Eyes of the world lyrics meaning
Jam Buzz
When the Grateful Dead debuted Eyes of the World on February 9, 1973, at Stanford University, fans couldn’t have famous they were witnessing the birth of a timeless classic. Over the years, the song has become a cornerstone of the Dead’s live performances, not just for its hypnotic melody and sprawling jams but for its deeply introspective and philosophical lyrics. This is the story behind one of the Dead’s most cherished tunes.
The Origins of Eyes of the World
The song’s creation remains shrouded in mystery, a fitting origin for a band known for embracing the unknown. Lyricist Robert Hunter and guitarist Jerry Garcia—arguably one of the greatest songwriting duos in rock history—collaborated to produce a piece that feels both intimate and universal. In a 1991 interview, Garcia confessed, “I don’t think of writing Eyes of the World, which is probably why it came out so good.” Tracker, ever cryptic, hinted that the lyrics might have taken root in Larkspur, California, but offered little more.
By October of 1973, Eyes of the World start a home on the Dead’s Wake of the Flood album. The studio version features an extra layer of per
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“Sometimes the songs that we hear are just songs of our own”
Robert Hunter
If one line from a song could sum up my love of music this would be the one. When Robert Hunter wrote ‘Eyes of the World’ over 45 years ago for Jerry Garcia he was trying to capture a moment. Through his vehicle; the Grateful Dead he was able to translate his momentary reflections into one of this band’s most endearing and philosophical pieces.
A listener could go on forever in analyzing these lyrics. They are certainly beautiful. The poetry is elegant and when combined with the Grateful Dead’s hypnotic style it takes you to a different place if you are willing to go there. When Hunter wrote this song, he managed to draw from a few interesting and divergent influences. I spent some time reading about ‘Eyes of the World’ and I was fascinated by the song’s roots. In his blog on Dead.Net called ‘Greatest Stories Ever Told’ David Dodd points out that it goes back almost four centuries to a poem called Pensees, by Blaise Pascal. His line from 1680 read:
“The heart has its reasons, which reason does not know.”
Robert Hunter modified this passage to;
“The heart h
"Eyes of the World” features some of the most introspective lyrics Robert Hunter ever wrote for the Dead. Appropriately, it was a staple of their live performances and one of their most popular songs. “Eyes” never left the Dead’s repertoire for more than 16 shows at a time from its debut on 2/9/73 to its last performance on 7/6/95, and it remains a concert staple for Phil Lesh, Ratdog, and other post-Dead entities.
Phish debuted this cover at one of their first shows billed as “Phish,” performing a passable version that segued interestingly into the Allman Brothers’ “Whipping Post.” This combo is especially telling, as it represents the two major musical forces that brought the band together; Trey, Jeff, Mike, and Fish all commonly liked the Dead and The Allman Brothers, both considered fathers of modern jam-rock. At the first Nectar’s show on 12/1/84, “Eyes” showed up as an extra long encore. Then at Page’s first show on 5/3/85, the song segued out of the Dead’s “Scarlet Begonias.” No other versions of the tune are know
Right outside this lazy summer home
You ain't got time to call your soul a critic, no
Right outside the lazy gate of winter's summer home
Wonderin' where the nut-thatch winters
Wings a mile long just carried the bird away
Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world
The heart has its beaches, its homeland and thoughts of its own
Wake now, discover that you are the song that the morning brings
But the heart has its seasons, its evenings, and songs of its own
There comes a redeemer, and he slowly too fades away
There follows his wagon behind him that's loaded with clay
And the seeds that were silent all burst into bloom and decay
And night comes so quiet, it's close on the heels of the day.
Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world
The heart has its beaches, its homeland and thoughts of its own
Wake now, discover that you are the song that the morning brings
But the heart has its seasons, its evenings, and songs of its own
Sometimes we live no particular way but our own
Sometimes we visit your country and live in your home
Sometimes we ride on your horses, sometimes we walk alone
Sometimes the songs that we hear are just songs of our
This not only might be a signature Garcia/Hunter song, it might be thesignature Grateful Dead song.
When you hear Eyesstart, it's unmistakeable. That jazzy EMaj7 chord cruises along so nicely and the crowd will respond with wild cheers. The little rhythmic punches throughout are just perfectly placed to make Deadheads dance.
Eyes usually tops out at longer than 10:00, and features non stop soloing by Jerry when he is not singing the verse or the chorus. My last time seeing the Grateful Dead in Las Vegas 1995, it occurred to me that after all those years Jerry was still pushing and exploring during this song. No two Eyesare exactly alike, and he didn't seem to have any "go to" soloing phrases that he would end up on, like he did in many other songs. It was pure exploration and improvisation.
Lyrics by (Who Else?) Robert Hunter
The lyrics by Robert Hunter are very deep while also being vague. I've never sat down and thought too much about the meaning behind them but they still mean a lot to me. I will also say that as I get older, the words mean different things. Being the "eyes of the world" means to me that I am not a discrete in