Even though it appeared on 1991’s Steady Diet of Nothing, “KYEO” (“Keep Your Eyes Open”) was being played as early as Fugazi’s fourth live show in 1987. According to Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation’s Capital (2001) by Mark Andersen and Mark Jenkins, Ian MacKaye dedicated the song to...
The troops are quiet tonight
But it's not alright
Because they're planning something
Don't you know things have settled down, down, down?
But silence is a dangerous sound
We must, we must, we must (We must)
We must, we must, we must (We must)
We must, we must, we must (We must)
Keep our eyes open
See what we see
What once was promised
Now will be
Still uncertain?
Still uncertain?
Still uncertain?
Get off that hang
Don't wait for that bang
Get off that hang
Don't wait for that bang
The tools, they will be swinging
The tools, they will be swinging
We will not be beaten down
We will not be beaten down
We will not be beaten down, now
We will not be beaten down
KYEO was written by Brendan Canty & Joe Lally & Guy Picciotto & Ian MacKaye.
KYEO was produced by Fugazi.