Viva La Vida chords and lyrics

- Coldplay

Chords: D♭ D♭maj7 D6 E♭ E♭7 Fm A♭/C A♭

Music Key: A,flat major

Tempo: 138 BPM

Lyrics length: 327 words

Last updated:

Release date: 2008-05-26

Intro

Verse 1

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning, I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own
I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
Now the old king is dead, long live the king
One minute, I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

Chorus 1

I hear Jerusalem bells aringin'
Roman Cavalry choirs are singin'
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason, I can't explain
Once you'd gone, there was never, never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world

PostChorus

Verse 2

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
Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh, who would ever want to be king?

Chorus 2

I hear Jerusalem bells aringin'
Roman Cavalry choirs are singin'
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason, I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

Instrumental

Oh-oh-oh, oh-

Bridge

oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh, ohoh,
I

Chorus 3

hear Jerusalem bells aringin'
Roman Cavalry choirs are singin'
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason, I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

Outro

Fun fact

”Viva La Vida” tells a story of a fallen king reflecting on his lost reign and glory, painting a vivid and though-provoking picture.

This song is the ultimate Coldplay arena song, first released in 2008. The iconic and memorable rhythm that they use throughout this song is so musically strong that many people would recognize what song is played even if you’d just clap the rhythm without any chords or melodies. It’s a great example on how important the rhythm can be when it comes to writing songs.

This song is in the key of Db, which can be tricky to play on guitar. A suggestion is to use our level based feature and play this with a capo on the first fret, making this much easier to play. Here we go!

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