Poem Analysis: I Hear Jerusalem Horses

The rest of the song allows a closer look into the religious beliefs of the writer. “I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing / Roman cavalry choirs are singing / Be my mirror, my sword and shield / My missionaries in a foreign field.” Chris hearing the bells and choirs symbolizes his acceptance of faith or religion in a way he did not accept it before. After the loss he went through, it seems as though he has found religion as a way to cope. The mirror, sword, and shield also symbolize his newfound faith. The mirror will allow him to reflect his faith in God, the sword is the strength he will gain from his trust, and the shield is the protection God promises to provide. When he talks about missionaries, it seems as though he has accepted that he
is not the ruler, and that he is not as large as he once believed. He now accepts God and the fact that he is greater than any one person. Allowing others to share the story of the Bible shows the direction the writer is leading his life after the downfall. He is picking himself back up and moving on in his life by putting his faith and trust in God. The next four lines read, “For some reason I can’t explain / Once you’d gone there was never / Never an honest word / But that was when I ruled the world.” Since these last four lyrics are in the same verse as when Chris introduces religion, it makes sense that he is explaining that when he did not have God in his life, he was dishonest and lied, but that was when he was almighty and powerful. Now, however, with God in his life, he is no longer the same person he was before. It shows that he has been accepting of the fact that he is not the ruler anymore, and that there is something greater than himself that guides him through life. The fourth verse of the song describes the writer looking back at his time of being powerful. “It was a wicked and wild wind / Blew down the doors to let me in / Shattered windows and the sound of drums / People couldn’t believe what I’d become”
He explains how he used his powers in a manner similar to the way he turned the sea into a force of destruction. The wind was how he was able to torment and intimidate others. A window often represents many different things, but in terms of the lyrics, it best represents trust. Windows are made of glass, definitely not the sturdiest of materials, but people have them anyway because of the view they give of the outside. People hold onto the belief that the window may not withstand the most destructive of forces, but it will provide light in return. I think the writer ultimately caused his downfall when he lost everyone's trust. He did something negligent, and it shattered the trust of his followers. They believed that though he may do unacceptable things at times, it was okay because of the light he brought in, the good that came from his actions every once and awhile. This time, though, he broke the trust, and there was no returning. He became a tyrant, an unrecognizable force of power. “Revolutionaries wait / For my head on a silver plate” Those he ruled over no longer wanted their lives to be dictated. Instead, they wanted him gone. They waited for him to do something so disastrous, it would cost him everything. He was as good as dead to his people. “Just a puppet on a lonely string/ Oh who would ever want to be king?” As a ruler, the power controlled him to the point where it wasn’t him making decisions anymore, it was the power make decisions for him. It had gotten to his head and there was no way of escaping it. He had so much authority and influence, nothing could stop him from what he was doing. Because of this, he had no one to turn to. Nobody wanted to be friends with a power hungry tyrant. The loneliness encased him to the point where even his own capabilities could not keep him company. He decides that he would much rather have people to love and rely on and own nothing, rather than having it all but no one to share it with.

In the final section, the beginning of the stanza begins the same as a previous verse that reads, “I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing / Roman cavalry choirs are singing / Be my mirror, my sword and shield / My missionaries in a foreign field” Similar to before, the lines are repeating the importance of religion in the writer’s life.
Before, when he considered himself a ruler, he considered himself the most important person. Now that he no longer has this complex of superiority, however, he has accepted religion in belief that he can fix the mistakes he made in the past. The next lines read, “For some reason I can't explain / I know St Peter won't call my name.” This line really shows Chris reflecting back on his life. He does make another biblical reference in the lyric, as St. Peter is an apostle of Jesus. Chris realizes that he took advantage of the life he had before, and understands that his actions were dishonorable. This leads him to speculate whether or not he will be allowed to enter Heaven, and he comes to conclude that he will not. This allows the listener to understand the guilt he feels and how he has changed as a person over this period of his life. He concludes by saying, “Never an honest word / But that was when I ruled the world.” This line exhibits the thought process behind Chris’ decision. He thinks a part of the reason he will not be accepted into Heaven is because of all of the lies he used to tell, but he explains that that was his life before. He has now
changed and is no longer the oppressor he was seen as before. He has been changed by his faith in God, and is no longer connected with his old life of destruction.

Overall, the song Viva La Vida written by Coldplay, can be difficult to understand, as the story can be traced over multiple time periods in the writer's life.
The song goes back and forth multiple times, first discussing how the writer was powerful. He controlled everything and nothing could stop him. Then it quickly shifts as he discusses how he lost everything. His power was gone, and realizes he had nothing left. He uses multiple examples to portray this throughout several verses. Then he mentions how he found religion after his downfall, and how it started to change his outlook on life. He uses more examples of his past to explain how finding God has changed him and made him into a person he could have never been before. Despite the many setbacks and failures Chris has obviously struggled with in his life, the moral of the song, put simply, is to just have faith. He used his faith to pull him out of one of the deepest struggles in his life, and without it, he could not have reached the successes of his life today. The title encapsulates this message very well. When translated from Spanish, Viva La Vida means to live life. When Chris had to completely reevaluate his life and where he had came from, he decided to continue on and find something to help him. He decided finding God was his redemption, and with his newly discovered faith, he was able to accept his past, and continue living life the way he believed he
should.