Trouble In Town

"Trouble in Town" is a plea for racial harmony in which Coldplay tackles racial politics in America. Trouble in town Because they hung my Brother Brown Because their system just keep you down There's trouble, there's trouble in town On August 9, 2014, a white police officer shot dead an unarmed 18-year-old black youth, Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri. The tragedy sparked numerous protests in the States and brought global attention to police brutality against minorities in America.

During the chorus, vocalist Chris Martin references non-white people in America being constantly harassed by the police because of racial profiling. Yet statistically, they are more likely to receive longer prison sentences. And I get no shelter And I get no peace And I never get released

The interlude is a harrowing, real audio snippet from 2013 of Philadelphia policeman Philip Nace pulling over two black men, one of whom recorded the incident on his cell phone.