Chris Martin wrote “Fix You” to console his then-wife Gwyneth Paltrow after her dad passed away.

Everything Was Broken

At the time that they were at work on the third album, as Chris Martin described the state of the band to Howard Stern, “We were fucked.” When asked why, Martin replied:

“When this song came out, our fifth member, Phil, had left for a while. He was having some health issues. And within the band, we had some addiction stuff, and we had strange relationship stuff, and trying to adjust to being– in fact, it was only because of that song, ‘Fix You,’ that we survived that time because there’s something really lovely about that song, and it took us through the whole time. That was the first time we had the worst reviews and all of it. Things that we had never prepared.”

He then summed it up like this: “This period of time was very difficult, but we got this song through it.”

In a YouTube video, pianist Johnny Buckland said, “[The] process was probably the least enjoyable of all our records. Definitely.”

Chris added, “We were going through some weird shit that time, but Dave was amazing. And luckily we had the song ‘Fix You’ to get us through that period.”

A Song of Healing

Chris Martin wrote the song for Gwyneth Paltrow, who he was married to at the time, after the passing of her father. The song appeared as track number four on the band’s third album “X&Y.”

The first verse, sung by Chris Martin, set the tone:

“When you try your best, but you don’t succeed / When you get what you want but not what you need / When you feel so tired, but you can’t sleep / Stuck in reverse”

These are words of consolation that reference sleeplessness that verges on insomnia. Despite the utter exhaustion, the grieving mind won’t allow you to rest.

The second line in this stanza may be a play on “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the Rolling Stones, which contains the lyrics, “You can’t always get what you want / But if you try sometimes / Well, you might find / You get what you need.”

Martin turns this idea on its head to tragic effect. His version makes it about an inability to move forward because you’re lost in memories and stuck in the past.

When a Loved One Dies

“And the tears come streamin’ down your face / When you lose somethin’ you can’t replace / When you love someone, but it goes to waste / Could it be worse?”

Few things come close to the pain experienced when you lose someone close to you. It feels world-shattering, and there seems to be no end to the tears.

It’s common to think of what could have been while you’re filled with the regret of all the things you wished you’d said and opportunities you missed. Those moments seem irreplaceable, and now you’re left cold and empty.

A Hopeful Note

“Lights will guide you home / And ignite your bones / And I will try to fix you”

Martin uses light as a theme to uplift, console and reassure her down to the very core. At the same time, he doesn’t try to erase the memory of her lost loved one.

Lyrics

When you try your best, but you don’t succeed
When you get what you want, but not what you need
When you feel so tired, but you can’t sleep
Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can’t replace
When you love someone, but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

And high up above, or down below
When you’re too in love to let it go
But if you never try, you’ll never know
Just what you’re worth

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face, and I

Tears stream down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face, and I

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Christopher Anthony John Martin / Guy Rupert Berryman / William Champion / Jonathan Mark Buckland

Fix You lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Mgb Ltd.