Coldplay recorded this song in a Barcelona church, which provided the distinctive echo.
For more info go to http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=11581
Cemeteries of London
Coldplay Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The morning is for sleepin'
Through the dark streets, they go searchin' to see God in their own way
Save the night time for your weepin'
Your weepin'
Singin' la-la-la-la-la-la-lay
And the night over London lay
So we rode down to the river, where Victorian ghosts pray
For their curses to be broken
We go wandering 'neath the arches, where the witches are and they say
There are ghost towns in the ocean
The ocean
Singin' la-la-la-la-la-la-lay
And the night over London lay
God is in the houses and God is in my head
And all the cemeteries in London
I see God come in my garden, but I don't know what he said
For my heart it wasn't open
Not open
Singin' la-la-la-la-la-la-lay
And the night over London lay
Singin' la-la-la-la-la-la-lay
There's no light over London today
The lyrics of Coldplay's song Cemeteries of London depict a night-time journey taken by a pair of protagonists in search of something ineffable - God. As they walk through the dark and treacherous streets of London, they are not merely looking for a conventional understanding of God, but rather the exploration of human spirituality in its many possible forms. The theme is further magnified by the reference made to witches, ghosts and curses in the text, which indicates that the search for God is as much an exploration of the collective cultural psyche as it is the quest for an individual's understanding of spirituality.
The chorus "Singing la lalalalala la la, And the night over London lay" emphasizes that darkness and the unknown provide the likelihood for the search of higher power and the message is enhanced by the closing lines: "I see God come in my garden, but I don't know what he said, For my heart it wasn't open, Not open." The ambiguity signifies that the understanding of spiritual significance whimpers without a propitious and receptive frame of mind.
Line by Line Meaning
At night they would go walking 'till the breaking of the day
They would wander through the night until the dawn
The morning is for sleeping
The daytime is meant to rest
Through the dark streets, they go searching, to see God in their own way
They seek to find their own understanding of God in the shadows of the city
Save the nighttime for your weeping
Nighttime is reserved for emotional release
Your weeping
Your tears
Singing la lalalalala la la
Repeating a chorus of meaningless sounds
And the night over London lay
The darkness covers the city of London
So we rode down to the river, where the toiling ghosts spring
They journeyed to the place where the restless spirits emerge from the water
For their curses to be broken
In the hopes of freeing themselves from the curse that has trapped them
We'd go underneath the arches, where the witches are in the saying
They went to the place where witches are rumored to gather
There are ghost towns in the ocean
There are abandoned underwater cities
The ocean
The sea
God is in the houses and God is in my head
God is present in human dwellings and thoughts
And all the cemeteries in London
God is also present in the burial grounds of London
I see God come in my garden, but I don't know what he said
The singer witnessed a divine presence in their garden but did not comprehend the message
For my heart it wasn't open
Their heart was not prepared to fully receive the message
Not open
Unprepared
There's no light over London today.
The city is currently without hope or guidance
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Christopher Anthony John Martin, Guy Rupert Berryman, Jonathan Mark Buckland, William Champion
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alyas Scofield
on Yellow
love it
Jeannie Smith
on A Sky Full of Stars
<3 love it!
Jeannie Smith
on Shiver
Also I'd like to add that this song and some oyher stuff makes me think of The Bee Gees for some reason.
Jeannie Smith
on Shiver
I like this because of Lucy who's knickname is Shivers.
Jeannie Smith
on Speed of Sound
I like all of Coldplay's songs so far. :)
Jeannie Smith
on O
I like this.
Jeannie Smith
on A Sky Full of Stars
love this song <3
Jeannie Smith
on A Sky Full of Stars
Like this!
Kirstine Reville
on Fix You
NICE