The title is the second Coldplay title referencing Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. (The first being “Don’t Panic”.) In the novel, the characters discover that the meaning to life, the universe, and everything is 42.
Martin: [Explaining the lyrics] Well, the whole record is — if it were a Notorious B.I.G. record, it’d be called Life and Death, it’s just that … maybe because we’ve had some people close to us who we’ve lost, but some miracles — we’ve got kids. So, life has been very extreme recently, and so both death and life pop up quite often. It’s called “42” because it’s my favorite number. And I think it’s probably in Will’s top three favorite numbers too.
Champion: Yeah, 17 and 11 and then 42.
- from a 2008 interview with MTV
42
Coldplay Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They're just living in my head
And since I fell for that spell
I am living there as well, oh
Time is so short and I'm sure
There must be something more
They're just living in my head, oh
And since I fell for that spell
I am living there as well, oh
Time is so short and I'm sure
There must be something more
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh
You thought you might be a ghost
You thought you might be a ghost
You didn't get to heaven, but you made it close
You didn't get to heaven, but you made it close
You thought you might be a ghost
You thought you might be a ghost
You didn't get to heaven but you made it close
You didn't get to heaven but you oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh, oh-oh
Those who are dead, are not dead
They're just living in my head
Ooh
The lyrics to Coldplay's song 42 are both haunting and deeply philosophical. The song appears to be a reflection on the fleeting nature of time and the way that memories of loved ones who have passed away can live on within us long after they are gone. The opening lines, "Those who are dead, are not dead, they're just living in my head," suggest that the people we have lost continue to be a part of us in some way, shaping our thoughts and feelings even though they are no longer physically present.
The idea of being under a spell is also explored in the lyrics, with the singer suggesting that he too has been affected by the memory of those who have died. The repetition of the line, "And since I fell for that spell, I am living there as well," seems to imply that the singer has become trapped in his own memories, unable to move on from the past.
Line by Line Meaning
Those who are dead, are not dead
The memories of those who have passed away still live on in the singer's mind.
They're just living in my head
The singer is haunted by the people they have lost, and they can't forget them.
And since I fell for that spell
The singer has been enchanted by the idea of remembering the dead and can't stop thinking about them.
I am living there as well
The artist has joined the dead in their memories and can't escape them.
Time is so short and I'm sure
The artist feels like life is fleeting and wants to make the most of it.
There must be something more
The singer believes that there is more to life than just the memories of those who have passed away.
You thought you might be a ghost
The singer is addressing someone else who is also haunted by their past like the singer.
You didn't get to heaven but you made it close
The artist is telling the other person that they almost gave up on life, but they didn't.
And since I fell for that spell
The artist is again referencing their own experience of being haunted and living in their memories.
You didn't get to heaven but you oh, oh
The artist is urging the other person to keep fighting and not give up on life.
Those who are dead are not dead
The singer repeats their belief that memories of the dead still live on in the living.
They're just living in my head
The artist reiterates that the memories of the dead haunt them constantly.
Oh
This line is just a simple expression of emotion that doesn't have a specific meaning.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHRISTOPHER ANTHONY JOHN MARTIN, GUY RUPERT BERRYMAN, JONATHAN MARK BUCKLAND, WILLIAM CHAMPION
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@holothewisewolf2579
"42"
Those who are dead are not dead
They’re just living in my head
And since I fell for that spell
I am living there as well
Oh..
Time is so short and I’m sure
There must be something more
Those who are dead are not dead
They’re just living in my head oh…
And since I fell for that spell
I am living there as well oh…
Time is so short and I’m sure
There must be something more
You thought you might be a ghost
You thought you might be a ghost
You didn’t get to heaven but you made it close
You didn’t get to heaven but you made it close
You thought you might be a ghost
You thought you might be a ghost
You didn’t get to heaven but you made it close
You didn’t get to heaven but you oh-oh-ooh, oh-oh-ooh
Oh oh…
Those who are dead are not dead
They’re just living in my head
Oh..
@charlottecharity1785
actually, despite everyone saying this song is about "the starting of life, which is quiet, and then you go up up up, to the climax, and then fall back down again, which means death" or the theory of "realizing death is sad, then became emotional coz you realize it, and then go back to peaceful again", I have another interpretation of the song.
like, if we view the song as a song which only talks about one thing, from one person's point of view, this song just doesn't make much sense. the lyrics don't fit together, neither does the style.
so I'm thinking like, let's say there is a person A. this person A lost someone (let's make this person B) really close to his heart, and he is sad about it. he doesn't want person B to go, so he's like "those who are dead are not dead they're just living in my head". And so he's melancholic about it and reminiscing the past, all sad like.
then when it get to the second verse, it actually isn't person A's point of view anymore. it's person B's (that one who is dead). so the music changes, like switches to an entire different song. this person B tells the story that he thought he might be a ghost, but he's not, he's still living in person A's memories. so in his mind, he went like "(so) you thought you might be a ghost? (well you're not, you're still living. another way to living)"
bonus: and then at the end, the POV switches back to person A again, being person A, he doesn't know person B is watching over him, so he's in a more regretting mood and sighing about it.
seriously, this might not be what this song is about, but I feel this is a valid explanation of why the verses is so weird.
@alexandermcintyre5370
That moment when you leave Coldplay for a while
You come back to them and you realise how amazing they are
@portugueseboy5887
They were*
@crosscourttennis1796
Literally spent 2 hours reminiscing in the simplistic genius that is Coldplay. Missed it so much
@MORUS1
@Portuguese Boy stfu
@zoltasere2861
I’m 42
@qw3rty4zerty
Alexander McIntyre coldplay ftw
@dominickbradshaw
"You didn't get to heaven but you made it close" favorite line in this whole song.
@r2dadizubz
How's things mate?
@tyuiop123123
''Those who are dead are not dead they're just living in my head'' just rips you apart if you have recently lost someone.
@fatfatat444albertkagan
I play in a Melodic Metal band, and I can say the same!