Goo Goo Dolls: Black Balloon Meaning
Black Balloon Lyrics
I almost fell into that hole in your life
And you're not thinking about tomorrow
'Cause you were the same as me
But on your knees
A thousand other boys could never reach you
How could I have been the...
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1TOP RATED
anonymous Jun 5th 2006, 15:50 report
I found this interpretation and think it sums up the meaning of the song perfectly:
This song IS about heroin. She did wrap a black balloon around her arm in order to inject the drug into her vein. And he did almost get caught up in the drug use, ("I almost fell into that hole in your life"). He watches her life crumble before his eyes. The "ice from the spoon" refers to the drug that she heats on a spoon to prepare it for injection. He tries to save her by showing her the love she never felt and that she looks for in heroin. The drug is her "womb," or her shelter from the harsh realities of life. It was this that caused her death, despite his attempts to save her. The lines "And I go on as you grow colder" and "Or are you someone's prayer?" reveals that heroin took her life. Though this is a sad demise, the song ends with hope. "And I'll become what you became to me" shows that he has learned what love is. She, with all her problems, enveloped him with her love and devotion, and this was important to him. He wants to be like that, minus the addiction. She taught him about love, an invaluable lesson, despite her untimely death.
- Crystalee, Divide, CO
--Chris-- -
anonymous Sep 11th 2012, 22:24 report
While I can understand the context of that being a drug addiction, it depends upon the listener for the personal meaning to evolve, so here is my take;
"Baby's black balloon makes her fly, I almost fell into that hole in your life"
-- A balloon signifies elevation and some thing which has the potential to lift one to greater heights. However, it is black and relates to a black hole in her life; that which lifts her is as dark as what she is attempting to escape which I think could be isolation...isolating to cope with being isolated.
"You wern't thinking about tomorrow cause you were the same as me, but on your knees"
-- Both people were lonely but her circumstance was far different from his. He had the opportunity to change his life while, she did not, hence being on her knees.
"A thousand other boys could never reach you, how could I have been the one"
-- Another indication of the girl finding comfort in being alone and having never let anyone "in."
"I saw the world spin beneath you"
-- The world spinning beneath her illustrates that she appears to be both removed and standing still, not a part of the world and not making progress. She is at a "stand still" unable to find direction to navigate through. Next, is probably the most significant revelation which creates a better resolve for the context of the song.
" and shatter like ice from the spoon that was your womb"
-- Her world was cold and he watched as it shattered; a world in which the spoon that fed her was also the spoon that fed her children as well. If you see it from that perspective, the song could be about denied opportunities for affection as a consequence of tough decisions.
"Coming down the world turned over and angels fall without you there, I go on as you grow colder, are you someones prayer"
-- The balloon was not enough to lift them from the void, yet the world still turned 'round. He moves on and she stays in her cold world because she is someone elses prayer.
"You know the lies that others told you and the love you never knew"
-- She knows that those who have ever told her they loved her was a lie. Speaking and doing are two totally different things and she knows this, thus, has never "known" love.
"Or was it things they never showed you that swallowed the light from the sun inside your room"
-- Again, she found comfort in isolation and never knew any different, but over time the light she found alone flickered out. Perhaps his warmth showed her something that she had neglected to see and it forced her to realize what she was missing.
"And there's no time left for loosing, when you stand they forget"
-- Now that she if fully aware, she should stand firm and fight the battle instead of loose. However, when she tries to stand, "they forget..." the past. She looses either way. When she tries to stand for what she knows is true, the past has been forgotten and her stance becomes irrelevant though the damage has already been done. A cycle.
damage
"I go on I will lead you home and all because, I'll become what you became to me"
-- This shows that he is trying lead her "home" as in moving on from a world where she has no ground to stand and also moving on from him. He is encouraging her to heal and move on. He rebounded quickly as he was not in her same predicament but recognizes she had not done the same. She became a memory to him and he hopes that he will become the same. -
anonymous May 24th 2012, 01:07 report
Heroin is sold in black balloons. Maybe not always, but a lot of heroin dealers put their product in balloons so that after preparing the drug for injection, you can wrap it around your arm to cut off circulation and make the veins easier to hit.
The song is basically about the bassist's wife, who did a lot of heroin, and almost got him into it, she died, and the lead singer and he wrote the song together.
I don't know if she died, but it's definitely one of those tragic heroin stories though some of the lyrics suggest otherwise. It's not about an abortion, By "womb", he means that she found great comfort in using heroin, she escaped from reality with it.
-Maddie. -
anonymous Feb 20th 2012, 00:22 report
It was written about Johnny's sister who wouldn't get clean after several attempts until Johnny told her that he would buy her a house if she stayed clean.... she did and she still lives in that house, sober.
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anonymous Jun 29th 2011, 21:29 report
This song IS about serious heroin addiction and anyone who has dealt with a person they love with this problem totally understands!!!! If not you just dont get it.
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anonymous Dec 24th 2010, 10:19 report
They don't wrap the balloon around am arm, it's packaged in a balloon.
Robby's wife didn't die, if the song truly is about her (John says he'll never tell who it's about), because he's only been married once and his wife is alive and well.
But at any rate, this song is about someone close to John and Robby who was a mess because of heroin. -
AB Jul 30th 2009, 07:57 report
I know songs have their "proper" meanings, but I believe music is different and special for each person and you can interpret a song any way you want to that means something to YOU.
Now I KNOW this song is actually about Robby's wife who died from heroin...black balloons are used to cut off circulation to inject the heroin...
My version of what this song means to ME:
I fell in love with a girl that had just come out of a very long relationship. She still had a lot of hurt and she came to our church group of friends for support but her 'black balloon' of sorrow made some of the guys feel deeply for her and in a way made her feel better about herself (made her fly). For some reason she fell in love with ME though but I was thinking of 'tomorrow' and she wasn't... I was worried that we are not ready for a relationship yet and I didn't want to be her 'rebound' guy. I didn't want to throw away a good friendship in a few days / weeks. "A thousand other boys could never reach you" to me was that so many guys fell in love with her but she bizarrely fell in love with ME. Then she started going out of control, wanting more and more from me and pushing for something to happen and I watched her 'world spinning' and almost begging (going on her knees) for us to be together. I tried to ignore her and put her off for a while and I know this hurt her... but then her ex (of 6 years) started seeing our pastor and wanted her back (she was HIS prayer). He didn't know how to show her love and affection and people told her he would never change (You know the lies they always told you
And the love you never knew)
'Coming down the world turned over' refers to me how the tables changed and she got back together with her ex and now I WAS the one feeling hurt. She was getting 'colder' towards me as she fell in love with her ex again and I had 'no time left to lose' as I was losing her forever. I tried to 'stand' to make 'him fall' by telling her he will just go back to the way he was.... but it didn't work. So I just 'carried on' as 'she got colder' (towards me)... years go by and eventually I hope she will realise that WE are supposed to be together and I will be the one 'leading her home' / God lead her home to me.... and I will 'become to her' what 'she became to me' (the love of my life).
As I said... Songs mean different things to everyone and they can mean ANYTHING you want it to. -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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anonymous Mar 24th 2008, 15:38 report
I'm not sure about the ice from the spoon, but the song is about herion addiction...the black balloon thing...Heroin is sold in black balloons.
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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annonymous Oct 22nd 2007, 19:15 report
FACT: the song is written about robbie's wife and it refers to her heroin addiction but she is not dead. she has been clean now for a few years.
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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anonymous Jul 13th 2007, 14:56 report
Damn some of you are dumb.
This is about the bass player for goo goo dolls wife overdosing on Heroin.
and idiot, black balloons are a heroin ref. not coke. -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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anonymous Jan 14th 2007, 23:12 report
This song was written for Robby's (bassist/singer) wife who had passed from heroin, black balloons are used to cut off circulation to inject the heroin, and Robby's wife died from the heroin, Robby and Johnny both wrote this song together and Johnny himself said it was about heroin.
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anonymous Dec 31st 2006, 13:25 report
who ever doesn't think this song is about heroin addiction is whack.
IT WAS ON BEHIND THE MUSIC AND THE LEAD SINGER OF GOO GOO DOLLS WHO WROTE IT!!!WAS INTERVIEWED AND TOLD THE MEANING OF THE SING, it's not abortion that is the song called"slide" written by them and it's NOT cocaine
suck it up stupids -
This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
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anonymous Apr 22nd 2006, 06:00 report
Well actually the Black Balloon thing in Heroin is to cut off the blood for their injection. It's about someone he knew who died from drugs. And he kept trying to hold on to this person as a reason to live even as she was destroying herself.
"And I'll become, what you became to me." In the end however he realizes that motive to live is himself.
And some lyrics are missing.
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