Eyes Open | Taylor Swift

What is the meaning and main idea of Taylor Swift's Eyes Open song? What is the message the song tries to convey? Continue reading this article to find the answers. And for your reference, below is the lyric of the song.

Eyes Open - Taylor Swift

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

CHORUS
Everybody's waiting for you to breakdown
Everybody's watching to see the fallout
Even when you're sleeping, sleeping
Keep your eyes open
Keep your eyes open
Keep your 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)
They've surrounded you it's a, a 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

CHORUS

Keep your feet ready
Heartbeat steady
Keep your eyes open
Keep your aim locked
The night goes dark
Keep your eyes open

CHORUS

Meaning, Main Idea, and Message of The Song

Based on the complete lyric of the song above, I conclude that the song is about one's advice to her best friend. The point of advice itself is for the friend (us) to be always cautious. The world that we live in now is not like the one we lived in when we were still children. At that time, everything seemed so perfect. Everything that they are dreaming has happy endings. Everyone seemed to support us and felt the happiness we felt. Yeah, that's childhood.

But now, goes the song, welcome to the real world, the cruel world which is full of hatred and envy. In this very world, still according to the song, no one is happy with our achievement. People will be glad if they see us fail, fall apart, and break. Even worse, if we still stand steadily and do not fall apart, they will try to make us so. Therefore, to avoid such attempt, we should always be cautious. Yes, keep our eyes open even when we are sleeping.

Verse by Verse Meaning

The song consists of seven verses with the chorus part repeated three times. Generally, all the verses can be grouped into three parts: past experience, present experience, and advice. The past experience, childhood, is represented by verse 2 and 3. Here, the singer relates what they had done and gone through when they were still children. As children, the singer and her friend were very happy. They lived without burden. Everything was fine. But, the situation is much different when they have been adult and should face the real world. The nuance is bleak. You can see the representation of the situation in verse 5 and 6. The world is no longer fine. Envy and hatred fill the air. Meanwhile, the advice part is clearly seen in the verse 1, chorus part, and verse 7. Since the world is cruel and no one wants to see you successful, so keep your eyes open.

Well, that's my interpretation of Taylor Swift's Eyes Open song. Do you also think that this world is cruel?