The band released their debut album, Good Feeling (1997), to moderate success where it debuted at number nine on the UK Albums Chart and was later awarded a silver certification from the BPI in January 2000. The band gained greater success with their second album, The Man Who (1999), which spent nine weeks at number one on the UK Albums Chart, totalling 134 weeks in the top 100 of the chart. In 2003, The Man Who was certified 9× platinum by the BPI, representing sales of over 2.68 million in the UK alone. Following this success, the band released their third effort, The Invisible Band (2001) album. The Invisible Band went on to match the success found with their previous album, where it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and spent a total of four weeks at the top spot, fifteen weeks in the top ten, and a total of fifty-five weeks in the top 100 chart, as well as peaking at thirty-nine on the US Billboard 200 album chart, spending a duration of seven weeks in the Billboard 200 chart. A year following the release of The Invisible Band, the BPI awarded Travis with a 4× platinum certification for the album.
In recent years, the band's discography has included studio albums 12 Memories (2003), The Boy with No Name (2007), Ode to J. Smith (2008), Where You Stand (2013), Everything at Once (2016) and 10 Songs (2020). In 2004, the band released their first greatest hits album, Singles, which spent nineteen weeks in the top 100 of the UK albums chart. Travis have twice been awarded best band at the BRIT Awards and were awarded the NME Artist of the Year award at their 2000 ceremony, and in 2016 were honoured at the Scottish Music Awards for their outstanding contribution to music. The band are widely said by the media to have paved the way for other bands such as Keane and Coldplay to go on to achieve worldwide success throughout the 2000s, particularly with the success of The Man Who.
Craft Recordings celebrated the 20th anniversary of Travis' breakthrough year with two simultaneous releases: Live at Glastonbury '99, plus expanded editions of The Man Who – both of which were released on 21 June 2019.
Eyes Wide Open
Travis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Should've gone to bed before the water shed
Some are live and some are dead
Makes no difference when they're in your head, head
Keep the door, open a crack
So I can see them when they attack
Some are white and some are black
And I can't stop crying
And I can't stop driving
'Cause the day is dying, dying, dying
And my eyes wide open
Count the sheep jumping the fence
So I can see tinkers when I'm feeling tense
Disbelief hung in suspense
Eiderdown is my own defense
And I can't stop crying
And I can't stop driving
'Cause the day is dying, dying, dying
And my eyes wide open
All these visions in my head
Should've gone to bed before the water shed
Some are live and some are dead
Makes no difference when they're in your head
And I can't stop crying
And I can't stop driving
'Cause the day is dying, dying, dying
My eyes wide open
The lyrics of Travis's song Eyes Wide Open reveal the inner turmoil of the singer. He sings about the numerous visions in his head that refuse to let him sleep, and how some of them are from his past, while others are just fears and doubts about the future. He feels vulnerable and fearful, and even though he tries to keep the door open a crack, so he can see them coming, there is no escape from these thoughts. He sees the whites and blacks in his mind - some good and some bad, but he realizes that they are all the same when they are on your back.
The lyric 'I can't stop crying, and I can't stop driving' is a representation of how the singer is feeling trapped, and he is unable to break free from the overwhelming mental burden. The verse about counting sheep reveals that even when he tries to find peace by resorting to the age-old method of managing sleeplessness, his fears and doubts do not leave him alone. He feels the weight of disbelief hanging in suspense as he lies surrounded by eiderdown. It becomes his own defense against the visions that will not let him be at peace.
In conclusion, the lyrics of Travis's song Eyes Wide Open reveal the internal struggles and inner turmoil of a person dwelling deep in the burden of his thoughts, which he cannot escape.
Line by Line Meaning
All these visions in my head
Travis is experiencing various types of visions in his mind.
Should've gone to bed before the water shed
He should have slept early before it was too late.
Some are live and some are dead
Some of the visions Travis sees are of living people, while some are of deceased individuals.
Makes no difference when they're in your head, head
For Travis, the fact that the visions are in his head matters less, regardless of whether they are of living or dead beings.
Keep the door, open a crack
Travis wants to leave the door slightly open so he can see when his visions attack him.
So I can see them when they attack
He wants to be able to see his visions when they attack him.
Some are white and some are black
Travis's visions come in either white or black forms.
Makes no difference when they're on your back
The color of the visions doesn't matter when they bother you.
And I can't stop crying
Travis is in a state of emotional instability, and he can't control his tears.
And I can't stop driving
Even though Travis is emotional, he cannot avoid driving.
'Cause the day is dying, dying, dying
The day is coming to an end, and time is slipping away.
And my eyes wide open
Despite his emotional instability, Travis's eyes remain open, indicating his constant vigilance.
Count the sheep jumping the fence
Travis tries to count sheep jumping over a fence, hoping to relax his mind.
So I can see tinkers when I'm feeling tense
When Travis feels tense, he tries to picture scenes with the tinkers, hoping to find peace of mind.
Disbelief hung in suspense
Travis finds it hard to believe what he is experiencing, and he is in suspense.
Eiderdown is my own defense
Travis uses eiderdown as a defense mechanism against his visions.
My eyes wide open
Again, Travis's eyes are open, indicating his constant vigilance.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FRANCIS HEALY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ADRIAN BLANCO
All these visions in my head
Shoot the gunner baby for the watershed
Some are live and some are dead
Makes no difference when they're in your head...head
Keep the door open a crack
So I can see then when they attack
Some are white and some are black
Makes no difference when they're on your back
And I can't stop crying
And I can't stop trying
'Cause the day is dying...dying...dying
With my eyes wide open
Kept the sheep jumping the fence
So I can see deepest when I'm feeling tense
Disbelief hung in suspense
I die down with my own defense
And I can't stop crying
And I can't stop trying
'Cause the day is dying...dying...dying
With my eyes wide open
All these visions in my head
Shoot the gunner baby for the watershed
Some are live and some are dead
Makes no difference when they're in your head
And I can't stop crying
And I can't stop trying
'Cause the day is dying...dying...dying
With my eyes wide open
What you seek, is seeking you.
Top 5 of my favorites song by them 💖
Cara Mason
Awesome band 👏👏👏
Robert Cooper
Awesome band. Heads boning back and forth.... good beat..
CLAUDIA PESSOA RIBEIRO
Love that one ♥️
Lenin Altamirano
awesome love Travis!!
ADRIAN BLANCO
All these visions in my head
Shoot the gunner baby for the watershed
Some are live and some are dead
Makes no difference when they're in your head...head
Keep the door open a crack
So I can see then when they attack
Some are white and some are black
Makes no difference when they're on your back
And I can't stop crying
And I can't stop trying
'Cause the day is dying...dying...dying
With my eyes wide open
Kept the sheep jumping the fence
So I can see deepest when I'm feeling tense
Disbelief hung in suspense
I die down with my own defense
And I can't stop crying
And I can't stop trying
'Cause the day is dying...dying...dying
With my eyes wide open
All these visions in my head
Shoot the gunner baby for the watershed
Some are live and some are dead
Makes no difference when they're in your head
And I can't stop crying
And I can't stop trying
'Cause the day is dying...dying...dying
With my eyes wide open
Miranda Winstead
Pretty sure its shoulda gone to bed before the watershed
Pedro Roberto
Thank You
Life is a Teacher Find the true
the boy with no name😉
Matthew Steel
it took Francis months to come up with a name for his son