"Open"
Regina Spektor Lyrics

we try to realize
Our desperate disguise

In "Open," Regina Spektor paints a picture of someone waiting for another person, possibly a lover, but it seems as though the waiting has become an almost permanent state of being. The first two stanzas describe the wait using two different settings - up a hill and through the woods - but the feelings and emotions are the same. The singer is potentially lovely, that is, they have the potential to be beautiful on the outside, but they are perpetually human, meaning that they are flawed, imperfect, and vulnerable. The wires around the fingers suggest anxiety and nervousness. The repeated phrase "suspended and open" seems to describe the singer's state of limbo - perhaps they have been waiting so long that they feel they are neither fully alive nor completely gone.

The third stanza introduces a new setting - a room the singer has built themselves, which suggests a sense of control and self-sufficiency. However, the repetition of "day after day" hints at a monotonous existence. The repeated phrase "potentially lovely, perpetually human, suspended and open" reinforces the idea that the singer's state of being hasn't changed, even in a new environment.

Towards the end of the song, the snow falling distracts everyone from seeing the beauty around them, possibly a metaphor for being so focused on trivial matters that they can't see the bigger picture. The final stanza is a plea to "open up your eyes" and realize the true nature of our lives, with all its flaws and complexities.