"Viva La Vida" lyrics
"Viva La Vida"
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
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
Once you'd gone there was never
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world
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?
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
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh [5x]
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
Thanks to Jayden, Simi, Austin, Kiss You, Bryn for correcting these lyrics.
Writer(s): Christopher Anthony John Martin, Jonathan Mark Buckland, William Champion, Guy Rupert Berryman
The second single from the album. The song segues directly into the next track, "Violet Hill".
The title of this track is taken from a painting by Frida Kahlo. It means "Long live life" in Spanish. Chris Martin said, "She went through a lot of pain, of course, and then she started a big painting in her house that said 'Viva la Vida'. I just loved the boldness of it."
Bass guitarist Guy Berryman explained the meaning of "Viva La Vida" by saying, "It's a story about a king who's lost his kingdom, and all the album's artwork is based on the idea of revolutionaries and guerrillas."
Violinist Davide Rossi was one of the main collaborators of the album and he arranged and conducted all the strings on this track.
"Viva la Vida" topped the UK Singles Chart and US Billboard Hot 100, and became the band's first number-one single in both the USA and UK.
This song won awards for Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or a Group at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in 2009.
"Viva la Vida" became iTunes' best-selling song of 2008.
Lady Gaga made a cover of this song for BBC Radio 1.
The song was covered by the boyband
One Direction in the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010.
- AZLyrics
- C
- Coldplay Lyrics
album:
"Viva La Vida" (2008)
Life In Technicolor
Postcards From Far Away
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