Kix - Don't Close Your Eyes - Lyrics Meaning

"Don't Close Your Eyes" is a 1988 single from the band Kix. The ballad, reminiscent in song structure to Aerosmith's "Dream On", peaked in the U.S. at number 11 on Billboard's Hot 100. The song was the band's biggest hit, propelling their album "Blow My Fuse" to platinum status, thanks to the video being played in heavy rotation on MTV, as well as commercial Top 40 radio airplay.

The song's success was somewhat a surprise because the ballad was not the stereotypical hard rock/heavy metal love song ballad that typically crossed over into the mainstream. The lyrics dealt with the rather heavy topic of suicide. The subject of the song apparently reaches out to a friend (the song's narrator) during a suicide attempt. There is seemingly no one else to turn to as it's suggested the subject's mother is no help and his or her father is never around. The narrator pleads for them to "hold on" and to not "go to sleep." Reassuring them that they are here for them, they will hold them tight in this time of need, and make everything all right.

It's hard to ascertain from the lyrics if this was merely a suicide attempt or if the person telling the story actually had to hear their friend die. The "Don't close your eyes, I pray the Lord your soul to keep" lyric suggests that the subject may have passed on.