Song analysis

At the heart of "Iris" lies the theme of vulnerability and a longing for emotional connection. The song explores the desire to be truly understood by another person and the narrator expresses their personal longing for emotional openness, as well as the fear of not being accepted for who they are. Key lyrics like - 'All I can taste is this moment / And all I can breathe is your life' - implies that the narrator is overwhelmed by their emotions for another person. This complements the opening lines of the first verse nicely - 'And I'd give up forever to touch you /  'Cause I know that you feel me somehow'. This emphasizes the narrator’s longing for a deep, emotional connection with another, and also what they are willing to give up for that who they love. These lines convey a strong sense of dedication and sacrifice. The line - 'You're the closest to Heaven that I'll ever be' - implies that the narrator feels that this relationship is the greatest thing that could have happened to them in their life, as the idea of Heaven is associated with paradise and eternal happiness. When Rzeżnik wrote the lyrics to this song, he based them off his own emotions and experiences at the time. In a 2019 interview, he said that in 1997, "I was feeling kinda schizophrenic. My wife and I had just broken up, and I'd met another girl who I was really into. I'd moved from my home in Buffalo, New York, and was living in this hotel. So it was a really manic time in my life, I was looking for something to hold on to".