When analyzing a song it is always important to look at the title. Most artists and bands give their songs the titles that they have for specific reasons whether it’s mentioned somewhere in the song or something a bit deeper. At first glance it would appear that “Iris” is just a random title that has nothing to do with the song, but that’s not the case. Iris’s are beautiful, but very poisonous, flowers much like love. In love there are times where everything is pure perfection and romance, and other times where something dreadful happens and pain slowly spreads and eventually “kills” a person. The other theory is that the band picked the name as a reference to the camera technique. The “iris” effect is where the diaphragm of the camera will block out everything except what is being focused on, and this effect is also similar to how a person feels when they are in love. Both ideas are probable, and how a person interprets it is entirely up to them.
And I’d give up forever to touch you,
Cause I know that you feel the same now.
You’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be,
And I don’t want to go home right now.
The first quatrain is set-up in an ABCB rhyme scheme and contains an identical rhyme. The diction is basic, but the emotion given off just in this first verse is exceptional. Throughout the intro the instruments are hushed and minimal which gives makes the listener more attentive as if they were listening to a secret. In City of Angels Seth, an angel played by Nicolas Cage, is witnessed by Maggie, a beautiful heart surgeon played by Meg Ryan, and eventually ends up falling in love with her. The entire first verse simply explains what Cage’s character would do, and eventually does do for this girl. This guy would give up everything he has worked for over the years just to be able to touch and smell her, and he would rather spend a normal mortal life with her than live forever unable to love her as an angel.
And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe your life
Because sooner or later it’s over
I just don’t want to miss you tonight.
The rhyme scheme for the second quatrain of the song changes from an ABCB to ABCD. This verse of the song, because the words do not rhyme, changed the song to more of a free verse poem. Even though the pattern of the song is altered, the melodies of the song remain identical. The listeners still are still given the same feelings of urgency, importance as a continuation of what was experienced during the first verse. This stanza or verse is basically reiterating the fact of how much this guy likes this girl. Seth becomes so obsessed with Maggie that “all [he] can taste is [that] moment and all [he] can breathe is [her] life.” Cage’s character has made Maggie such an necessity in his life that she has become just as important as food and water and the first two lines show that idea. The second half of that stanza goes on to say that what they have won’t last forever, and that nothing lasts forever, but that he doesn’t want to think about that right just then. Instead, he insists that all he wants to do is just enjoy the time that they have together while they have it.
And I don’t want the world to see me
Because 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 third quatrain is repeated multiple times throughout the song which tells us that it has great importance. The rhyme scheme for this section can be considered ABCB because of the assonant rhyme used. Another clue that lets the listener know that this stanza is significant is that everything in the song gets louder and becomes more powerful rather rapidly. When analyzing the chorus with the actual movie finding the meanings are simpler. As an angel Seth can control who does and doesn’t see him, and obviously most people would not be able to understand what he is and what he does. After meeting Maggie however all he wants to be able to do is show her the real him during both good and bad times.
However, on a deeper level, the first half of the chorus could basically sum up several people’s lives. “I don’t want the world to see me/Because I don’t think that they’d understand.” Those first two lines can be interpreted as a person not showing anybody they’re true identity in fear that they would not be accepted. Instead they choose to hide behind fake alibis that are copied from other people and then compiled into one single mask. Those first two lines are about wishing that there was just one person that you could show the real you to, and finally finding that person and then either losing the nerve or the opportunity to come clean.
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 fourth quatrain continues the rhyme scheme pattern of ABCB and the usage of assonant rhyming words. The words lies and alive do not rhyme perfectly with each other but they have similar vowels that do rhyme. Immediately after the chorus is finished it goes back to the muted and calm acoustic sound from the beginning. This section of the song would describe the moment in the movie when Meg Ryan’s character finally finds out that Seth is an angel and the truth becomes known. In the movie Maggie and Seth were making dinner and when Seth cut right through his finger nothing happened and it automatically healed. In that moment Cage’s character would have given anything just to bleed because that physical pain would have been easier than the emotional pain he had gone through and was about to go through again because of his situation with Maggie.
After another repeat of the powerful chorus there is an instrumental break in the song where the band allows the story to continue without words. The vocal resting period starts out at a mezzo forte volume with a brisk staccato pace that soon fades into a more of a legato mezzo piano that slowly builds and crescendos to a forte and then rapidly decrescendos to a piano and then to silence. The silence only lasts a moment but it allows you to breathe and get ready for two more repeats of the chorus and finally the repeat of the line “I just want you to know who I am” for four more lines. During the instrumental solo the feeling of urgency is given off yet again during the fast part and then when it starts to slow down and smoothen out a feeling of sorrow and desperation slips through to the listener. The whole segment of the song, although it doesn’t have any lyrics, is probably one of the most powerful parts of this particular song.
Iris is a beautiful song and it can mean so many different things to several different people. It can be interpreted as parting, loneliness, rejection, happiness, contentment, and so many other things, but one common factor between all of them is that they all boil down to love. In love there are no whys, how or where’s, there simply are no questions asked and you are just thankful you have it. I personally love this song because of its lyrical content and because occasionally this song will come on and it just feels like they’re narrating my life. This song means everything to me. Everything that I want and know, every emotion I feel is in this song. I can even begin to explain it, but it’s just how I feel, plain and simple. Many people around the world have been able to relate to this song for years now and people will continue to do so. Music is the way that we can express the otherwise inexpressible and Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls is the perfect example of that.
Don't worry I don't do that with all songs.. well I don't do the poetry part.. that was for class.
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