Contributors to this interpretation included: Alexa, Shadow, Rhiannon, Barbara II, Ocean, Les, Becky, Regina, and Villavic.
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Eyes Of The World appears on Mirage, the second album after the mega hit Rumours. Mirage was made to get back into the Rumours format. This meant having songs that where fan "friendly". These were songs that were written to once again boost album sales like those of Rumours. The album that did follow Rumours, Tusk, did not follow this format. Tusk was more of an experimental album. Although it was not a failure by any means, selling quite well considering it was a double album, it was just not what the fans expected. Much of this was due to Lindsey's desire to create an album that was not quite like any other. It was Lindsey who took much of the blame for the disappointing sales and reactions to Tusk since he was the main creative force behind it.
Lindsey was also a bit fed up with the public's fascination with the private lives of the band members. He has often stated that the success of Rumours had more to do with the relationships within the band than the music itself. These two points in Lindsey's life are what leads up to his song Eyes Of The World.
Tellin' you people, tell you no lie
My heart was breakin', I'll tell you why
Back and forth lies unfurl
In the eyes, in the eyes, in the eyes of the world
Eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes
Here Lindsey is telling the fans and even the other members of Fleetwood Mac that he is very unhappy. Everything that has been going on from the famous break ups within the band to the disappointment over Tusk has hurt him a great deal. But what makes it the worst is that all of this has not been kept private, but has unfolded before the "eyes of the world." This constant attention was something that made it even harder for Lindsey to continue in a band where relationships were already strained.
Monday's children are filled with face
Tuesday's children are filled with grace
Back and forth lies unfurl
In the eyes, in the eyes, in the eyes, of the world
Eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes
The first two lines of this verse follows an old nursery rhyme which begins, "Monday's child is fair of face, Tuesday's child is full of grace." Instead of following the nursery rhyme and saying "fair of face," which expresses outward beauty, he says "full of face" which takes on a whole new meaning. Someone who is full of face is a person who only thinks about themselves while ignoring the feelings of others. It is not quite clear as to whom Lindsey is referring to as "Monday's child." It could be Stevie, Mick, or even the fans. Lindsey and Stevie still had a lot of tension between them and it didn't help matters any when Mick and Stevie had an affair. It also seemed that Mick would appear to support Tusk and the importance of the album to the press. Privately, though, he had very different and hurtful things to say to Lindsey about the project and the creativity behind the album. This triggered a lot of confusion, distrust, and anger towards Mick and the other members. And of course there is the fans. Lindsey's disappointment in their unwillingness to accept something different in Tusk so quickly after Rumours was quite a blow also. Either way the person or people that Lindsey is referring to as "Monday's child" were people he once trusted and had a great deal of faith in. He was let down in a way that he was never fully able to recover from while in Fleetwood Mac.
"Tuesday's child is full of grace" is a 180 degree turn around from Monday's child. Lindsey sees how quickly people change. They can change as quickly as the days of the week pass by. One day Lindsey and Stevie love each other, the next they can't stand to be in the same room together. One day Mick supports Tusk, the next he is blaming Lindsey for its failure. One day the fans are going crazy over their album, the next they are disappointed in a new album. Of course these things happened over years not days but to Lindsey it might well have been. Lindsey saw how everybody around him was changing into people he no longer recognized. Most importantly, he realized that things were not changing for the better.
Not only does this song carry a powerful message within a few simple verses, but the musical composition also carries a message. It begins as if it is another song that fits everybody's expectations...very controlled and radio friendly. But when Lindsey's voice comes in with an angry burst, the listener can't help but pay attention to this song and try to understand what it is really about. Once again, Lindsey's use of instrumental composition and vocal arrangement are absolute genius.
Eyes Of The World chronicles a part of Lindsey's life. He has lived through the heartbreaks, the disappointments and frustrations, and the lies, all of which unfurled before the eyes of the world. Lindsey often states how everything goes in cycles. There are always going to be good times and bad times. Eyes Of The World was a song that was written about the bad times. Thankfully, the cycle continued on and the good times were found once again in Fleetwood Mac and most importantly in Lindsey's life.
(The interpretations to these lyrics were compiled through discussions on the message boards of the Penguin, The Ledge. It is entirely possible that the artists had something completely different in mind.)