Lyrics Analysis: COLDPLAY “Clocks” 1996 (Intermediate English Lesson)

Instruções:
Essas aulas de inglês são para alunos intermediários e avançados de inglês como segunda língua. Eles incluem “Ler”, “Ouvir” e “Escrever”. Basta seguir a lição respondendo às perguntas à medida que as encontra.

Todas as vagas em negrito devem ser traduzidas para seu próprio idioma para ajudar na compreensão do novo vocabulário.

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This English lesson will take two hours to complete.

QUESTION:  What is poetic licence?

INTRODUCTION:

Below you will find a song called ‘Clocks’ recorded by a British band called Coldplay LINK .  They were formed in London in 1996. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. The song ‘Clocks’ appears to be about a breaking relationship between two people and the hopelessness and pain that can cause. When people listen to songs they sometimes place their own meanings to the words, depending on the listeners state of mind at that time, this is ok of course. What do you think ‘Clocks’ is about?

INSTRUCTIONS:

Listen and watch the music video below and then we are going to gramatically analyze the lyrics.  Then after you finish watching look at the song’s lyrics below and make a grammatic list of all the verbs, nouns and adjectives you don’t know. Then look at the expressions list used in the song. We will then chat about each line and identify and understand the vocabulary and their meanings. There are two videos, the first without the lyrics and the second with lyrics. As you are listening make a note on paper of all the words and phrases you are not sure of and then we will discuss them together.

LISTENING SECTION

Coldplay ‘CLOCKS’ with lyrics

READING:

The meaning of the lyrics

Section One

“Clocks” is a song by one of the most successful British rock bands of all time Coldplay. The song appears to be about being in a tumultuous, heart-breaking relationship yet being deeply in love while time painfully ticks away. The singer, who can’t seem to conceptualize living without this love, is stricken powerless as all he seems to be able to do is watch as his relationship deteriorates. The song’s main theme is love. But is this really what the lyrics of “Clocks” are about?

VOCABULARY: tumultuous, heart-breaking, deeply in love, ticks away, conceptualize, stricken, powerless, deteriorates, theme

Section Two

To be honest, “Clocks” is painfully-ambiguous. That is not to diss it in anyway, as many have derived pleasure and their own understandings from it. But the explanation of its lyrics can easily vary.

VOCABULARY: painfully, ambiguous, to diss, derived, pleasure, vary: 

Section Three

On one hand, it is said to be one of Coldplay’s romantic tracks. So if that is the case, then the addressee would logically be the singer’s sweetheart. Moreover it would seem that their relationship has its issues. And under such circumstances, the title would likely allude to the idea that they only have a finite amount of time available to rectify the situation.

VOCABULARY:   on one hand, tracks, addressee, sweetheart, moreover, circumstances, likely, allude, finite, rectify

Section Four

But perhaps the most-popular understanding of “Clocks” is that it transcends the realm of amorous love and rather deals with general existential matters.  And once again, the entire situation is presented as having its challenges. So perhaps the simplest way of describing the entire scenario is one where the narrator questions whether or not he is using the life he has been granted in a constructive – or less ideal – manner.

VOCABULARY:  transcend, realm, amorous, existencial, matters, entire, scenario, narrator, been granted, constructive, manner

Section Five

And yet another interpretation may be that this song is spiritual in nature. Indeed Chris Martin, the lead singer of Coldplay, is recognized as being someone who openly believes in a Higher Power. So an alternate explanation of the lyrics may be that they recount his frustration in life due to deeming himself an unworthy and defeated individual, which is a consistent theme in Christianity. Such is definitely the disposition of the narrator in the first verse, no matter how you cut it. But then, as illustrated in the bridge, he is appreciating the addressee (i.e. God) as being an example the most-excellent part of existence. But potentially most-telling is the fact that the chorus, “you are”, is the third-person in relation to the phrase “I am”, which is how God often refers to Himself in the Bible.

VOCABULARY:  recognized, higher power, recount, frustration, deeming, unworthy, defeated, consistent, such, cut it, the bridge, appreciating, most-excellent, existence, potentially, most-telling, chorus, third-person, bible

Section Six

But regardless which understanding a listener may adhere to, the bottom line is that the singer is having a hard time. Thus he wants to go “home”, with the addressee, though what home actually represents is once again up to debate.  And throughout it all, the addressee, whomever this entity may be, is someone the singer looks up to as a relief from his discontents.

VOCABULARY: regardless, may, adhere, hard time, throughout, whomever, entity, relief, discontents

LYRICS ANALYSIS:

Now let’s look closely at the words and their meanings. Firstly do the following: Read through the lyrics and make a list using paper and pen of the following grammar: When listing the regular or irregular verbs please also supply the past tense of each verb.

1. The nouns. Plurals and singulars separately.
2. The verbs. Regular and irregular separately.
3. The adjectives.
4. Present perfect verbs if found.
5. ‘Shortcut words’ in found.

OK, so now let’s look at the individual lines of each of the three verses.

VERSE ONE:

The lights go out and I can’t be saved

Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought me down upon my knees
Oh, I beg, I beg and plead
Singin’ come out of things un said
Shoot an apple off my head
And a trouble that can’t be named
A tiger’s waiting to be tamed, singin’

Discuss any words or meanings by asking the teacher questions.

VERSE TWO:

Confusion that never stops
Closing walls and ticking clocks
Gonna come back and take you home
I could not stop that you now know
Singin’ come out upon my seas
Cursed missed opportunities
Am I a part of the cure
Or am I part of the disease? Singin’

Discuss any words or meanings by asking the teacher questions.

VERSE THREE:

And nothing else compares
Oh, no, nothing else compares
And nothing else compares

Discuss any words or meanings by asking the teacher questions.

EXRESSIONS: What are the meanings of these words/expressions?

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. tumultuous, heart-breaking relationship
                              2. to analyze the lyrics
                              3. heart breaking
                              4. deeply in love
                              5. ticks away
                              6. painfully ambiguous
                              7. stricken powerless
                              8. transcends the realm
                              9. amorous love
                              10. existential matters
                              11. to diss

Shortcut words: A ‘shortcut word’ is a word that has been adapted as either a regional slang or colloquialism.

COLLOQUIALISM : meaning

1. a word or phrase that is not formal or literary, typically one used in ordinary or familiar conversation.

   “the colloquialisms of the streets”

   • the use of ordinary or familiar words or phrases.

     “speech allows for colloquialism and slang”

Gonna (Going to)

Gonna is the contraction for “going to”.
That’s how we say that verb in casual, spoken English.
A whole syllable disappears! It happens, especially when talking fast.

For example:
“I’m going to go.” → “I’m gonna go.” (casual English)

Do you understand what we’re saying?

She said:
 “Originally, I was gonna pick them up, but then I took this other job, so now I work during the day” 
She means:  “I was going to pick them up.”

Try it yourself! 
Transform this phrase into casual, spoken English:

Are you going to stay here? 

Poetic licence: Meaning.