I know this song is for the Hunger Games. But I don't think that means I can't interpret it other ways. For the Hunger Games, I think it's what she would tell Katniss. Telling her not to give up. To stay ready and to stay alive. Maybe it's Haymitch talking to her. Probably not, because Haymitch isn't really a touchy-feely kind of guy. I mean, he has emotions, but he wouldn't speak of them like the lyrics of this song do. But if you suspend your disbelief a little, Haymitch could say these things to Katniss. He was a victor. He knew exactly what Katniss was feeling. He knew what advice she needed: to stay alert and stay alive. Stay alive was his last piece of advice, after all. I think that's kind of a dual-meaning of "keep your eyes open." Keeping your eyes open means keeping an eye out for your enemy. But also staying alive.
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."
I know this song is for the Hunger Games. But I don't think that means I can't interpret it other ways. For the Hunger Games, I think it's what she would tell Katniss. Telling her not to give up. To stay ready and to stay alive. Maybe it's Haymitch talking to her. Probably not, because Haymitch isn't really a touchy-feely kind of guy. I mean, he has emotions, but he wouldn't speak of them like the lyrics of this song do. But if you suspend your disbelief a little, Haymitch could say these things to Katniss. He was a victor. He knew exactly what Katniss was feeling. He knew what advice she needed: to stay alert and stay alive. Stay alive was his last piece of advice, after all. I think that's kind of a dual-meaning of "keep your eyes open." Keeping your eyes open means keeping an eye out for your enemy. But also staying alive.
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."