Princess Of China
Coldplay Lyrics


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Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh

Once upon a time somebody ran
Somebody ran away saying, "Fast as they can"
I got to go
I got to go

Once upon a time we fell apart
You're holding in your hands
The two halves of my heart
Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh

Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh

Once upon a time we're burning bright
That all we ever seemed to do is fight
On and on
And on and on and on

Once upon a time on the same side
Once upon a time on the same side
In the same game, now why'd you have to go
Have to go and throw it all in my flame

Could've been a princess, you'd be a king
Could have had a castle and worn a ring
But no, you let me go

I could've been a princess, you'd be a king
Could have had a castle and worn a ring,
But no, you let me go

Stole my star
La-la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
You stole my star
La-la-la-la-la-la

Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh
Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh

'Cause you really hurt me
Oh, you really hurt me
'Cause you really hurt me
Oh, you really hurt me
'Cause you really hurt me
Oh-oh, you really hurt me




'Cause you really hurt me
Oh-oh, you really hurt me

Overall Meaning

Coldplay's Princess of China features Rihanna and tells the story of two lovers who have fallen apart but still feel a deep connection to each other. The song begins with the lyrics, "Once upon a time somebody ran, / Somebody ran away saying, 'Fast as they can' / I got to go, I got to go." These lines suggest that someone in the relationship has decided to leave, and they're running as fast as they can to get away. The singer has to let them go.


In the chorus, Coldplay and Rihanna sing about what could have been. They could have been a princess and a king, living in a castle and wearing a ring. But instead, the relationship fell apart. The lyrics suggest that one person in the relationship hurt the other deeply, hence the repetition of "you really hurt me."


Overall, the song is about the pain of a relationship falling apart and the longing for what could have been. The use of fairy tale imagery adds to the sense of loss and regret.


Line by Line Meaning

Once upon a time somebody ran
There was a time when someone left abruptly


Somebody ran away saying, "Fast as they can"
The person who left did so in a hurry


I got to go
The singer too has to leave in order to catch up with the person who left


Once upon a time we fell apart
At some point in time, the singer and the person who left had a falling out


You're holding in your hands the two halves of my heart
The person who left still has a hold on the singer's emotions


Once upon a time we're burning bright
There was a time when things were going well between the singer and the person who left


That all we ever seemed to do is fight
Despite the good times, arguments were common between the two


On and on, and on and on and on
The fights seemed never-ending


Once upon a time on the same side
The two were initially on the same team


In the same game, now why'd you have to go
They were working towards the same goal until the person who left gave up


Have to go and throw it all in my flame
The person who left not only left, but also destroyed what they had built together


Could've been a princess, you'd be a king
The singer and the person who left had potential for greatness


Could have had a castle and worn a ring
They could've had everything they wanted


But no, you let me go
The person who left chose to give up instead of fighting through their problems


Stole my star
The person who left took away the singer's joy and success


La-la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la-la
A nonsense phrase used for emphasis


La-la-la-la-la
A nonsense phrase used for emphasis


You stole my star
The singer blames the person who left for their failures


'Cause you really hurt me
The singer is still in pain from what the person who left did


Oh, you really hurt me
The singer is expressing their pain and heartbreak


Oh-oh, you really hurt me
The singer repeats their feelings of hurt




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Christopher Anthony John Martin, Guy Rupert Berryman, Jonathan Mark Buckland, William Champion, Jon Thor Birgisson, Orri Pall Dyrason, Georg Holm, Kjartan Sveinsson, Brian Peter George Eno

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@1k.0videos

Lyrics ❤
Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Once upon a time somebody ran
Somebody ran away saying fast as I can
I got to go
I got to go
Once upon a time we fell apart
You're holding in your hands the two halves of my heart
Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh

Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh

Once upon a time we burned bright
Now all we ever seem to do is fight
On and on
And on, and on, and on

Once upon a time on the same side
Once upon a time on the same side, in the same game
Now why'd you have to go?
Have to go and throw water on my flame

I could have been a princess, you'd be a king
Could've had a castle and worn a ring
But no, you let me go
I could have been a princess, you'd be a king
Could've had a castle and worn a ring
But no, you let me go

You stole my star
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la
You stole my star
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la

Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh

'Cause you really hurt me
No, you really hurt me
'Cause you really hurt me
No, you really hurt me
'Cause you really hurt me
Oh, you really hurt me
'Cause you really hurt me
Oh, you really hurt me



@davidortiz8171

Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Once upon a time somebody ran
Somebody ran away saying fast as I can
I got to go
I got to go
Once upon a time we fell apart
You're holding in your hands the two halves of my heart
Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Once upon a time we burned bright
Now all we ever seem to do is fight
On and on
And on, and on, and on
Once upon a time on the same side
Once upon a time on the same side, in the same game
Now why'd you have to go?
Have to go and throw water on my flame
I could have been a princess, you'd be a king
Could've had a castle and worn a ring
But no, you let me go
I could have been a princess, you'd be a king
Could've had a castle and worn a ring
But no, you let me go
You stole my star
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la
You stole my star
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
'Cause you really hurt me
No, you really hurt me
'Cause you really hurt me
No, you really hurt me
'Cause you really hurt me
Oh, you really hurt me
'Cause you really hurt me
Oh, you really hurt me



@kennethadam13

[Intro: Rihanna]
Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh

[Verse 1: Chris Martin]
Once upon a time, somebody ran
Somebody ran away saying fast as I can
I've got to go, I've got to go
Once upon a time, we fell apart
You're holding in your hands the two halves of my heart
Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh

[Bridge: Rihanna]
Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh

[Verse 2: Rihanna & Chris Martin]
Once upon a time, we burned bright
Now all we ever seem to do is fight
On and on
And on and on and on
Once upon a time on the same side
Once upon a time on the same side
In the same game
And why'd you have to go?
Have to go and throw water on my flame

[Chorus: Rihanna]
I could've been a princess, you'd be a king
Could've had a castle, and worn a ring
But no, you let me go
I could've been a princess, you'd be a king
Could've had a castle, and worn a ring
But no, you let me go

[Post-Chorus: Chris Martin & Rihanna]
You stole my star
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la
You stole my star
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la

[Bridge: Rihanna]
Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh

[Outro: Chris Martin & Rihanna]
'Cause you really hurt me
No, you really hurt me
'Cause you really hurt me
No, you really hurt me
'Cause you really hurt me
Oh, you really hurt me, oh
'Cause you really hurt me
Oh, you really hurt me



All comments from YouTube:

@ThorstenHeil

The best part of this song:
"I could've been a princess, you'd be a king
Could've had a castle, and worn a ring
But no, you let me go
And stole my star
La, la, la,… " Goosebumps when Rihanna sings that part!

@CarolinaLopez-je6ze

Same feeling

@traceybanting3952

Absolutely the best bit by miles! 😊👍

@dinketter5144

totally agree, the rhythm is perfect, will there be any similar song?

@GMarieBehindTheMask

You stole my star: I'm bawling

@Inkaa1tarot

TH. Aries LITERALLY my favorite part. I get goosebumps too😫

53 More Replies...

@nis1607

This is song is criminally underrated

@lydan9451

Bffr

@voidfly

Idk if almost 300 million views qualifies as underrated but I really like this song as well

@rayyurfav

@@voidflycompared to Coldplay’s other songs, yes this is Criminally underrated asf

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