Coldplay is a British alternative rock and britpop band formed in London in… Read Full Bio ↴Coldplay is a British alternative rock and britpop band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University College London and began playing music together from 1996 to 1998, initially calling themselves Starfish. Coldplay's music incorporates elements of soft rock, pop rock, piano rock, and post-britpop.

After independently releasing an extended play, Safety (1998), Coldplay signed with Parlophone in 1999. The band's debut album, Parachutes (2000), included their breakthrough single "Yellow" and received a Brit Award for British Album of the Year, a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album and a Mercury Prize nomination. Their second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), won the same accolades and included "Clocks", which earned a Grammy Award for Record of the Year. In 2005, they released X&Y; the album was marked by a troubled production and various delays, completing what the band considered a trilogy as well. Coldplay's fourth effort, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008), received a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album and their first Album of the Year nomination, while its title track was the first British group song to reach number-one in the United Kingdom and United States simultaneously in the 21st century. Both X&Y and Viva la Vida were the best-selling albums of their respective years, topping the charts in more than 30 countries each.

Since then, Coldplay further diversified their sound with the subsequent releases Mylo Xyloto (2011), Ghost Stories (2014), A Head Full of Dreams (2015), Everyday Life (2019) and Music of the Spheres (2021). Each album presented a unique theme and added new musical styles to the band's original repertoire, including electronica, ambient, pop, R&B, funk, classical, jazz fusion, and progressive rock. They are also known for "euphoric" live performances, which NME said are when the band "come alive and make the most sense". To celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2018, a career-spanning documentary directed by Mat Whitecross was premiered at selected cinemas, featuring previously unseen behind-the-scenes footage.

With 100 million albums sold worldwide, Coldplay are the most successful band of the 21st century and one of the best-selling music acts of all time. According to Fuse, they are also the sixth-most awarded group in history. Other notable achievements include the seventh-highest-grossing tour of all time, three of the 50 highest-selling albums ever in the United Kingdom, the most number-one records in the country without ever missing the top, most nominations and wins for a band in Brit Awards history, and becoming the first British group to debut at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100. Coldplay are considered one of the most influential bands of the 21st century as well, with Forbes describing them as the standard for the current alternative scene. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included A Rush of Blood to the Head on their "200 Definitive Albums" list and the single "Yellow" is part of their "Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll" exhibition for being one of the most successful and important recordings in the industry. In spite of their popularity and impact, Coldplay have earned a reputation as polarizing music icons.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coldplay

Studio albums
Parachutes (2000)
A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)
X&Y (2005)
Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008)
Mylo Xyloto (2011)
Ghost Stories (2014)
A Head Full of Dreams (2015)
Everyday Life (2019)
Music of the Spheres (2021)

Glass of Water
Coldplay Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Scared of losing all the time
He wrote it in a letter
He was a friend of mine
He heard you could see your future
Inside a glass of water
With ripples and the rhymes
He asked will I see heaven in mine?

Oh that is just the way it was
And nothing could be better
And nothing ever was
And they say you can see your future
Inside a glass of water
With riddles and the rhymes
But will I see heaven in mine?
Oh, oh, oh

Son, don't ask,
Neither how full nor empty is your glass
Cling to the mast
Spend your whole life living in the past
Going nowhere fast

So he wrote it on a wall
The hollowest of halos
Is no halo at all
And Televisions selling plastic figurines of leaders
Saying nothing at all
And you chime
Stars in heaven align
Oh

Son, don't ask,
Neither how full nor empty is your glass
Cling to the mast
Spend your whole life living in the past
Going nowhere fast

What are we drinking when we're done, just glasses of water

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Coldplay's song Glass of Water touch upon themes of fear, uncertainty, and existential questioning. The opening lines "Scared of losing all the time, he wrote it in a letter, he was a friend of mine" set the tone for the rest of the song. There is an underlying sense of anxiety and concern that permeates the lyrics. The singer of the song is searching for answers and turning to various sources for guidance. He is intrigued by the concept of seeing one's future in a glass of water and wonders if he will see heaven in his.

As the song progresses, the main theme of uncertainty is expressed in the refrain "Son, don't ask, neither how full nor empty is your glass, cling to the mast, spend your whole life living in the past, going nowhere fast". The character is advised not to worry about the future or what he cannot control, but instead focus on the present and the tangible things that he can hold onto. The notion of the glass of water as a metaphor for life's complexities is explored further with the lyric "what are we drinking when we're done, just glasses of water".

The concluding lines "The hollowest of halos is no halo at all, and Televisions selling plastic figurines of leaders saying nothing at all, and you chime stars in heaven align" offer a sense of resignation about the state of contemporary society and the hollowness of modern life. However, the final sentiment of the song is one of hope and possibility, with the idea that the stars in heaven can still align and guide us in the right direction.

Line by Line Meaning

Scared of losing all the time
He is afraid of failure and losing all of the time.

He wrote it in a letter
He expressed his fears in a letter.

He was a friend of mine
The person who wrote the letter was the singer's friend.

He heard you could see your future
The friend heard a rumor that you could see your future.

Inside a glass of water
The rumor was about seeing the future inside a glass of water.

With ripples and the rhymes
The way to see the future in the glass of water was with ripples and rhymes.

He asked will I see heaven in mine?
The friend wondered if he would go to heaven when he dies.

Oh that is just the way it was
The way things were in the past were just the way they were.

And nothing could be better
The singer's past was considered to be the best of times.

And nothing ever was
The present pales in comparison to the past.

And they say you can see your future
There is a rumor about seeing the future.

Inside a glass of water
The rumor involves looking at a glass of water.

With riddles and the rhymes
The future can be seen by looking at the ripples and making guesses based on rhymes.

But will I see heaven in mine?
The singer wonders if he will go to heaven when he dies.

Son, don't ask,
The singer is giving advice.

Neither how full nor empty is your glass
Don't worry about whether your glass is half empty or half full.

Cling to the mast
Hold onto the mast like a sailor in a storm.

Spend your whole life living in the past
Don't dwell on the past your whole life.

Going nowhere fast
If you only focus on the past, you won't get anywhere.

So he wrote it on a wall
The friend wrote something on a wall.

The hollowest of halos
The friend wrote about how some people's halos are hollow.

Is no halo at all
A halo that is hollow isn't a real halo.

And Televisions selling plastic figurines of leaders
TVs are selling plastic figurines of leaders who say nothing worthwhile.

Saying nothing at all
These leaders aren't saying anything important.

And you chime
You also add something to this discussion.

Stars in heaven align
The future seems to be coming into alignment.

What are we drinking when we're done, just glasses of water
When it's all said and done, what are we left with? Just ordinary glasses of water.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRISTOPHER ANTHONY JOHN MARTIN, GUY RUPERT BERRYMAN, JONATHAN MARK BUCKLAND, WILLIAM CHAMPION

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS