Today's song is about someone in despair, who has lost all hope and is pleading for salvation. The singer is reminiscing about a relationship, in which things were left unsaid, and now he has an unknown despair, which can't be named.
In the lyrics, a tiger is waiting to be tamed, implying that the world is waiting for him to take action, to do something.
The title of the song refers to the confusion that is all around him, time is passing by, the walls are closing about him, the clock is swiftly ticking by, and he doesn't know what is going on.
This heavy and complex song is from this band’s second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, which was almost in the can, when their excited lead singer arrived at the studio late one night.
At the keyboard, he played the tune running through his head. The band’s keyboardist initially thought the song was “rubbish” but their lead guitarist, Jonny Buckland, was impressed. "He picked up his guitar [a sure sign that he likes a song] and played these brilliant chords," the singer recalls. "It was like a chemical reaction process."
The band initially put it aside and planned to work on it for their NEXT album. But when a friend of the band heard the demo, he convinced them to do whatever was necessary to record it for A Rush Of Blood To The Head, especially since the song deals with the importance of time.
Even though it only peaked at number 29 on the US charts, this song won the Record of the Year at the 2004 Grammy Awards. It was used in tons of TV shows like The Office, The Vampire Diaries, ER and The Sopranos
Rolling Stone ranked this song at only No. 490 of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2010. But Billboard placed it on a list of the "100 Greatest Song Bridges of the 21st Century", as number 67.
And U2 frontman, Bono, named this song as one of 60 songs that ‘saved his life’ saying, “...you see, rage is the river running under most Rock formations. This music has a different source and it is revealed on this song. When I discover what it is, I will write another fan letter. Whatever it is, it is definitely the cure and not the disease. Blessings, Bono”
Coldplay. Clocks. I Know That Song!