Everybody's waiting
Everybody's watching
Even when you're sleeping
Keep your ey-eyes open
The tricky thing
Is yesterday we were just children
Playing soldiers just pretending
Dreaming dreams with happy endings
In backyards, winning battles with our wooden swords
But now we've stepped into a cruel world
Where everybody stands and keeps score
Keep your eyes open
Everybody's waiting for you to breakdown
Everybody's watching to see the fallout
Even when you're sleeping, sleeping
Keep your ey-eyes open
Keep your ey-eyes open
Keep your ey-eyes open
So here you are, two steps ahead and staying on guard
Every lesson forms a new scar
They never thought you'd make it this far
But turn around (turn around), oh they've surrounded you
It's a showdown (showdown) and nobody comes to save you now
But you've got something they don't
Yeah you've got something they don't
You've just gotta keep your eyes open
Everybody's waiting for you to breakdown
Everybody's watching to see the fallout
Even when you're sleeping, sleeping
Keep your ey-eyes open
Keep your ey-eyes open
Keep your ey-eyes
Keep your feet ready
Heartbeat steady
Keep your eyes open
Keep your aim locked
The night goes dark
Keep your eyes open (keep your eyes open)
(Keep your ey-eyes open)
(Keep your ey-eyes open)
(Keep your ey-eyes open)
Everybody's waiting for you to breakdown
Everybody's watching to see the fallout
Even when you're sleeping, sleeping
Keep your ey-eyes open
Keep your ey-eyes open
Keep your ey-eyes open
Keep your ey-eyes open
Keep your ey-eyes open
Everybody's watching
Even when you're sleeping
Keep your ey-eyes open
The tricky thing
Is yesterday we were just children
Playing soldiers just pretending
Dreaming dreams with happy endings
In backyards, winning battles with our wooden swords
But now we've stepped into a cruel world
Where everybody stands and keeps score
Keep your eyes open
Everybody's waiting for you to breakdown
Everybody's watching to see the fallout
Even when you're sleeping, sleeping
Keep your ey-eyes open
Keep your ey-eyes open
Keep your ey-eyes open
So here you are, two steps ahead and staying on guard
Every lesson forms a new scar
They never thought you'd make it this far
But turn around (turn around), oh they've surrounded you
It's a showdown (showdown) and nobody comes to save you now
But you've got something they don't
Yeah you've got something they don't
You've just gotta keep your eyes open
Everybody's waiting for you to breakdown
Everybody's watching to see the fallout
Even when you're sleeping, sleeping
Keep your ey-eyes open
Keep your ey-eyes open
Keep your ey-eyes
Keep your feet ready
Heartbeat steady
Keep your eyes open
Keep your aim locked
The night goes dark
Keep your eyes open (keep your eyes open)
(Keep your ey-eyes open)
(Keep your ey-eyes open)
(Keep your ey-eyes open)
Everybody's waiting for you to breakdown
Everybody's watching to see the fallout
Even when you're sleeping, sleeping
Keep your ey-eyes open
Keep your ey-eyes open
Keep your ey-eyes open
Keep your ey-eyes open
Keep your ey-eyes open
Lyrics submitted by Breakingbenjaminfan, edited by Switlyswiftie1
"Eyes Open" as written by Taylor Swift
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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But best of all, it's this haunting real-life musings that we can take from the song and apply to our own lives that makes this such a lovely song, and that she wrote it herself, Swift finally shows up a side of herself that probably not many of us know - that fragile, vulnerable yet determined and dogged self.
Even when your sleeping, watch for the signs, our subconscious is more complex than we can give it credit for.
The ego will try so desperately to taunt you into a false sense of probable impending breakdown and fallout if you try to follow your thread and experience more of what you are. Present state is the focal point to what will be and what has been. Cherish it.
When the time comes when you need to keep your feet steady on the ground, your heart in synch, and the night goes dark (darker than night?), follow the light in the darkness, no one's here to save you but yourself through your light.
The song is simple, be open to observe and create.
I can't wait until her next CD. These two songs for the first Hunger Games movie are such a tease. :)
Everybody's waiting
Everybody's watching
Even when you're sleeping
Keep your ey-eyes
open
The tricky thing is yesterday we were just children
playing soldiers just pretending
dreaming dreams with happy endings
She's saying that it wasn't that long ago that we were merely children, unaware of what the world actually held and that we were just trapped inside our own imaginations, where everything is right and nothing can go wrong.
In backyards winning battles with our wooden swords
but now we've stepped into a cruel world
Where everybody stands and keeps score
We've all played fake battles, and everything was just a game, but now we’ve actually been introduced to the real world, where there are people who criticize and who judge us every day
Everybody’s waiting for you to breakdown
Everybody’s watching to see the fallout
Even when you’re sleeping, sleeping
Keep your ey-eyes, open
She’s saying that the people in this world are cruel and there are those who are your enemies and want to see you breakdown, and are watching to see you fall apart. But you’ve got to stand guard and keep your eyes open for all the dangers that lie ahead
So here you are
Two steps ahead and staying on guard
Every lesson forms a new scar
They never thought you’d make it this far
You’ve made it through tough times and are staying strong and those who are causing you trouble are shocked and surprised you actually pulled through and are standing where you are at today
But turn around
Oh they’ve surrounded you its a showdown
and nobody comes to save you now
But you got something they don’t
Yeah you’ve got something they don’t
You just gotta keep your eyes open
She’s saying but keep watch, because they are right at your heels and ready to bring you down the second you let your guard down. And there won’t always be people there to help you back up on your feet, you wont always have friends at your side but you’ve got something they don’t, you have what makes you you, and you aren’t the kind of person who backs down you can make it.
Keep your feet ready
Heartbeat steady
Keep your eyes open
Keep your aim locked
The night goes dark
Keep your eyes open
This is basically self explanatory. Keep your feet ready, stay on guard. Heartbeat steady, keep it cool, don’t freak out and don’t worry. Stay calm and relaxed, and don’t let everyone think you’re losing. Keep your aim locked the night goes dark, stay focused, the world is a dark and cruel place and you’ll need all your attention and focuse to make it through it all. Keep your eyes open, stay aware, stay alert. The world isn’t always that kind and fair to you.
Apart from Hunger Games, I think this song could be taken as being about growing up, particularly about surviving bullying or abuse. Let me explain a bit more in detail with my own experiences:
"The tricky thing is yesterday we were just children..."
That section, in my opinion, is about being a little kid. When little kids play fight, there are no real consequences. It's just fun to them. Even if they have a little spat regarding the "fairness" of the outcome, they're typically over it pretty quickly because it was, at the end of the day, just a game.
"But now we've stepped into a cruel world where everybody stands and keeps score."
In my opinion, when I relate this song to myself, I think about going into middle school. My middle school years were pretty rough. Most of the bullying I faced in elementary school was mild. It was just a game. But something changed when I got into middle school. I became a target of things that were actually very hurtful. My sister was the leader of the worst of the bullies. And her public bullying transformed into abuse behind the closed doors of our home. I had to grow up very quickly. I had stepped into a cruel world.
"Keep your eyes open."
I view this as an encouragement from my best friend. She knew what was going on but was powerless to prevent it. All she could do was encourage me to keep surviving. I see this line as saying "keep your head up" or "you can make it if you try."
(Chorus)
This would refer to the bullying. My sister's friends used to like to watch her attack me. They thought it was funny. They wanted to watch to see the fallout. People in my class were the same way. They always waited for my mistakes. They waited to pounce on my mistakes to further put me down.
"So here you are two steps ahead and staying on guard."
Children going through bullying at school and/or abuse at home learn to stay on guard. We learn it's the only way to survive. We go home knowing we could die. No child should ever have to accept the fact that their murder is possible. But many of us need to as a means of survival. That's how I lived my life pretty much from ages 12-15. Accepting the fact that I could die in my home. I learned to protect myself by not trusting people.
"Every lesson forms a new scar."
Each "lesson" here is an instance of abuse. They act as lessons on how to avoid further abuse in the future and how to protect yourself when you can't avoid it.
"They never thought you'd make it this far. But turn around. They've surrounded you. It's a show down and nobody comes to save you now. But you've got something they don't."
Abusers and bullies never want you to survive with your sanity. They want to destroy you. They don't expect you to make it as far as you can come. I can remember times in both my experiences with bullying and, more significantly, my experiences with abuse, where the statement "it's a showdown" were the best description. "And nobody comes to save you now." Sadly true. No one ever saved me. The only people who knew were my friends. And they were just kids dealing with their own issues too. But every survivor has something the bullies don't. To be a survivor, you need great strength, courage, and a great will to live. I thank God I had these.
At this point the chorus repeats. I won't bore you by reiterating my previous point.
"Keep your feet ready, heartbeat steady. Keep your eyes open. Keep your aim locked. The light goes dark. Keep your eyes open."
To me, this reads: "Always be ready for an attack. Always be prepared. Don't let your guard down."
thats just what I think