Goo Goo Dolls: Iris Meaning

Song Released: 1998

Iris Lyrics

And I’d give up forever to touch you
'cause I know that you feel me somehow
You’re the closest to heaven that i’ll ever be
And I don’t want to go home right now

And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
’cause...

1. anonymous

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   Jul 28th 2006 !⃝

   Everybdoy is right on the spot (except the united homosexual society).
   
   This song is meaningful. But the meaning was to represent many viewpoints of many different people. The example shown was the movie city of angels (1998) a sort of remake from the german movie wings of desire.
   
   But the song itself can mean many different things to many different people. For another example, a random 'emo' or 'gothic' person (not getting the two confused) may believe the song is trying to tell them to feel better through pain "you bleed to know you're alive" doesn't everyone want to know that it's real???
   
   I will begin at the beginning to desccribe my idea of the song.
   "and i'd give up forever to touch you, because I know that you feel me somehow."
   
   now for me it isn't literal (being human and all *cough* *cough*) but it means that you would do relatively anything to be with them.
   
   "you're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be"
   
   suggesting you feel like you have done something wrong but being with them would make it better, make you complete.
   
   "and I don't want to go home right now"
   
   you have to leave but you want to stay with them...
   
   "and all I can taste is the moment, and all I can breathe is your life"
   
   serious poetic use here, many techniques used. You can't actually taste a moment or breathe life, but what I believe it says is that when you are around them your senses are unusual and you feel different.
   
   "cause sooner or later it's over."
   
   here's where my personal ideas come in... You won't be able to stay with them because they are unkeepable, they are insecure about staying with somebody...
   
   "I just don't want to miss you tonight"
   
   again, you have to go (not explaining why *cough* *cough*) but you wish you could be with them.
   
   "and I don't want the world to see me, because I don't think that they understand"
   
   you are a social outcast. Nobody can uderstand who you are or anything about you...
   
   "when everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am"
   
   you can't stay with them, you don't know what to do, so you believe that they are there to be the only person to understand you. Stressing the "I just want you to know who I am"
   
   "and you can't fight the tears that ain't coming, or the moment of truth in your lies"
   
   this is the part I have tried to understand the most... You aren't able to talk to them because of who you are but you know that whatever they do, they will always still think of you. Possibly the moment of truth in your lies is a fight or false aggression to hide the fact that they want to be with you followed by a the most quiet smile to show they still want you.. I don't know...
   
   "when everything feels like a movie, you bleed just to know that you're alive."
   
   sometimes things just feel so odd, you wonder if you're still alive. You wonder if it is real...
   
   In normal poetic writing, the author tries to stress a message across through repitition. Explain why most song writers repeat choruses and in this case, also repeat main lines.
   
   I don't know if this helps anybody at all, I don't know if anybody will even see this but be sure that whatever you feel from this song is truthful...
2. anonymous

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   Jul 25th 2006 !⃝

   Believe it or not, the newspaper thing is, in fact, true. He has admitted it several times, and it was in the studio he saw in the paper a lady named iris dement was performing so he said that was a cool name, let's name it iris, and every agreed. The rest about it being written about the movie was also true. He said that he watched the movie and just thought of what he would say if he wer ein nicholas cage's character's shoes.
3. anonymous

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   Jul 16th 2006 !⃝

   I have The Goo Goo Dolls live on VH1 storytellers on cd and Johnny actually says that he wrote the song after watching the movie and that the song is written from the perspective of Seth *An angel who falls in love with a mortal woman*.
   So it is basically about not being able to be with the one you want.
   
   Just thought I'd clarify that because some folks have it in their head that it's about homosexuality and some think the movie was written about the song.
   
   Anyways, shine on you crazy diamonds.
4. anonymous

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   Jul 13th 2006 !⃝

   The title of the song "Iris" came from the singer looking through the news paper and seeing an artist's name (Iris) so that's what he decided to call the song.
5. anonymous

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   Jul 5th 2006 !⃝

   You people are all hitting right around it. Its about the movie firstly. Nicholas Cage's character, the angel, feels that although he is a heavenly being he will never feel the splendor of that existence, because nothing compares to the way he feels about Meg Ryan hence "you're the closest to heaven that ill ever be". Whoever wrote in their interp. That the line "I'd give up forever to touch you" meant that he would become mortal, is right on. He is willing to sacrifice all, including his immortality, just to have a chance to come in contact with this woman. The line about the world not understanding is based on the world he knows, the other angels. They are not experiencing his emotions. They would not leave their duty for a human, and he is not afraid of reprisal, but only how they will perceive his actions. And the line "and you bleed just to know you're alive" IS NOT referring to self-mutilation, but is in fact about Nick Cage jumping off a tower and the character seeing his blood for the first time when he hits the sewer grate, and he knows that he is alive as a human. As for the title "Iris" I am not sure, but the explanation that seems to fit the most is the one about Iris being a servant of the gods (angel). However the part about gay lovers, seems to be someone's personal interpretation which they have a right to, but it does not apply to the song as a whole, because it WAS written for the film "City of Angel". Other than that it is a beautiful song that captures the way people feel about a love that is somewhat forbidden to them.
6. linkinparkgurl

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   Jun 5th 2006 !⃝

   You know guys, songs don't always have to mean what the singer wrote it to mean. Iris is a song soley based on the city of angels and written for nothing more than that, but it's up to the person who the song applies to to decide what its true meaning is. For me, this song is about the desire to be with a person even though they're right there. When your so in love with someone, it's almost like it hurts. It's a beautiful song.
7. anonymous

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   May 17th 2006 !⃝

   Its about a guy who falls in love with a girl and lives wondering how long their love together will last, and wants to enjoy every moment he is with her because he knows it could come to an end at any moment, it is what all of us feel at times when were in love, we always worry about the outcomes but we need jus to live and enjoy every moment were with that person.
8. anonymous

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   May 3rd 2006 !⃝

   Ok, people, it is really a good thing that it doesn't matter whether or not this song is about gay love or not, love is love no matter who it is between. So I can't understand why people think it is a gross misinterpretation to say it is about two lovers. Because it is undeniable that it is, no matter who these lovers are. Calm down people, and stop getting all bent out of shape over such an awesome song.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
9. anonymous

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   May 2nd 2006 !⃝

   Haha! You're all mad. Just enjoy the song for the own personal meaning it gives you. Isn't that wat all songs are about?!
10. anonymous

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    Apr 20th 2006 !⃝

    Thank you for that last one, confirming that this song is NOT about gay people. It is really a shame that someone could misinterpret this song so COMPLETELY wrong. HELLO wake up call people. If you knew squat about the goo goo dolls, you'd know from john's many interviews how he chose the song name, and what he was thinking when he wrote the song, and how he pulled every thought directly from the movie. He was suffering from severe writer's block at the time, and OBVIOUSLY was not trying to make some kind of statement about gay lovers. come - fricking - on. It's about city of angels. John is my hero. The end.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
11. anonymous

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    Apr 4th 2006 !⃝

    I personally think that most of you are insane.
    The reason the song is titled "Iris" isn't because the messenger's sign was rainbows, or that the color identified with the mythology is purple. (violet, to be precise) Infact, the mythology and rainbow sign came LONG before the rainbow was ever connected to homosexuality in any way. So, um, can we say way off?
    However, good job connecting the mythology, because the metaphor iris literally means: messenger to the Gods, which is exactly what Nicholas Cage is in the movie City of Angels. A messenger to God, and Angel.
    And yes, the song was written solely for this movie. Every line that seems weird in the song relates to the plot of the movie: "I don't want the world to see me, cause I don't think that they'de understand." "Yeah you'de bleed just to know you're alive."
    So needless to say, there is nothing gay about the song or the lyrics and it isn't about someone who is desperately in love with a girl who doesn't love him back. mmmkay?
12. Punx_not_dead

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    Oct 30th 2005 !⃝

    This song is just too depressing... it entails bad memories for me. *sigh*
    The line that catches me most is "yeah you bleed just to know you're alive"
    one could say that, because it all seems so perfect and right ("when everything feels like the movies") he hardly dares believe it's real and that he's actually living it... I've also read on many pages that it indicates self injury, not sure how that fits in the context though.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
13. evil-pasty

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    Jul 30th 2005 !⃝

    This song is all about a guy's secret love. He's desperate to be with her and no matter what he doe's he feel's like it's a lost cause and that they'll never be together.
    
    "I don't want the world to see me.
    Cause I don't think that they'll understand.
    When everything's made to be broken.
    I just want you to know who I am"
    
    Great song. Great band. Peace out.

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