Friday, August 8, 2014

"Eyes Open" Song Meaning

Today's Taylor Swift song is "Eyes Open" from the Hunger Games soundtrack. This is my favorite song on the soundtrack. I love the sound, the words, just everything about it. Taylor describes it as "more frantic and fast-paced, a completely different shade of music.”  I love that shade. Hopefully with album 5 we'll hear more songs like this. I also wish they had made a music video for the song.

Who is this song about?


It's about Katniss Everdeen from the Huger Games. 


Taylor says, “I wrote it about Katniss’ relationship with the Capitol. It basically serves as a warning for her not to trust anyone-in many ways the opposite of ‘Safe & Sound.'"

Taylor read the Hunger Games before she wrote the songs so she really delved into Katniss's character. In the Hunger Games 24 kids are chosen from each district, some are chosen by lottery, some train for it their whole lives. They all head to the Capital for the annual Hunger Games. The competitors are placed in an arena with cameras filming their every move.  Everybody is really "watching to see the fallout". Their main goal is to kill all the other competitors. If they do this they get to live the rest of their life within their district. She's never safe in the arena, she's got to

"Keep [her] feet ready
Heartbeat steady
Keep [her] eyes open
Keep your aim locked
The night goes dark
Keep [her] eyes open"

She has got to be on her guard all the time. Katniss's survival skill both back at home and in the arena is her bow and arrow, hence keeping her "aim locked". Not only are the other competitors trying to kill them, but the capital is always sending hardships to bear and to make their battle harder. From each "lesson" or experience Katniss "forms a new scar", she gets hurt. But even though "they've surrounded" her with trials and competitors she's "got something they don't" and survives. She is smart, "two steps ahead staying on guard" even though "they never thought [she'd] make it this far. But she does and even though she has no one to "come to save" her she has the heart and the ingenuity to get through and inspire everyone. She ends up not only saving herself, but Peeta, a fellow competitor, district member, and her best friend by outsmarting the capital.

This song really shows how Katniss makes it through the games by keeping her "Eyes Open". 

3 comments:

  1. NO WAY
    Did I really just discovered this AMAZING blog about this AMAZING singer?
    WOW :) I also write about Taylors songs, I'm going to follow you! ;)

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  2. I like to think that the song is about herself, she has to stay ahead of the game to avoid being forgotten and she has to be quick on her feet if not ( well lets just say people can really be mean some times )

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  3. I think this song could also apply to everyone as well. Thankfully, most of us don't have to survive the way Katniss does in the arena. However, we do have to survive in a figurative sense. We can't always trust everyone around us and we sometimes have to learn that the hard way as others want to see us fail ("every lesson forms a new scar"). But like Katniss, if we persevere, remain strong, and keep our eyes open (wee what I did there?) we can make it out of any situation we find ourselves in.

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