What does Iris mean?

Goo Goo Dolls: Iris Meaning

Album cover for Iris album cover

Song Released: 1998


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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. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 9th 2013 !⃝

    This song has a special meaning to me. I've been suffering with depression and low self-confidence for quite a while, and this song just touches my heart. "And I don't want the world to see me, cause I don't think that they'd understand" reflects my feelings of worthlessness. I didn't think that anyone could understand my pain, so I bottled it all up. "When everything seems to be broken, I just want you to know who I am" reflects how I'm currently trying to break out of my depression and shyness and live my life to its fullest. I'm trying to build a reputation for myself and have a good time in high school. I love this song so much. I listen to it almost every day and sometimes I even cry at how much I believe it represents my life. Amazing song and one of my favorites!

  2. 2TOP RATED

    #2 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 20th 2006 !⃝

    This song was actually written for the movie City Of Angels. It is written from Nicholas Cage's charecter's point of view. He play an angel that falls in love with a human woman and at first, she can't even see him because he is an angel. Later, she is able to see him because he really wanted her to be able to see him. But, he still couldn't touch her if he tried- he hand would just go right through her and neither of them would feel anything.

    He loved her so much, that he was willing to give up living forever as an angel to live a short, mortal life just so he could be with her. That's where "I'd give up forever to touch you" comes from. In order for him to become mortal, he has to jump off of a really tall building. When he is bleeding after he hits the ground is when he realizes he was alive because he was never able to bleed before, when he was an angel. That is where the lyric, "you bleed just to know you're alive" comes from. It is not about self-injury. If you watch the movie, you'll understand. You can also hear the acoustic version of the song in the movie and it sounds awesome, just like the original. John named the song Iris because he liked the name. Not for any other reason. The song is not about gay love. If you like the song, you'll probably like the City Of Angels movie. Iris goes along with it perfectly.

  3. 3TOP RATED

    #3 top rated interpretation:
    Kitmd_1888
    click a star to vote
    Sep 26th 2005 !⃝

    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.

  4. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jan 14th !⃝

    « you're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be »

    my favorite part of the song. my fav lyrics. I love it so much

  5. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 10th 2022 !⃝

    There was a musician who walked into a dive bar in Florida and fell in Love with a college aged beautiful barmaid named Erin. For months he tried his best to get to know her and play her favorite songs. She was radiant and seemingly flawless to everyone. She was very friendly to the musician and he learned a lot about her past problems with boyfriends and girlfriends, he would do anything for her and on New Year’s Eve he gave her a red rose

  6. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 26th 2022 !⃝

    This is just what the song means to me

    i feel it could be interpreted as being deep in depression and meeting someone you don't know too well but you want to. you want to feel seen by them and nobody else because you believe they will understand you. I especially relate to the line "When everything feels like the movies.... yeah you bleed just to know you're alive" because in my experience depression can make you feel like you're detached from your life, i.e. "feeling like the movies" and bleeding to know you're alive imo references a form of s.h.

  7. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Mar 2nd 2021 !⃝

    After a long time, I came across this beautiful song that played a part of the late 90's film "City of Angels" and it just blossoms a feeling in me like no other. It's slightly morbid, but more uplifting.

    For me when this song says "I don't want the world to see me cause I don't think that they'd understand" interprets my closeted homosexuality and me being scared to face the harsh judgment and criticism the cold world shames you with including from people you hold dear. And then when it says "when everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am" is the line of encouragement that all things eventually come to the light and if it does, here I am in my truth.

    So in essence, it's me wrestling with my desire to be free to have what I want vs the sacrifice it would require to have it, which is essentially what this song entails.

    I'm glad Goo Goo Dolls created such a touching, timeless piece of music. Just amazing. To find healing in lyrics, I resort to 90s and back because much of today's content just doesn't live up to such quality.

  8. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 14th 2018 !⃝

    Iris lyrics was used as a movie soundtrack starring Mr. Cage and Ms. Ryan.

    Yesterday, I saw a new meaning on this song at songmeanings website. Idk, whether the guy visits this site. Anyways, sorry to hear your coworker ended your blossoming relationship via text. Try to tell her she is your superman and the source of your happiness, who knows she might give you another chance and you’ll be seeing each other again. So you could experience this lyrics with her.

    Browsing this site and the other site until this year. Enough of my checking of love songs meanings.

  9. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    May 31st 2018 !⃝

    I haven´t seen the movie so far and I´m pretty sure the song is mostly for the movie. But when I heared the song the first time, I´ve got a complete diffrent interpretation of it. I´m not saying that it´s right, but that´s what the song meant and still mean to me. This song help me sometimes when I got hard times in live.

    For me it is not about love, rather about a single person in this world and how this person talk to some imaginary ghost or for me it was like talking to god. It seems crazy I know.
    The person just can´t be himself in this world and now he just talked to this ghost and can be truly himself.

    ,You´re the closest heaven I´ll ever be´

    is for me about this. He knows that he will never be able to be himself, but for this moment he feel like in heaven and he don´t wanna go, because it feels just so right. Right now he forgets everthing around and live just in this moment. He can just breathe this live from this ghost, for this moment.

    'Cause sooner or later it's over
    I just don't want to miss you tonight,

    But he knows that it will be over at some point. Indeed he just don´t want to miss this.

    ,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,

    The Person doesn´t want to be seen, maybe he is also ashamed to be himself. (I mean there are enough reasons in this world, that people are ashamed to be themseves.) In his live many things goes wrong and when everything is broken inside him, he just want to show for once who he really is.

    ,When everything feels like the movies
    Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive´

    The last lines are for me cleary about self injury. His live seems like in all these dramatically, sad Hollywood movies and someday he wasn´t sure anymore if he was actally alive.

    The last lines of the whole songs are: And I just want you to know who I am

    SO I think this person is just so necessary to show someone who he is, that he repeated it so often.

  10. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 11th 2016 !⃝

    Here's the meaning to iris. It's not the pupil. It's about trying to touch the one you want but you can't touch them but look at them from afar even when you're an angel. That's why he wanted, to become mortal. That was the only way he could do it. If you love someone but to experience all of that and lost her at the end of the movie. Listen to the song again even when the lyrics. He said i'll give up forever to touch you.

  11. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Feb 27th 2015 !⃝

    I've read about the connection to the City of Angels, but what I originally thought makes some sense.
    ............................................
    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 thought this meant that someone was in love with someone and that they understood them better than anyone. The person thought that they had done something wrong, but what screamed abuse to me was the last line in that phrase. Either they were enjoying themselves and didn't want to go back to blandness, or they were scared to go home.
    ............................................
    And all I can taste is this moment
    And all I can breathe is your life
    When sooner or later it's over
    I just don't want to miss you tonight
    ............................................
    The Person wanted to savor the moment of this kiss, but knew it wouldn't last for whatever reason. Again, the last line enforces the idea of wanting to stay with this special someone.
    ............................................
    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
    ............................................
    This first line explains that this person is somewhat...Shy, I guess? Either that, or they understand people don't get them. The next line tells the listener how they feel. When everything is flimsy, it falls apart. The person is referring to their relationship and how they think it will go. The last line says whether or not we remain together, please, don't forget me.
    ............................................
    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
    ............................................
    This first line basically says if you're not sad, what's the point of trying or pretending to cry? However, the next line tells us that this special one has lied so much that telling fact from fiction is nearly impossible. The next line says to me that you don't want to be fake, and you'd do anything to know that it isn't fake. They want reality, not fiction.
    ............................................
    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

    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

    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 just want you to know who I am
    I just want you to know who I am
    I just want you to know who I am
    ............................................
    This was simply the chorus I had explained earlier.
    ............................................
    The real meaning, as explained by another person, is simply this.

    "This song was actually written for the movie City Of Angels. It is written from Nicholas Cage's character's point of view. He play an angel that falls in love with a human woman and at first, she can't even see him because he is an angel. Later, she is able to see him because he really wanted her to be able to see him. But, he still couldn't touch her if he tried- he hand would just go right through her and neither of them would feel anything.

    He loved her so much, that he was willing to give up living forever as an angel to live a short, mortal life just so he could be with her. That's where "I'd give up forever to touch you" comes from. In order for him to become mortal, he has to jump off of a really tall building. When he is bleeding after he hits the ground is when he realizes he was alive because he was never able to bleed before, when he was an angel. That is where the lyric, "you bleed just to know you're alive" comes from. It is not about self-injury. If you watch the movie, you'll understand. You can also hear the acoustic version of the song in the movie and it sounds awesome, just like the original. John named the song Iris because he liked the name. Not for any other reason. The song is not about gay love. If you like the song, you'll probably like the City Of Angels movie. Iris goes along with it perfectly."

    -anonymous

    I don't know this person in real life. Sorry! But as they say, it was written for a movie. However, songs can mean anything, so look towards the sky and realize that not everything has only one answer(except for math)!

  12. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Oct 25th 2014 !⃝

    I think this song has two meanings. Of course the meaning from the movie the city of Angels. The other is about a couple in which the people around them don't like them to be together.

    The iris is the part of the eye that changes your pupil size hence why the the lyrics I don't want the world to see me because their eyes aren't seeing the same thing.

  13. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jun 20th 2014 !⃝

    He/she would give up forever touch this person. Maybe meaning hold them, love them and be close to them. He/she knows the other person feels the same a connection. Not wanting the world to see because they won't understand maybe means the world wouldn't understand his or hers strong feelings. I can't help but notice how sad he sounds maybe a love never expressed.

  14. Unknown_anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Dec 14th 2013 !⃝

    I am a fourteen year old male and I am in love with this song. Me and my best friend and I started dating a few years ago and i chose this as our song. I honestly love her with all my heart. The problem is we somewhat have a long distance relationship, two hours away, we can barely see each other. So we usually text, or FaceTime. Whenever i hear this song it picks my spirits up off the ground. When i found out Sleeping With Sirens did a cover i wanted to lay down and die because of my respect for the oringinal version. I still like the SWS version because the lyrics are the same and it means the world to me. I honestly love this girl so much i would actually run away from my family, and take a bus to her. I cannot wait until I'm able to drive. Sorry for these unnecessary facts about myself. I just need to let out that this song has touched me in so many ways. It describes both of us so well. But anyways, thank you for your time. ~I love you, Rachel~

  15. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Nov 16th 2013 !⃝

    For me this songs fits to my situation I'm in..

    "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"

    There's a girl ( my ex) and we often meet us and sometimes we kiss again etc..but the fact is that she will never be with me again, cause it does not fit when we try it more and more serious..

    "all I can taste is this moment " when we meet

    "When everything's made to be broken " cant get serious

    Well...it sucks :(

  16. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Sep 17th 2013 !⃝

    Even though this song was meant for "The City of Angels", I can find some ties into the idea of a man stalking a woman. It is a very taboo subject, but still moving and powerful, especially to the stalker. He has this sort of fanaticism about being with this woman he is observing. In the music video for Iris, the lead singer is seen in a tower of some sorts with devices such as telescopes, looking down at the city beneath him. In this manner, it appears that he is searching for the person he is deeply in love with and is watching her from a distant vantage point. The song might seem to be beautiful from a glance, but in my opinion, it portrays a disturbing obsession with someone that is oblivious to the captivated stalker.

  17. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 30th 2013 !⃝

    its about the georgia girl who rick james and tanya hijazi physically abused and burned while at the singers mulholland drive residence. Francesca Alley,born and raised in augusta, started modeling around the age of 12 or 13yrs old. She headed west during her early 20s with a dream and a very impressive portfolio. She was beautiful,smart,very well liked yet very naive. she was left scarred and scared from the aftermath. Her protective mother shielded francesca from any and all media attention. Rumor has it that she resides in atlanta and is living a normal life as a housewife and mother and her favorite flower happens to be the IRIS.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  18. anonymous
    click a star to vote
    Jul 15th 2013 !⃝

    honestly yes the song was ment for the city of angels movie, but with the lyrics it fits many meaning to different people that makes it a great song its not just one meaning it a lot in the same words. and that is true music

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