“Eye of the Tiger” is a famous song by the American rock band Survivor. They made it for the movie Rocky III in 1982. It came out as a single from Survivor’s third album, also called Eye of the Tiger.
The band’s guitarist, Frankie Sullivan, and keyboardist, Jim Peterik, wrote the song. It’s about someone who works really hard to overcome tough times. It fits perfectly with the training scenes in Rocky III. The song has become a big part of sports events, especially fighting ones. It’s also known as one of Rocky Balboa’s theme songs, along with “Gonna Fly Now.”
The band got the idea for the song after watching an early version of the movie. They heard a line repeated by a boxing trainer – “eye of the tiger” – and decided to use it for their song.
In this article, we’ll look into the deeper meaning of the song’s lyrics.
“Eye of the Tiger” Lyrics Meaning
[Verse 1]
Rising up, back on the street
Did my time, took my chances
Went the distance, now I’m back on my feet
Just a man and his will to survive
So many times, it happens too fast
You trade your passion for glory
Don’t lose your grip on the dreams of the past
You must fight just to keep them alive
Verse 1 describes a man who faces challenges but perseveres through hard work and determination.
He has endured tough times (“Did my time, took my chances”) and fought his way back (“Went the distance, now I’m back on my feet”). Despite setbacks, he remains resolute, driven by his will to succeed (“Just a man and his will to survive”).
The verse emphasizes the importance of not giving up on one’s dreams, even when faced with obstacles (“Don’t lose your grip on the dreams of the past”).
It highlights the necessity of fighting to maintain one’s aspirations amid adversity (“You must fight just to keep them alive”).
[Chorus]
It’s the eye of the tiger
It’s the thrill of the fight
Rising up to the challenge of our rival
And the last known survivor
Stalks his prey in the night
And he’s watching us all
With the eye of the tiger
The chorus describes the feeling of being in the midst of a thrilling battle (“It’s the thrill of the fight”). The phrase “eye of the tiger” symbolizes a focused and determined mindset, ready to confront any obstacle.
The lyrics depict a man rising up to meet the challenge posed by his rivals. The mention of the “last known survivor” suggests that despite difficulties, one can emerge victorious.
The final line “And he’s watching us all with the eye of the tiger” means that the man is observant and vigilant, constantly watching and ready to face whatever comes his way.
[Verse 2]
Face to face, out in the heat
Hanging tough, staying hungry
They stack the odds ’til we take to the street
For the kill with the skill to survive
Verse 2 portrays the protagonist facing his adversaries directly, particularly in intense circumstances (“Face to face, out in the heat”).
Despite the challenges, he remains steadfast and resilient, refusing to back down (“Hanging tough, staying hungry”).
The lyrics suggest that the odds may be stacked against him, but he’s prepared to take on the opposition (“They stack the odds ’til we take to the street”).
[Verse 3]
Rising up, straight to the top
Had the guts, got the glory
Went the distance, now I’m not gonna stop
Just a man and his will to survive
Verse 3 depicts the protagonist’s ascent to success, as he sings, “Rising up, straight to the top.” He displays courage and determination, earning recognition and acclaim (“Had the guts, got the glory”).
Despite facing challenges along the way, he refuses to give up, continuing to persevere (“Went the distance, now I’m not gonna stop”).
The line “Just a man and his will to survive” expresses the man’s
The verse emphasizes the individual’s relentless pursuit of their goals, driven by their will to succeed (“Just a man and his will to survive”).
Deeper Meaning Behind “Eye of the Tiger”
Survivor’s ‘Eye of the Tiger’ is an uplifting anthem that portrays a protagonist who has faced hardships and setbacks but refuses to be defeated. It symbolizes the struggle of the human spirit against adversity, depicting a relentless pursuit of one’s goals despite the odds.
‘Eye of the Tiger’ became famous as the theme song for the 1982 film Rocky III. The song’s title was derived from a quote by Rocky’s coach, Apollo Creed: “You had that eye of the tiger, man, the edge … You gotta get it back.” This line was originally from the 1969 film A Dream of Kings.
In an interview with Songfacts, Survivor’s Jim Peterik explained the origin of this song:
“When we got the initial rough cut of the movie, the scene that ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ appears in was cut to ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ by Queen. Frankie and I are watching this, the punches are being thrown, and we’re going, ‘Holy crap, this is working like a charm.’ We called Stallone and said, ‘Why aren’t you using that?’ He goes, ‘Well, we can’t get the publishing rights to it.’ Frankie and I looked at each other and went, ‘Man, this is going to be tough to beat.’ We had the spirit of, ‘We’ve got to try to top this.’ I started doing that now-famous dead string guitar riff and started slashing those chords to the punches we saw on the screen, and the whole song took shape in the next three days.”
In the movie, Rocky Balboa is seen enjoying his fame, doing commercials, and neglecting his training, while Mr. T is shown intensely training to become the boxing champion. After Rocky’s trainer passes away, his friend Apollo Creed urges him to regain his determination and hunger to win, referred to as “The Eye Of The Tiger.”
Jim Peterik described how they wrote the song:
“Frankie (Sullivan) came in with the lines, ‘Back on the street, doin’ time, taking chances.’ I loved those lines immediately and suggested, ‘Rising up, back on the street, did my time, took my chances’ to make it fit with the story line and to make the rhythm of the words fit the music I was hearing in my head. That was certainly the lyrical spark that got the song started. The next two hours flew by in a flash as we jammed, cassette recorder running nonstop to catch anything good we did for future reference, and at the end of the day, the music was about 80% complete and the lyric about 30%. Over the next few days, I worked hard on the lyrics, remembering pieces of movie dialogue like, ‘Went the distance,’ referring to the central phrase of the first Rocky movie.”
The phrase “eye of the tiger” refers to a fierce and determined gaze, symbolizing the readiness to face challenges head-on and emerge victorious. The song’s famous title wasn’t initially certain. Jim Peterik explained:
“At first, we wondered if calling it ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ was too obvious. The initial draft of the song, we started with ‘It’s the eye of the tiger, it’s the thrill of the fight, rising up to the spirit of our rival, and the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night, and it all comes down to survival.’ We were going to call the song ‘Survival.’ In the rhyme scheme, you can tell we had set up ‘rival’ to rhyme with ‘survival.’ At the end of the day, we said, ‘Are we nuts?’ That hook is so strong, and ‘rival’ doesn’t have to be a perfect rhyme with the word ‘tiger.’ We made the right choice and went with ‘Eye Of The Tiger.'”
In the end, the song conveys the idea of pushing forward, even when the odds are against you. The song’s message is clear: as long as you have the will to survive and thrive, nothing can stop you from reaching success.
Jacob Carter is a lyricist. He created the lyrics writing course to teach people how to analyze and write lyrics. He graduated from the University of Oxford with a degree in English Literature, so he’s skilled at playing with words.
He’s also an amateur guitarist, which means he knows music and melody very well. With this background, he’s a great lyricist you can rely on to learn writing lyrics.