Viva la Vida

By: Coldplay

Click
the
cover
Lyrics
I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own
I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listened as the crowd would sing
Now the old king is dead long live the king
One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand
 Chorus
I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing
Roman cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know St. Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world
Lyric
s
It was a wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn't believe what I'd become
Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?
 Citations
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<http://hangout.altsounds.com/geek/gars/images/3/9/4/4/coldplay.jpg>.
Coldplay, perf. 8Notes. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2010.
<http://www.8notes.com/biographies/coldplay.asp>.
- - -, perf. Lyrics Mania. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2010.
<http://www.lyricsmania.com/biography/coldplay_biography_71.html>.
“Coldplay.” Msn. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2010.
<http://blstb.msn.com/i/33/DE1C43E7BE434E6429171B683748.jpg>.
“Coldplay.” Pop Musicology. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2010.
<http://www.popmusicology.com/images/coldplay41.jpg>.
Coldplay, perf. Song Meanings. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2010.
<http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858719657/>.
- - -, perf. “Viva la Vida Lyrics.” Lets Sing It. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2010.
<http://artists.letssingit.com/coldplay-lyrics-viva-la-vida-qfmczmx>.
“Coldplay Picture.” Wikipedia- Picture. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2010.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Coldplay_-_December_2008.jpg>.
“Crowd.” i.ytimg. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2010. <http://i.ytimg.com/vi/CISdjvb0OEQ/0.jpg>.
“Definition of Revolutionaries.” Merriam Webster. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2010.
<http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/revolutionaries>.
Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2010. <http://www.dictionary.net/jerusalem>.
 More “Dictionary.” Babylon Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2010.

Citations
<http://dictionary.babylon.com/the_king_is_dead,_long_live_the_king/>.
“Information about Jerusalem.” Fact Monster. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2010.
<http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/world/A0826209.html>.
“Jerusalem.” Mid East Web. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2010.
<http://www.mideastweb.org/JerusalemDetailsm.gif>.
“Louis XIV.” louis-xiv. Ed. Elena Steingrad. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2010. <http://www.louis-
xiv.de/index.php?id=31>.
“Louis XVI Picture.” Kohm. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2010. <http://www.antiquiet.com/wp-
content/uploads/2008/06/coldplay_4.jpg>.
“Map of Jerusalem.” Mid East Web. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2010.
<http://www.mideastweb.org/mjerusalem.htm>.
Mor, Lena. “History of Jerulsam.” Holy Land Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2010.
<http://www.holylandnetwork.com/pages/Jerusalem_History.html>.
“Picture.” Antiquiet. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2010. <http://www.antiquiet.com/wp-
content/uploads/2008/06/coldplay_4.jpg>.
“Picture of Concert.” DoobyBrain. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2010.
<http://www.doobybrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/coldplay-viva-la-vida-mtv-movie-
awards.jpg>.
“Picture of Liberty Leading the People.” Art History Club. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2010.
<http://www.arthistoryclub.com/art_history/upload/thumb/4/4e/400px-
Liberty_Leading_the_People.jpg>.
 More
Citations
Pioch, Nicolas. “Liberty Leading the People.” Web
Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2010.
<http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/delacroix/li
berte/>.
Robinson, J. H. “Information about Louis XIV.” History
Hanover Edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2010.
<http://history.hanover.edu/texts/louisxiv.htm>.
“Viva.” 991 Gallery. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May 2010.
<http://991.com/newGallery/Coldplay-Viva-La-Vida-
Tour-477687.jpg>.
“Viva la Vida.” Yahnover. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 May
2010.
<http://www.yahnover.com/images/Coldplay_Viva_L
a_Vida_cover.jpg>.
“Viva la Vida Album Cover.” Disco Salt. N.p., n.d.
Web. 25 May 2010. <http://discosalt.com/blog/wp-
content/uploads/2009/05/coldplay-viva-la-vida.jpg>.
 Coldplay
Coldplay is a band from London, England. Their music genre is
alternative rock. Chris Martin is the lead singer and piano player of the
band, Jon Buckland plays the lead guitar, Guy Berryman plays the bass,
and Will Champion is on the drums. They met at the University College
London (UCL) in 1996 in a residence hall. The first to join the band were
Martin and Buckland. For the rest of that year, they planned the band.
Later, Berryman decided to join and in 1998, so did Champion. He had
played several instruments as he grew up, but never played the drums
until then. After a huge success in England after their first album, they
decided to come to the U.S. (Coldplay).

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 “I used to rule the
world”
1 6 4 3 to
n ce f ro m
ru le d F ra u ri n g
X I V . H e is t o ry . D
t o Lo u is ro p e a n h
e fe rr i ng g n in E u b u ilt th e
This is r g e s t re i c h y. H e e
s t h e lo n e m o na r k in g . T h
w h i ch i a b s o lu t h e w a s
1715, w a s a n in w h ile la v ish li fe
n , F ra n ce h e li v e d e r a n d a
his reig le s , w h ich n o f p ow
e re w e re
o f V e r s ail h a d a to s ru l e , t h
Palace t o h o w he e nd o f hi
e fe r r in g n e a r th e
song is r n in g , b u t th e n
.
e b e g in s X I V ” )
in th s . ( “ L o ui
p r o b le m
many
Click here to learn m
ore. back
“Sweep the streets I used to
own”
This is referring to how every king’s
rule ends and that glory does not last
forever and will end at some point. He
used to have all the power, now he is
just sweeping the streets. He went
from glory to peasantry; Now he is
nothing.

back
“I used to roll the dice”
This st
decisi anza m
ons ju eans t
about st bas hat w
every ed on hen h
little t luck a e was
hing. nd no king, h
t reall e mad
y thin e
king h
ard

back
 “Now the old king is dead, long live
the king”
d e a t h o fa
w in g t h e h e
d e fo llo s t h at t
l q u o t e ma s . I t m e an
t r a d iti o na s c o u n t rie a lo ng
This i s a in v a r io u ill h a ve
h is u se d e w k in g w e t h e
rc h , w h ic p e th e n I b e ca m
m o n a d t h e y h o , L o u is X V e
d ie d , a n X V die d ty , s o o n c
king has r s to w h en Lo u is
o n e v er b e e m p
. T h is re fe p p o s e d t h ro n e
life n e w a s s u ta k e s t h e t r n m e nt
T h e t hr o n g i n lin e u t a g ov e
kin g . e n e x t k i e w it h o
g d i e s , t h d a ny ti m
one k in p r ev e nt e
y , w h ic h on a r y ) .
m e d i a t el o p le . ( Dicti
im e r th e pe
c o n t r o l ov
or
French: Le Roi est mort,
vive le Roi! back
 “My castles stand upon
pillars of salt and pillars of
This me
some ans that
hug
sand”
thing so e, extrav
crumble weak. It agant ca
and can is saying stles, ar
metaph no th at th e held upon
or also r t ho ld the ca e s and and
the time efects L stles up salt will
in was in ouis XVI forever.
mistakes power. I ’s indeci This
. n the en siveness
d, this le through
d to man out
y

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 Album Cover

This picture came from a famous picture from the

French Revolution. It is called Liberty Leading the People
by Eugene Delacroix. Coldplay choose this for their
album cover because they wanted to have something
Click here to learn m revolutionary.
ore.
back
 Jerusalem
Click here to lea
rn more.

Jerusalem is the
capital of Israel. It is
the holy city of the
Islamic, Christian,
and Jewish religions.
Twenty kings ruled
Jerusalem from 979
BCE to 586 BCE.
Their reigns were
anywhere from three
months to fifty-five
years. (Mor).
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 Missionaries
A missionary is someone who attempts to convert
others to a particular doctrine or program. They are
people sent on a mission, especially a religious or
charitable mission to a foreign country.

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“I know St. Peter
won’t call my
name”
This means that he made too
many mistakes. He will not get
into the gates of Heaven. He
has done too much wrong in
his life to go to Heaven.
Throughout Louis XVI’s life, he
was very hopeless and
depressed, so he thought he
would not get into Heaven.

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 “Never an honest word”
e a ns
rd m u
w o , yo
n e st w e r le
n h o in p o eo p
e r a re e p
Nev n you a ly tell th things.
w h e re a l ru e
t
that d don’t all the
il e an re ruling
ou a
y

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“People couldn’t
believe what I’d
become” a ns th a t
g m e o u
s o n e r, y
f t he p o w o m e
za o l t h e b ec
sta n e a l t a n d
This ha v in i o t
yo u m e d are n
e n s u u
wh e co n
o n . Yo
o m e rs
bec rent p re .
e o
a dif elf anym
o ur s
y

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Revolutionaries

e o ne
s o m r a n
r y is n o
o n a lu ti o
o l u ti re v o of
v a t
A re ged in dheren s.
n g a o r a t ri n e a ny
e c a t e d o c n , m
y g e
advo utionar VI’s rei o accus
vo l u is X e d t
re g Lo s t r i
u r in a r ie
D tio n .
o lu s o n
rev f trea
i m o
h

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“Just a puppet on a
lonely fstring”
j
e
This
ust mean
a pu s he
i
el li ppe s lo
The ke a h t. He nely a
g o u m doe nd
corr vern an a s n o
per upt an ment b nymor t
son d ch eco e.
com ang mes
plet e s
ely. the

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