Gotye – Eyes Wide Open

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With our eyes wide open, we
With our eyes wide open, we

So this is the end of the story,
Everything we had, everything we did,
Is buried in dust,
And this dust is all that's left of us.
But only a few ever worried.

Well the signs were clear, they had no idea.
You just get used to living in fear,
Or give up when you can't even picture your future.

We walk the plank with our eyes wide open.

We walk the plank with our eyes wide open, we
(Walk the plank with our eyes wide open, we)
Yeah, we walk the plank with our eyes wide open, we
(Walk the plank with our eyes wide open.)

Some people offered up answers.
We made out like we heard, they were only words.
They didn't add up to a change in the way we were living,
And the saddest thing is all of it could have been avoided.

But it was like to stop consuming is to stop being human,
You'll want to make a change if you won't.
We're all in the same boat, staying afloat for the moment.

We walk the plank with our eyes wide open, we
(Walk the plank with our eyes wide open, we)
Yeah we walk the plank with our eyes wide open, we
(Walk the plank with our eyes wide open.)
We walk the plank with our eyes wide open,
We walk the plank with our eyes wide open,
We walk the plank with our eyes wide open, we

With our eyes wide open, we walk the plank, we walk the plank.
With our eyes wide open, we walk the plank, we walk the plank, we walk the plank.
With our eyes wide open, we walk the plank, we walk the plank.

That was the end of the story.

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Lyrics submitted by 60_miles_an_hour

Track duration: 03:11

"Eyes Wide Open" as written by Walter Andre De Backer

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Eyes Wide Open song meanings
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21 Comments

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  • 0
    Song Meaning:"But it was like to stop consuming is to stop being human" even when "the signs were clear"
    This sing is without a doubt about man's current situation in the world. he's basically saying humans have become total consumers and we don't know how to stop consuming the earth even though we have evidence that our consumption-centered society of today will destroy us in the future.

    In the beginning he talks about after humanity's destroyed everything, which is the 'end of the story':
    "So this is the end of the story,
    Everything we had, everything we did,
    Is buried in dust,
    And this dust is all that's left of us.
    But only a few ever worried."
    The few that worried are those that actually cared about turning humanity's around from destroying its earth to a sustainable future

    The chorus line he sung over and over is pretty simple as well:
    "We walk the plank with our eyes wide open"
    He's saying we're basically choosing death (a.k.a. "walking the plank") even though we can see and could make an attempt to save ourselves by turning around our current direction
    Flag Ryannn29on April 10, 2013   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:To me it is about depression and failing oneself, and knowing you can prevent being a loser but letting yourself go and letting life whittle away right before your eyes, knowing you are wasting away and not even caring until someone else cares, and becoming fearful of hope because you know each time you start to hope you are just waiting for yourself to inevitably fail. but by the time someone cares it is too late, in your mind, and you turn yourself into a helpless piece of shit. and the only reason you are alive is because you have nothing better to do and are too chicken to jump. you just walk the plank and let the ship sail where it will. but you don't really do anything except walk walk walk and that's the rest of your life. walking on a sailing ship to nowhere.
    Flag exsquaredon March 26, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I believe that this song is about the idea that though people see what's happening around them, but only a few people actually do anything about it, or want to acknowledge the problems.
    Due to this the people are essentially leading to either their own downfall, or even the downfall of others/the world.

    "And this dust is all that's left of us.
    But only a few ever worried.
    Well the signs were clear, they had no idea."

    However it also talks about how there are other reasons for this 'downfall' that is happening. One of them being that people give up on their ideas/dreams, because they are afraid of failing, or afraid of what they want. Because of this people are 'staying afloat', so just trying to stay alive; instead of living their life. To not want/dream in one way or another is considered not 'human', as said in this line.

    "You just get used to living in fear,
    But it was like to stop consuming is to stop being human,
    We're all in the same boat, staying afloat for the moment."

    In this sense 'walking the plank' is walking to your end, your downfall; when you can see that there is a way out, or you don't want to see your situation.

    As the song says "And the saddest thing is all of it could have been avoided.".
    Flag Maralyn01on February 22, 2013   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation:The video matches this song perfectly! I believe the song is about us bringing ourselves to our own destruction or setting ourselves up for failure. Now whether you want to take that literally or as a relationship coming to an end when you knew it wouldn't last in the first place is up to you. We walked the plank with our eyes wide open because we know the way we live our life isn't right but yet we still refuse to make a change! So "God" or "Aliens" or just a greater being forced to eliminate us because we proven ourselves unworthy, but they aren't happy doing so. So they cover their eyes as the see the wreckage. It could very well just be us destroying ourselves but in the video it shows and explosion in the background as the "creatures" as they travel the Earth. So I don't really agree with the whole global warming thing.

    BREAKDOWN

    So this is the end of the story,
    Everything we had, everything we did,
    Is buried in dust,
    And this dust is all that's left of us.
    But only a few ever worried.

    The Aliens, God, or Greater Being has ended the reign man because we didn't live the way we were supposed to. Very few actually lived the right way.

    Well the signs were clear, they had no idea.
    You just get used to living in fear,
    Or give up when you can't even picture your future.

    The Bible was right. Or the signs of aliens were real. But as time wen on we stopped believing. Eventually no one really cared anymore and just started living their lives without thinking of the future or the consequences of not living the right way.

    Some people offered up answers.
    We made out like we heard, they were only words.
    They didn't add up to a change in the way we were living,
    And the saddest thing is all of it could have been avoided.

    People gave us signs. The Bible, paintings etc... But we didn't take it seriously and believe that is was real. We just continued living the way we wanted to. This wouldn't have happened if we just listened.

    But it was like to stop consuming is to stop being human,
    You'll want to make a change if you won't.
    We're all in the same boat, staying afloat for the moment.

    We think it's to hard to live the right way. To avoid the daily temptations. We all do it, we ALL have to face the consequences.

    We walk the plank with our eyes wide open.

    We are walking straight into destruction. We know what will happen. But yet we don't try to make a change.
    Flagged Notlemon September 06, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song could very easily be about global warming, because that is what the lyrics seem to relate to the most. But on a grander scale, I feel like these lyrics could apply to ignorance in general. How many times do we know on some level that we are screwing up, but choose to ignore the signs? By the time we start crying, it is too late. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies, and each of us has the ability to hurt ourselves more deeply than anyone else can.
    Flagged yaslekon June 14, 2012   Link
  • +2
    General Comment:The music video for this song is very intriguing. I love it. Reminds me of War of the Worlds in some weird way...
    Flag EnduringChillon May 27, 2012   Link
  • +1
    Link(s):I think this song is explaining that people aren't really too stupid, and that we know what's happening in the world but we refuse to pay attention to it. Thus the line "and only a few ever worried". I think the first part of the song might be about the "eventual" apocalypse... the song may imply that the evil of certain humans will bring an end to this world.


    thumbser.blogspot.com
    Flag Thumbseron May 12, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I don't see anything specifically about global warming or any other specific eco-apocalypse. It's more broadly about the overuse and destruction of earth's natural resources and the possibility of doom in store, and the tragic reluctance to collectively plan and restrain resource utilization. The similar song to what we heard from the Club of Rome and Garrett Hardin and many others back to Thomas Malthus. That's not to say it can't or won't happen but hysterical doomsaying can be mistaken the same as glib overconfidence. An objective and engineering oriented perspective is needed. For some alternative ideas check out computer science professor John McCarthy's page at formal.stanford.edu/jmc/… Warning, he is not a kneejerk anything and he will likely challenge some of your preconceptions.
    Flag bcaulfon April 13, 2012   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:Just hearing this for the first time. I got a different impression.

    I thought it was about someone we've lost to suicide. So this is the end and we're left with what you left behind.

    Some people offered up answers
    We made out like we heard
    They were only words
    They didn't add up
    To a change in the way we were living
    And the saddest thing
    Is all of it could have been avoided

    This is a huge example of what calls it out. People who commit suicide usually comes without a warning and never reach out for help until it's too late. Then the family is left with a bunch of condolences, but no one ha any answers to why it had to happen in the first place.

    Just a different perspective. I know the video for the song leads to a different perspective.
    Flag mrsmollyjon March 28, 2012   Link
  • -2
    General Comment:Climate change, for sure.
    Flagged poizen-ivyon February 01, 2012   Link

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