Trying to draw meaning from 'White Shadows'... any thoughts?

[KiBa283]

So i'm trying to draw meanings relating to what White Shadows is talking about, but i'm drawing up blanks here. It seems like a part of it talks about growing up and leaving your childhood behind, but it often refers to someone else when it says "maybe you'll get what you wanted, etc etc" and in the last verse, where it says "See it in a new sun rising... see it breaking on your horizon...Oh, come on love, stay with me..."

 

If he's talking to/about someone he cares about and/or loves, then what message is he trying to relay to her?

 

Any thoughts?

[Reilly]

Chris Martin writes shit lyrics that have no meaning, weight or real relevance to anything.

 

Especially on this album.

[Jan]

Reilly: :sick: Go back to the lounge :P

[victaniac]

Chris Martin writes shit lyrics that have no meaning, weight or real relevance to anything.

 

Especially on this album.

Have you ever dated or anything? Man...get out more, like now. Because you usually relate more to Chris when you've been through what he's talking about... and if you think his lyrics never have any meaning, you seriously must be lacking in the life department.

 

I love the lyrics on the his album...Twisted Logic especially. Awesomeness. :D

[Reilly]

Chris Martin's lyrics are to the NTH degree. When it comes to love, hes always talking bullshit about how he'd do ANYTHING for someone, his feelings are so fricken basic he cant describe them in an interesting way at all.

 

Ive written songs myself about being in love and it is completely amateur of anyone to consistently write crap about how you would part the seas or bleed yourself dry etc. etc. cack bullshit.

[cafc4eva]

how cares about the lyrics? the riffs are great!

 

"come on love stay with me" :D

 

i love this song!

[Jan]

If you don't like it, then listen to the other shit - Chris Martin

[timeo]

...his feelings are so fricken basic he cant describe them in an interesting way at all.

 

I think that's the appeal, that anyone listening can hear it and go "yes, I can relate to that, I feel what this guy is singing about, he's not faking it or trying to come up with some pretentious way of describing being in love". I don't think anyone needs some new innovative way of describing their emotions, the way that they're described already strikes a chord already, and besides, everyone knows that their best music usually comes accidentally and the lyrics that accompany the music just fit like that, it's best not to tamper with it.

 

As a non-sequitor though, I just heard White Shadows on the radio, and that was super exciting. :)

[Angst]

I love his profound lyrics. It's like they don't make sense to anybody but himself. It's like a decoder ring.

[*Justine*]

The lyrics in this song are not strong, they are really plain if you ask me. This track is pretty blah for me.

[KiBa283]

how cares about the lyrics? the riffs are great!

 

"come on love stay with me" :D

 

i love this song!

 

 

I love the way the song sounds in general... agreed - but it'd just be nice if I could derive some actual meaning from it... you know? Heh...

 

It's as if one second he's describing how he wishes he could go back to feeling how he felt when he was young or something, and then shifts to talking about someone getting what they wanted in some permanent state, while capping the song off by suddenly telling someone he loves to stay with him? I don't know... i'm trying to draw connections, but i'm finding it impossible to do so in this song.

 

Any insight? Or am I just looking too damn hard? =/

[colduser]

I'm usually more attracted to a song's melody and chord structure rather than the lyrics. White Shadows is a perfect example. Lyrics aren't necesarrily on point on this track but the music is.

[ALR]

I get almost a struggle with the idea of spirituality or God (represented by little white shadows, impossiblities in and of themselves), plus a really cool little existential despair ("all this space I'm taking up," i.e. I'm not worth the air I breathe).

So the struggle with belief in divinity, etc. is that the "sound" (spiritual inspiration/white shadows) that he listened for as a boy, when he had faith, is "breaking up" as he grows older. In other words, his faith is dimming.

He finds an answer is in "the new sun rising."

 

Or at least that's what I get from it. :D

[johnny_t]

damn good idea^ :o

[margaritan0salt]

on people saying that his lyrics on love are basic and uninteresting:

who says you can't describe how you love someone in a non-complicated way. the best love is the love that isn't complicated. but very basic and simple and pure.

 

as for the overall meaning of the song I don't think has to do with either God nor Love. I think it has to do with peace. If anything it's learning to love yourself and be happy. The world changes you as you age [You're part of the human race

All of the stars in the outer space Part of a system plan]. Some people get bitter, some people hate themselves. Everything is different when you're a child [When I was a young boy I tried to listen And I wanna feel like that ]. You need to go through some hurdles before you find happiness within yourself and peace of mind. And when you finally get it, you never want to let go of it [Everything you ever wanted In a permanent state ]. :dozey:

[alyssa]

I think you people are trying to hard, lol. Chris even said himself--he's not a very good lyricist; he just writes feelings.

 

Which in my opinion makes good lyrics, lol.

 

And simple feelings are better IMO. No one likes complicated emotions... :P At least I don't.

[mandymcnabb]

I personally love that you can never tell what the fuck hes talking about, it gives you room for what you want it to mean.

[Marie]

'People won't like the lyrics but like our Cords.'- Chris

So may be he isn't the best lyricist in the world. But who is? A lot of lyrics in songs are not brilliant but who cares when the song has a great melody and an interesting bassline.

White Shadows is my favourite song off X&Y.

[lilchick629]

d

 

I personally love that you can never tell what the fuck hes talking about' date=' it gives you room for what you want it to mean.[/quote']

 

that is what chris said the whole album was about----you finding meaning yourself---thats why the art is ??????---the tracks and lyrics are like "wtf does he mean"----but thats what keeps us attached

 

everyone will come up with a diff. interpretation based on what you are going through and your knowledge

 

or not :P

[GazeboflossUK]

scrap all the 'bullshit' people.....White Shadows is great song. I said it, so it's true. I'm right and if you think it's shit, your wrong.

 

:P

 

but to the original question....It's hard to discover an overall meaning for this song but over analyising lyrics becomes pretty destructive if you allow yourself to do it too much.

If you read alot of lyrics by many artists without the music then a high percentage of them are very abstract and make no sense...but the song can still be great.

[fabulyss]

The song seems to be about balance - what we want, what we have, what we need and what we can (and cannot) live without. That's a fairly open ended explanation, but one that I think respects the previous opinions.

 

I think people should be reminded that he writes lyrics in English. Of course the lyrics have a meaning. It might not be very profound or original, but its there. What I like about Coldplay's song writing is that it is without pretension and self consciousness. He trips over a few cliches, but it's far from garbage.

 

And White Shadows is - purely in terms of lyrics - clearly the best.

[Sienna]

I'm not sure what the meaning of this song is, but I think it has to do with the unknown and uncertainty that comes with life, like little white shadows out there that you can't see, kinda like the future. And I think it also can refer to relationships and how unsure they can be and the spotaneity with which they come to be. and everyone is being part of a system, they work and live everyday, yet they are not sure about what they actually want and their future are just like the white shadows, therefore we should break the walls to find the true side of us...

:confused: :confused: does this make sense

[Sofy]

I have to agree with all of you...the meaning you find on the songs is very personal, and i think that's what art is all about.

So, i think the more 'open' the meaning is, the better the lyrics.

 

And the lyrics of this song are quite good to me.

[badlydrawngirl]

Chris Martin's lyrics are to the NTH degree. When it comes to love, hes always talking bullshit about how he'd do ANYTHING for someone, his feelings are so fricken basic he cant describe them in an interesting way at all.

 

Ive written songs myself about being in love and it is completely amateur of anyone to consistently write crap about how you would part the seas or bleed yourself dry etc. etc. cack bullshit.

 

:lol: you never fail to amuse me good sir! :smug:

[AlexZhang]

My idea

 

I think this song is about the end of the world, at least the end of it.

 

It's about growing up and seeing things and realizing things. And then you feel something's missing, and you start to look back, recall, what you've left behind. And you start to regret, wishing you have lived in a "permanent state" in the past. You want to go back, but you can't let go of what you have. You forget what life is meaningful for. You forget why you exist and what makes life worthwhile.

And then the end comes. And people are running everywhere and you know you are doomed. You're "swimming in the sea of faces". You are left behind. The end is near. Yet you can see no point of escape, but you just want to know *why*. You suddenly realize the truth, the fact that we should not live in the past and try to move on, as the past is passed. You sit down and quietly enjoy the last bit of your life.

 

As for the last part I agree it's about a nuclear war. Reminds me strongly of Fahrenheit 451. "New sun rising" and "break your horizon" is probably the bomb exploding.