The whole point of the song is the French Revolution. When it said "The old King is dead, long live the king," it means the king that was executed during the revolution, for he overthrew the former king. Jerusalem was also freed of some opression because of The speaker in the lyrics overthrew the former king. In the stanza where it says, "They could'nt believe what I'd become, it tells of him becoming power hungry and the people hating him for it. "Waitingg for my head on a silver plate, " refers to the crowds of revolutionists who gathered to watch the king and queen get beheaded by the guillotine, and their heads were placed on silver platters and paraded through the city. If you need any more proof, the woman on the cover art is holding a french flag in front of rioting frenchmen, and coldplays outfitting for the videos and tour is centeed around french styling.