Strawberry Swing

Album: Viva la Vida (2008)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song features twinkling Afro-pop guitars. Lead singer Chris Martin explained to Rolling Stone magazine: "My Mum comes from Zimbabwe, so I spent a lot of time there. I used to work in a studio where people played that."
  • Drummer Will Champion (from Q magazine July 2008): "A lovely, joyous song. Guy (Berryman, bass) and I have managed to get more groove into this record than we've ever managed before. A bit more swagger."
  • Producer Brian Eno provides the handclaps at the beginning of this number. Chris Martin told MTV News, "If you listen very closely, you can hear him complaining about the tempo at the beginning of that song."
  • Coldplay's lyrics are brought to life in a picture book illustrated by Mitch Miller. Published by Akashic Books in 2021, it tells a sweet story of friendship, wanting to share every moment with that someone special.

Comments: 19

  • Jeffrey Wekesa from NairobiA melodious and joyous beat, and the video tells it best...go with the flow whatever life throws, even as dreadful things loom just ahead. Just take the stance ur on a strawberry swing and I'll be ok.
  • Heather from Beaufort, South Carolina UsaI agree with Orhan from Sweden. I would be interested in hearing more of your thinking on Coldplay. I have been a fan since day one and thoroughly enjoy talking about each track of every album. You are spot on in my opinion of what this song means. Thank you for clearing it up.
  • Katelyn from Lawton, OkThis song takes me back to the day I met my best friend ily little sis! :D
  • Orhan from Malmö, SwedenIts about feeling total freedom:
    "People moving all the time, Inside a perfectly straight line, Don't you wanna just curve away?"
    It is about people doing what they see others are doing and copying each other and everybody is following a straight line.. but the singer is not and he is asking you also about curving away..
    "Without you, it's a waste of time" he is not talking about a person he is talking about "freedom", without the feeling of freedom everything is a waste of time
    "I can't wait 'til the morning" is about seizing the moment, he will not wait for tomorrow but will live for now and today, and that is why "It's such a perfect day"
    "Everybody was for fighting" everybody wants to talk and fight about things but he "Wouldn't want to waste a thing"
    "strawberry swing" is memory from his childhood that he always associates with freedom and "cold water" stands for thirst for this feeling.."Now my feet won't touch the ground", feeling of freedom is associated with feeling of flying so his feet want touch the ground; and cold water (in other words thirst) is saying to him "its such a perfect day"
    Its a brilliant song, and only a genius can write a song like this.. most people associate this song with childhood as that is when the feeling of freedom is strongest for most people (indirectly the singer also does that), btw that is also why the video looks like it does, childs perspective..
  • Jeff from Nairobi, KenyaI think this is a very sad song...everytime I listen to it I get this imagery of a couple sitting on a park bench..they're holding hands and they are just sitting there,hanging onto the moment.('they were sitting,they were talking on the strawberry swing,and every moment was so special, wouldn't want to waste a thing')The weather is dull...not many people are in the park.The girl has a single tear running down her cheek,because she knows that her guy's gonna be goin away to the army soon('people moving all the time inside a perfectly straight line' seems to represent the army for me)...so they're just relishing their last moments together. They're struggling with the reality of seperation,and they desperately need to be awakened('cold cold water,bring me round,now my feet won't touch the ground' represents a sort of rude awakening). Their happiness seems to hinge on each others presence('the sky could be blue,could be grey,without you I'm just miles away' means that regardless of what's happening around him,he'll never find true happiness without her in his life everyday)....that's just my interpretation!
  • Josias from Los Angeles, CaOk, I just saw the videoclip, and i really think it's a boy talking, not a girl, obviously. But I thought that because a girl sent this song to me. This guy is certainly sensitive. ahahahahahah.
  • Josias from Los Angeles, CaI don't get the meaning of strawberry swing, though. But I bet it has something to do with imagery related to those specific places.
  • Josias from Los Angeles, CaI mean, this is all happening at night, that's what matters. because, as we are all aware, the night belongs to lovers.

    ==
    just want to say that I really love this site!
    :D
  • Josias from Los Angeles, CaI think none of you really understood what the song actually means.

    Let me then explain my version of it:

    I think it talks about a girl that meets a boy in a night club. think about it:

    "And everybody was for fighting" -> everybody is looking for something, right.

    "Cold, cold water bring me 'round
    Now my feet won't touch the ground" -> she probably threw up in the bathroom, but then she returned to the person she met.

    "People moving all the time inside a perfect straight line" -> probably standing on a row to pay and get out.

    "Now the sky could be blue, I don't mind ..." -> another indication that it's a night club.

    ===

    :D
  • Katira from New York, Nyi agree with godwin. the first time i heard this song, i cried. it had some very melancholy undertones that are quite sad. the end, where he sings about the skies being blue, is my favorite part of any song, ever.
  • Mckenna from Logan, Utto me this song feels like its saying everythings going to be alright and life is great. and i love it!
  • Leeza from San Antonio, TxDoes anyone know if the writer of this song is also a baseball fan?

    Here's what I found, written by Buster Olney of The New York Times. August 5, 1998.

    BASEBALL; After One Sweet Swing by Strawberry, It's a Sweep.

    "With one swing of his bat tonight, Darryl Strawberry provided the single moment that would define the Yankees' regular-season dominance."

    Just a thought.




  • Kaley from Calgary, Abthis is my favourite song ever written. by any band, coldplay or not.
    there are just sooo many interpretations that can come along with it. i definitely don't think the lyrics are pointless, i think they purposely write songs that they know people will think about.
    personally, i think this is a super happy song.
    just the words strawberry swing seem to imply a happy mood.
    "they were sitting in the strawberry swing" to me just sounds like, two people completely imersed in eachother, they don't even notice what's going on around them. "cold, cold water, bring me round" seems to me, like 'wake up, bring me back to my senses.' like an awakening.
    this song is just so hard to interpret, but ever since i got the viva album like a year ago, i can't stop listening to it!
  • Godwin from Masvingo, Zimbabweno no no people. This is a sad song. Don't you feel the lyrics. There is great art in this song. this song first describes a situation where people are happy. Maybe at the beach somewhere they spend time together 'cold cold water ... now my feet cant touch the ground". "People moving" describe the people around at the beach. Its such a perfect day describes how perfect the day is when he is with this other person.
    The main theme comes at the last lines wen he goes... though the sky is blue ,without you it's a way of time. He is so persimistic about life now , now that the person he was with earlier is no longer around. This is Coldplay's best song no doubt about it and this guys took time on this one i ges. WLL DONE
  • Timmy from Mukilteo, Wai think the song is about how people are always doing what everyone else is doing, and that its okay to go off and be yourself.

    "people moving, all the time. inside a perfectly straight line. dont you want to, just curve away? and its such a perfect day."
  • Andrea from Sønderborg, DenmarkI love strawberries and I love Coldplay, so of course I love this.
  • Libbi from Somewhere Secret, - -I don't think it's pointless. It's a song about a moment. It's my favorite song on the album cause it makes me feel like i'm with my love in the countryside with the sun shining. It's just supposed to make you happy. Great song.
  • Rozzie from Hassan, MnSome very good songs are pointless/have nonsense lyrics. John Lennon loved to write meaningless lyrics just because he thought it was funny how much people tried to "discover the meaning" of them.
  • Benjamin from Birmingham, AlIt's a very cool and upbeat song, but by Coldplay's standard, it's kind of... pointless. Compared to their other songs, Strawberry Swing just doesn't have a true meaning. Still very inspiring, though!
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