If this quote were to hint toward Berryman’s worldview, it would be one of “Enjoy the light while you may, for soon we all shall die.”

An attempt to marry this with the lyrics of “Death Will Never Conquer” creates an anthem which longs to be hopeful—with its plea from the narrator to his friends to help him overcome death—but which also in the end cannot avoid defeatism with its resignation to the claim that all humans will die.

Mere humans cannot conquer death, and in this the Coldplay track rings true.  However, the theme of hope running through the song (”I hope sweet Heaven is a place for me”) is at best tepid (and at worst a mockery). 

Tepid hope, however, in the end will also die.  A hope placed in oneself, in a government, or in humanity in general simply cannot overcome the existential problem this song lays out, namely that all men will die.

And yet Paul boldly proclaims in I Corinthians 15: “Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?” (vs 55)

From where does Paul gain the ability to make this proclamation?  As he himself notes, the sting of death is sin (15:56)—and, for long years of human history it appeared that because of our sin death would be the victor.  But, Paul reveals the reason for his declaration as he writes, “But thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (15:57) and all of this he hangs on Christ’s resurrection, for which he provides evidence earlier in the same chapter.

Coldplay is right in directing us toward the inescapable reality that death will claim our fallen bodies.  But, they fail to direct us toward the One who has conquered death.

It seems fitting that Coldplay would use imagery from the French Revolution and even wear clothing which hints of that era in France while promoting their new album, sound and message.  The French Revolution was a longing for freedom, but in its de-Christianization of the country the revolution created chaos without the proper system to contain that freedom.  Nevertheless, it was a movement which ran with the blood of men who wanted to throw off the tyrant that the monarch had become.

Similarly, men everywhere want to throw off the tyrant that death is.  But, without the proper worldview, all they can do is have some ethereal hope which in the end will fail and lead to chaos.