As Ecclesiastes puts it, we sometimes feel that eternity has been set in our hearts. It shows a desire to make the most of our time now, yet also seems to convey how we feel that like is too short. The final track, Death and All His Friends, dreamily reflects on the brevity of life. The track reminded me of Paul's teaching in 2 Corinthians 4: that life now only makes sense - and that we only truly live radically now - once we are convinced that Jesus' blood has bought us a place with God forever, in the place of solid joys and lasting pleasures. The song 42 may, I think, be a reference to 'the meaning of life' in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and asks deep existential questions about death and what it means to be alive: 'Those who are dead are not dead / They’re just living my head / And since I fell for that spell I am living there as well / Time is so short and I’m sure / There must be something more.' To airbrush out the existence of death and whatever comes after is foolish, yet Martin adds to be preoccupied with death and whatever comes after is to miss the point of living now. That Chris Martin longs for more - indeed, that he longs for something beyond death - is clear. It's awful to think that any person can feel that they've blown it forever with God. There's nothing about God's goodness - even in giving us a blueprint for sexuality - and nothing about grace. I can't help feeling sad when I read these lyrics - because I can't help feeling that Martin has missed the heart of the Christian message.
The album track, Yes, seems to be a reflection on this sort of subject, told by someone who is struggling alone in sexual temptation and guilt: 'Yeah we were dying of frustration / Saying "Lord lead me not into temptation" / But it's not easy when she turns you on / If you'll only, if you'll only say yes / Whether you will's anybody's guess / God, only God knows I'm trying my best / But I'm so tired of this loneliness.'
He reveals that, in particular, as he grew up as a teenager, he hated the idea that his own sexual morality might affect or determine his eternal fate. In the interview Martin reveals that, although he continues to believe in God, he has apparently rejected the idea of hell existing. Fascinatingly, it's a subject that Chris Martin recently spoke on in a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine. One of the other major themes that emerges through Coldplay's latest offer, Viva la Vida, is that of death and judgement.
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