In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Doctor, my eyes have seen the years
And the slow parade of fears without crying
Now I want to understand
I have done all that I could
To see the evil and the good without hiding
You must help me if you can
Doctor, my eyes
Tell me what is wrong
Was I unwise to leave them open for so long?
'Cause I have wandered through this world
And as each moment has unfurled
I've been waiting to awaken from these dreams
People go just where they will
I never noticed them until I got this feeling
That it's later than it seems
Doctor, my eyes
Tell me what you see
I hear their cries
Just say if it's too late for me
Doctor, my eyes
They cannot see the sky
Is this the prize
For having learned how not to cry?
And the slow parade of fears without crying
Now I want to understand
I have done all that I could
To see the evil and the good without hiding
You must help me if you can
Doctor, my eyes
Tell me what is wrong
Was I unwise to leave them open for so long?
'Cause I have wandered through this world
And as each moment has unfurled
I've been waiting to awaken from these dreams
People go just where they will
I never noticed them until I got this feeling
That it's later than it seems
Doctor, my eyes
Tell me what you see
I hear their cries
Just say if it's too late for me
Doctor, my eyes
They cannot see the sky
Is this the prize
For having learned how not to cry?
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"Doctor, my eyes have seen the years And the slow parade of fears without crying Now I want to understand" He's old enough to have experience, he's been around, and he's seen what the world is like; now he wants to understand why.
"I have done all that I could To see the evil and the good without hiding" He tries to see both the good and bad in people, and to be truthful to himself.
"Tell me what is wrong Was I unwise to leave them open for so long" He wonders now if those sort of people who deliberately blind themselves to the harsh truth arent happier afterall.
"Cause I have wandered through this world And as each moment has unfurled I've been waiting to awaken from these dreams" He keeps waiting for things to improve.
"People go just where they will I never noticed them until I got this feeling That it's later than it seems" I'm not sure about this part.
"I hear their cries Just say if it's too late for me" he's been hardened to the horrible things in the world, and wonders if it's too late to retrieve his previous innocence.
"Doctor, my eyes Cannot see the sky Is this the prize for having learned how not to cry" he's been hardened to the horrible aspects of life, and can't now see the good or beautiful aspects.
"People go just where they will<br /> I never noticed them until I got this feeling<br /> That it's later than it seems"<br /> <br /> He is becoming aware of others around him and what he sees is changing him, possibly maturing him, making him more mature than his outward appearance.
I agree with Mart695 about that lyric, although I think it also signifies how people "go just where they will" (going about their day to day lives unaware of what occurs around them), and he never noticed how oblivious other people were until he began to doubt his previous perception of the world (or lost his innocence). Very poetic lyrics.