evil-pasty July 30th, 2005 08:16AM  
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.

Kitmd_1888 September 26th, 2005 05:35PM  
This song is just one of those songs you hear and wish you'd written it yourself.

The first verse is just so simple it's beautiful. It just about almost sums up the feeling of love (a feeling that can never be described perfectly but these words come pretty damn close!) Where when you're with that one person and NOTHING else matters just because it feels so perfect and you cherise every moment you spend with them because you know that it'll be over too soon and when it is you're gonna miss them so much you will ache for them until the next time you lay eyes on them.

The rest of the song is about how fragile love is and how there is almost always a feeling of fear lingering in the back of your mind as you feel that it is all too good to be true and to last and you cannot confess your fears to anyone as you think the love you feel could not be experienced by anyone else.

It is also trying to find a way of expressing how true your love is as it feels words do not do it justice and wanting to let that special person know exactly who you are.

Beautiful, beautiful song for any one who has ever been left confused by love's power and fear of the loss of that love.

anonymous April 4th, 2006 04:18PM  
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?

anonymous May 2nd, 2006 06:01PM  
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?!

linkinparkgurl June 5th, 2006 06:32PM  
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.

anonymous July 5th, 2006 04:37PM  
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.

anonymous July 16th, 2006 05:37AM  
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.

anonymous July 28th, 2006 08:45AM  
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...

anonymous September 12th, 2006 07:45AM  
I liked all these interpretations but wish you wouldnt argue over them :(

for me the line "you're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be" is because you have given up your belief in sex before marriage to give yourself away to this person (iris, I guess) and now think that you won't reach heaven because of it... So the phyisical love with this person is the closest you're gonna get. I'm sure that's not what he meant but that's how I interpret it

and the line "you bleed just to know you're alive" I think is about the city of angels stuff but I think it's hinting at self-harm as well

and just because people didn't buy the 'gay' interpretation doesn't mean they're homophobes

overall I just think it's about a guy in love and he's worried cause all good things come to en end.

And how often have you felt the words "I just don't want to miss you tonight"? Great line.

anonymous November 1st, 2006 06:15AM  
I always thought that iris was just a girls name and that the song was manufactured just for "city of angels".

anonymous January 23rd, 2007 06:02PM  
A guy and a girl - completely in love. Long story short, they break up - but they're both still in love with the other. Years later, they've both got jobs, lives but they're still thinking of one another.
"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" I'd leave everything I've got, everything I've done if I could be with you. I know that you're still thinking of me. Because you're not there, I don't want to go home to an empty house, an empty life.
"And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
'Cause sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight" I keep re-living one special moment of our time together. I know nothing lasts forever, but it's dark and late - but all I can think of is calling you.
"And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am" I can't tell my friends about this - they'd tell me to get over it - and believe me I've tried. In an imperfect world,, when everyone around you is lying, I want to show you that I'm not who I was when I was 14.
"And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything feels like the movies
And you bleed just to know you're alive" I can't cry anymore tears for you - it was too hard to stop last time and if I start again, I'll be swept away on a sea of grief. And because I'm comparing everyone I meet to you, it all seems so pointless. I struggle harder and harder, going further and further extremes to find someone like you.

"I just want you to know who I am" We've grown up - I'm different now, and so are you. But I wonder so often whether we'd still fit together like we used to.

anonymous April 3rd, 2007 07:40PM  
I actually have this song on my myspace page and I absolutely love it.
i really like this wonderful special woman and I'm always dropping subtle hints and this is a perfect one!
I love this song. people are entitled to their beliefs about their interpretation of this song. So I totally understand.
just my two cents

anonymous April 28th, 2007 08:25PM  
When I heard the song, I thought it was beautiful, but I didn't really get it..but when I saw the music video, I realized it was about a guy who admires a girl from afar and wishes they could be together <3 the gay theory is pretty interesting though.

anonymous May 11th, 2007 07:15AM  
I've commented here before but geez, like 9 years down the road and this song, it's just so scary when I sometimes think about it. I mean seriously I want that Psychiatrist's number if Johnny can write art like that.

anonymous May 26th, 2007 07:20AM  
If you want the very plain and simple straight out explanation, yes the song is based on the movie City Of Angels and all of the above explanations are right .eg. after falling from the building he sees that he is in fact human "yeah you bleed just to know your alive" and "I'd give up forever to touch you, cause I know that you feel me somehow" is Johnny's interpretation of how the character is an angel and cannot physically touch the woman he loves for she is mortal, so he would give up being able to "live" forever as an angel for a seamlessly short period of life as a human.

After much research into the subject, I have discovered that the name Iris does in fact simply come from skimming through a newspaper and seeing a local artists name and using that.

However, like any song, all songs have special meanings to each individual that hears it. There are so many "interpretations" of a song, there is the very "on the surface" type explanations (the movie) and then there are the more in-depth meanings that vary in the mind and heart of the listener. Is it not true that there are songs that remind you of a certain memories? are there not songs that their meanings have nothing to do with the feeling you get from them?
It is a very great thing to explore what a song means to you.

Since when is song just about what the actual word for word is saying? Why can't it be more what the song means to YOU?


...keep on posting...


xx Geo! (believe in Jerry)

anonymous May 26th, 2007 07:33AM  
I understand every part of the song etc except "or the moment of truth in your lies" in the story of the song/movie what does this line mean? Post back according to the movie point of view.
help with my query please :)

anonymous May 26th, 2007 10:14PM  
Well said Geo. I totally agree, there is always going ti be a story but songs can mean whatever you want them to mean.

i am jerry...

anonymous June 18th, 2007 07:45AM  
I think this song is about a shy guy who doesn't want anyone to know him for who he really is"I don't want the world to see me" but this girl makes him want to tell and show the world his true personality.

anonymous August 2nd, 2007 09:24PM  
"Iris" was written specifically for the movie, "City of Angels". It supposed to be told from Nicholas Cage's character's POV, an angel who falls in love with a mortal woman, Meg Ryan.

"...And I’d give up forever to touch you"

He is stating how he would be willing to give up his angelic existence if he could just once know what it feels like to touch her. In the movie, he's intangible.


"...’cause I know that you feel me somehow"

Even though humans aren't supposed to feel/know an angel's presence, he feels somehow she can feels/knows his.

"...You’re the closest to heaven that i’ll
Ever be"

Ironic that he's an angel who inhabits heaven, but he only feels fully complete and heavenly when he's near her.

"...And I don’t want to go home right now"

He doesn't want to go back to heaven, he only wishes to be near her.

"...And I don’t want the world to see me
’cause I don’t think that they’d Understand
When everything’s made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am"

He doesn't care about facing the rest of the world, as he knows how destructible and callous it is. He only needs her to be able to understand his love for her.

"...And you can’t fight the tears that ain’t Coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything feels like the movies"

These are all characteristics of human actions, things that he's not allowed to experience but she can.

"...Yeah you bleed just to know you’re alive"

As an angel, blood did not flow through his immortal body. When he finally "dies" to become human, the first thing he sees and feels is blood from his wounds, proving that he was in fact now human.

anonymous August 15th, 2007 12:14AM  
I never saw the movie, that this song was written for, but this is really what it means to me.

It's about someone having a secret love. As you see in the video for the song "iris", the guy is kinda spying on her. The secret love, is somone more higher then him, and he is so fascinated by her beauty and puts aside his time to watch her. He senses she may have feelings for a somone like him, thought she dosent know he exist. :

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

All he imagines is the moment he confesses his love to her tonight. To tell her all he does is watch her every move, and how he can't live without her. He knows if he tells her that its going to be over tonight, so he dosent want to miss her sight this one last time.

And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
Cause sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight

He really wants to confess his love for her. But he imagines himself telling her the truth of spying on her. It shocks him knowing he can't really tell her the truth. Its like tears he knows he has, but won't come because he isn't truly sad, but mad at himself. He feels, what he is feeling is untrue, like the movies. and wonders if its even true.

And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything seems like the movies
Yeah you bleed just to know your alive

He dosent want want the world to know about this. Its because he thinks he isn't the most appealing person for his love. Though he deeply has feelings for her, he dosent want to break the boundries that is set for him. He dosent think the world would understand how much he secretly loved her from afar, to confess to her.It would be strange. He knows since everything he was restricted from is already broken he wants her to finally know who he really is. And the love she could be looking for is him.

I don't want the world to see me
Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am


i love you jacob.