Amsterdam

The title is unrelated to the lyrics. Chris Martin simply wrote the verse and chorus parts in Amsterdam, before finishing the outro of the song in Iceland. Martin told Billboard Magazine in 2002: "That was probably the song that took us the longest time to write, although it's actually the simplest song."

The lyrics describe someone driven to despair, all the while trying to cover up what was happening as "no cause for concern." At the end, much like a friend opening up and spilling to another friend, a faster part of the song begins and the lyrics begin a confession of just how close to ending it all the singer really was... until the person he is singing to helped him out and in essence "cut him loose" from the rope around his neck.

The sound at the start is a simple microphone noise with heavy echo and reverb effects added.