In October 2010, Claudia Deheza left SVIIB for personal reasons and the band continued as a duo. In 29 December 2013, Curtis (aged 35) died of cancer. School of Seven Bells is named after a mythical South American pickpocket training academy.
The Deheza sisters are former members of On!Air!Library! and Curtis was a former member of Secret Machines and Tripping Daisy. Curtis and the Deheza sisters met when both were opening on an Interpol tour. The three decided to end their commitments to their old bands, move in to a shared space, and create a home recording studio together.
The single "My Cabal" was released in May 2007 on the UK label Sonic Cathedral. A 12"/digital EP, Face to Face on High Places, was released in September 2007 on Table of the Elements. The band toured with Blonde Redhead in September of 2007 and with Prefuse 73 in November of 2007.
School of Seven Bells' debut album, Alpinisms, was released by Ghostly International in the U.S. on 28 October 2008.
Their second studio album, Disconnect From Desire, was released on 13 July 2010. Three singles were released from this album: "Heart Is Strange," "Windstorm," and "I L U."
On 28 February 2012, the band issued their third album, Ghostory. The singles "The Night," "Lafaye," and "Scavenger" helped to promote the album. On 13 November 2012, School of Seven Bells released the EP Put Your Sad Down.
On 29 December 2013, Benjamin Curtis died in New York City. He had been diagnosed with T-Cell lymphoma earlier in the year.
In October 2015, Alejandra Deheza announced that the band's fourth and final album, SVIIB, would be released in February 2016. In November, the band released the first single from the album, "Open Your Eyes."
Official site: http://www.sviib.com
Open Your Eyes
School of Seven Bells Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All alone
Open your eyes, love
Weeping
I know that she was wrong
But life is moving on, so
Get it together, ′cause now anger is your pleasure
Now you're thinking that you′re better
'Cause you think it made you strong, but
What you don't get
Is the colour of regret is the thing that made you sweat
When you tried to paint a picture of life in the future
When the present′s too wet
With the tears that you wept long ago, fuelling the fire still
Keeping your head turned around in the past
Float in the present with the role that you cast
For her as the villain
And you, who came in last
It′s time to wake up
(...)
Open your eyes, love
'Cause you′ve been sleeping
It's getting hard to bear, watching you all alone
I know your heart is broken
And you′ve been weeping
But I've been waiting here patiently for too long
(...)
I know that she was wrong
And life is moving on
And the anger that you feed keeps you feeling justified
But turning a blind eye to the one who you survived with
And kept you sane through the heartache and the pain
What you don′t get
Is the color of regret is the thing that made you sweat
When you tried to paint a picture of life in the future
When the present's too wet
With the tears that you wept long ago, fueling the fire still
Keeping your head turned around in the past
Float in the present with the role that you cast
For her as the villain
And you, who came in last
It's time to wake up
(...)
Open your eyes, love
′Cause you′ve been sleeping
It's getting hard to bear, watching you all alone
I know your heart is broken
And you′ve been weeping
But I've been waiting here patiently for too long
You are my pain, love
You are my sorrow
Can′t you see we're the same?
You got me crying
And now my heart is breaking
′Cause I've been weeping
And I've been waiting here silently for too long
(...)
You come close, when you′re in pain
Do you feel better, babe?
Then you go, ′cause you're afraid
You′ll fall in love again
You'll fall in love again
You′ll fall in love again
Open your eyes, love. You got me crying 'Cause I′ve been sitting here, patiently, for too long
The lyrics of School of Seven Bells's song "Open Your Eyes" depict a deeply emotional and introspective journey. The song begins with the repeated plea to "open your eyes, love," indicating that the singer is urging their loved one to become aware of their surroundings and emotions. The line "all alone" suggests that this loved one has been isolating themselves, perhaps due to heartbreak or emotional pain. The mention of weeping reinforces the idea of profound sadness.
The song then delves into the complexity of the situation, acknowledging that the person causing their loved one's pain was wrong. However, it also recognizes that life is moving forward and encourages the listener to "get it together." The line "now anger is your pleasure" suggests that this person has found solace in their anger, using it as a way to cope with their pain. The verse goes on to explore the idea that their anger has, in a way, become a crutch that has kept them attached to their past suffering.
The lyrics speak about how this person's anger makes them feel stronger, but they fail to realize that it only masks the true color of regret. The metaphor of painting a picture of the future highlights their inability to let go of the past and fully embrace the present. The reference to tears and fire symbolizes how their past emotional wounds still fuel their current state of mind.
The song then switches perspective, addressing the person who has been bearing witness to their loved one's pain. It suggests that this person has patiently and silently been waiting for their loved one to wake up from their self-imposed slumber. The lyrics convey a sense of empathy, recognizing that both individuals have experienced heartbreak and sorrow. The line "you are my pain, love, you are my sorrow" establishes a connection and hints that they are both going through similar emotional pain.
The final verse emphasizes the cyclical nature of relationships and the fear of falling in love again. The repetition of "you'll fall in love again" suggests that the singer believes their loved one has the potential to find love, but also acknowledges their fear of getting hurt again. The song concludes with the plea to "open your eyes, love" once more, revealing the singer's feelings of helplessness and sadness at seeing their loved one in such a state.
Overall, "Open Your Eyes" portrays the struggle to move on from past pain and the importance of facing and embracing the present. It explores themes of regret, anger, heartbreak, and the complexities of relationships, offering a poignant reflection on the human experience of healing and growth.
Line by Line Meaning
Open your eyes, love
Become aware of the reality, my love
All alone
Feeling isolated and lonely
Weeping
Crying and expressing sadness
I know that she was wrong
I acknowledge that she made mistakes
But life is moving on, so
However, life continues to progress
Get it together, ′cause now anger is your pleasure
Collect yourself, because now you find pleasure in anger
And the pleasure is the tether that fed you for too long
And this pleasure has kept you anchored for too long
Now you're thinking that you′re better
Now you believe that you have improved
'Cause you think it made you strong, but
Because you think it has made you stronger, but
What you don't get
What you fail to understand
Is the colour of regret is the thing that made you sweat
Regret is the emotion that has caused you distress
When you tried to paint a picture of life in the future
When you attempted to envision your future
When the present′s too wet
When the current situation is too emotionally overwhelming
With the tears that you wept long ago, fuelling the fire still
With the tears you cried in the past, still feeding the flame
Keeping your head turned around in the past
Continuously dwelling on the past
Float in the present with the role that you cast
Embrace the present moment and the role you assigned
For her as the villain
Portraying her as the antagonist
And you, who came in last
And you, who was left behind
It′s time to wake up
It is time to become aware
Open your eyes, love
Become aware of the reality, my love
'Cause you′ve been sleeping
Because you have been oblivious
It's getting hard to bear, watching you all alone
It is becoming difficult to witness you being alone
I know your heart is broken
I understand that your heart is shattered
And you′ve been weeping
And you have been crying
But I've been waiting here patiently for too long
But I have been waiting here with patience for a significant period of time
You are my pain, love
You are the source of my pain, my love
You are my sorrow
You are the cause of my sadness
Can′t you see we're the same?
Don't you realize that we share the same emotions?
You got me crying
You have made me cry
And now my heart is breaking
And now I feel my heart is breaking
′Cause I've been weeping
Because I have been crying
And I've been waiting here silently for too long
And I have patiently waited here in silence for too long
You come close, when you′re in pain
You seek closeness when you are in pain
Do you feel better, babe?
Does it make you feel better, babe?
Then you go, ′cause you're afraid
Then you distance yourself because you are afraid
You′ll fall in love again
You will experience love again
Open your eyes, love. You got me crying
Become aware of the reality, my love. You have made me cry
'Cause I′ve been sitting here, patiently, for too long
Because I have been sitting here, patiently waiting, for an extended period of time
Writer(s): Alejandra Estela Deheza, Justin Meldal Johnsen, Benjamin David Curtis
Contributed by Savannah P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Framiechannel
It was a couple of days ago. I was coming back home from work and this song came up on spotify from the random shuffle. I'm italian,so even if i catch most of the lyrics i cannot completely understand it on the first time i hear it.
Like i said i'm italian,so i'm currently living in the covid-19 nightmare. Until now and probably for a couple of more days i had/will have the luck of staying a bit outside of my house because public transportation is still working here so i have to jump on my bus and drive around these empty cities.
But there's a reason because i wrote this stuff under this song.
Last couple of months i had the opportunity to change a lot of my life,expecially my social interations. I put all the effort that i probably didn't put in my previous 27 years of life and got awesome results. One of this results was a lovely girl i met close to where i work. Unfortunately things didn't work out well in the end and our bond fell apart this week.
Too bad i was starting to really really like her but i have to move on and then it happened. I was on my balcony smoking a cigarette,put this song again on spotify and listened to it while i was reading the lyrics.
Dammit, i felt like my stomach and chest were getting punched and i started crying i don't know how much. I felt the lyrics so close to me,it was painfully awesome.
Because she was wrong about me,she was my villain,i punched a wall during a raging moment and enjoyed it because i felt more strong,but now i regret it and the only thing that remains for me is to wake up and move on.
I'm gonna dedicate this Song ti myself..
I felt so bad when i checked this band to find out they stopped making music. (at least this is what wikipedia says) I really really hope to see this band making music again one day.
nssmith666
The 3rd time she sings "You'll fall in love again". It sends shivers down my spine. Just stunning.
Robbie Reisman
Agreed. My favorite part of the song
Here Puff Puff
Go see a chiropractor.
Michael Gordon
agreed bro or gal...good comment
Richard Sylvanus
The 666 in the screenname says to me it's Satan 😈
Diana Heldenbrand
It's been 6 years and this is still my favorite song! Love love love
ghostangus73
I've been a huge fan since On Air Library! Their whole catalog is awesome. And i mostly listen to metal, but the chords and progressions Claudia implements is truly amazing.
MARINO TAROT
i can relate. The weird thing is: when i listen to the song, it always reminds me of the person who showed me that song... and I didnt have good experiences with him. So this is a 2-edged sword :) beautiful song, bad memory
DANCE Lynn
To everyone here i feel a certain kinship being that I've always perceived this band as ethereal in a way like never before!! We all evolved together in this time space reality , and this band represents our enlightenment as a collective. Its good to know your not alone. Salute, Skull, Cheers Mates:))
B Harris
o7