1
With our eyes wide open we... (x2)
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
And only a few ever worried
While 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 we)
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's to stop being human
And why'd I 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
(walk the plank with our eyes wide open we)
And 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
We walk the plank, we walk the plank
So that 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
And only a few ever worried
While 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 we)
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's to stop being human
And why'd I 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
(walk the plank with our eyes wide open we)
And 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
We walk the plank, we walk the plank
So that is the end of the story
Lyrics submitted by 60_miles_an_hour
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I believe this song is about the human races' over-consumption and over-exploitation of the Earth (the music video also complements this idea). "We walk the plank with our eyes wide open" indicates that you are KNOWINGLY walking to your death, you are aware of it. So to apply it to the topic, we as a species are knowingly destroying the Earth and walking to our deaths because of it - the Earth does not have an endless supply of resources. Even the idea of peak oil in the 70's caused a stir because people actually believed that oil would "never run out".
De Backer's lyrics seem to refer to people (in Governments, scientists) who have tried to get others to chance their way of thinking or providing scientifically sound data for what is happening, such as climate change/global warming. But as he says "they were only words/they didn't add up" he's saying that everyday people didn't understand what was being said, therefore they don't believe it. He continues on by saying that by NOT consuming we're not being HUMAN, and why should I make a change to my lifestyle if my neighbour isn't, for example?
Very powerful message once you break it down, almost a protest. I also really like Wally's new music style thus far, and am looking forward to hearing more from him soon :D
(P.S. If anybody has any lyric corrections they'd like to make, PLEASE let me know! I transcribed these myself and I bet you anything they're not 100% correct! :P)
While my interpretation is certainly quite similar to yours, I actually ended up redefining how I understood the chorus, "We walk the plank with our eyes wide open."<br /> <br /> While I initial thought walking the plank essentially meant "walking to your death" as you put it, I then remembered a great story I read once about human society. It told an analogy where human civilization was represented by a flying machine -- and how some flying machines may seem to fly for a while, though they are always doomed to crash if they're not built according to the laws of aerodynamics. <br /> <br /> Similarly, the book concludes, human societies will inevitably collapse if they are not built according to the laws of sustainability and natural balance. <br /> <br /> So -- as I now see it -- the line 'walking the plank' in this song is more about saving yourself than falling to your death. <br /> <br /> If you're on an airship that is accelerating itself toward the ground, then you may as well 'walk the plank' and figure out how to use your wings.<br /> <br /> (PS that book I referred to is Ishmael by Daniel Quinn -- I highly recommend it!)
hey there i think your comment is spot on! I have an oral essay on this song, its about texts to do with protest and issues. I feel this is the perfect song for it! By the sounds of what you wrote you really know what this songs about, would you help me? Just maybe write more on this song and making deeper links into it. Please! It would be much appreciated :)
There's a mistake in the lyrics on this line:<br /> <br /> "You'll want to make a change if you won't"<br /> <br /> I'm not sure what the line says exactly, but it's closer to what the other commenter wrote in their lyrics: "and why'd I make a change if you won't?"
I response to the first post, What? How in the name of Bob did you get an pro-environmentalism message from that video? Its not about saving the environment, its Nuclear Holocaust. I mean, they have imagery of bombs and planes and war zones, bombs flying. I mean, you see a Nuke blow up in reverse. Not every intelligent song is about the environment.<br /> <br /> Also lyrics like "we get used to living in fear" and the "dust" point that way too.