somewhere else.

but what really matters are the universal themes surrounding the song such as the distress of trying to swim against the waves or the joy of going home, or on a grander scale the powerful mix of inspiration and confusion that is created.
The pedantics of the matter, in this song anyway is somewhat irrelevant. Martin isn't a detailed storyteller, but naturally I think he at least had particular things in mind when composing the lyrics (as do you), but the vast ambiguity of the lyrics has an impact on a much broader, relative scale.
Yes, like some Greek epic poem, or any great work thus condensed, there is a sense of adventure!:bandana: True, I think he was being specific mostly but did not really provide all the details, so in a sense the great mysteries were a result of the music being taken out of context from where it was created.

[ricardo]

don't panic, everything's not lost. I like that, besides the final song and the openieng song. I think we should make a lyrics analyzing thread :wink2: Now seriously, I understand few coldplay songs, the obvious like see you soon, the scientist,politik, shiver Etc and I'm not an idiot before you ask. :PAnd who's that keyboardist you are all talking about?

[Tnspieler1012]

Go for it. might be fun...especially when the new album comes out.

[chuck kottke]

don't panic, everything's not lost. I like that, besides the final song and the openieng song. I think we should make a lyrics analyzing thread :wink2: Now seriously, I understand few coldplay songs, the obvious like see you soon, the scientist,politik, shiver Etc and I'm not an idiot before you ask. :PAnd who's that keyboardist you are all talking about?
Yes, if there isn't one already, that sounds like an excellent idea!;)
The keyboardist is the mystery person in the song; it is not the knowing, but the search that makes it interesting!
Somewhere there was a security camera recording of the keyboardist from the mall (the Mall of America)... I don't know how to access it.

[Starlight]

I think there was a thread in the Coldplay forum...but it kinda died out. :(

We should revive it again!!!

[chuck kottke]

Alright then!!;)
(songs are something; they paint such vivid pictures in our minds..)