Iris
by Live

Album: Throwing Copper (1994)
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Songfacts®:

  • This song seems to be about a man that is getting oral sex from a woman, and he's afraid of developing feelings for her: "The felix of your truth will always break it and the iris of your eye will always shake it and the armies, the armies I have created will always hate it will always bait you on."

    He seems to be having a major struggle with the idea of falling in love. It's sometimes easier to remain distanced and just experience the physical gratification rather than risk the vulnerability of an emotional attachment. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Denise - Yuba City, CA
  • When asked about the significance of eyes and irises in his songwriting, lead singer Ed Kowalczyk explained: "I really believe in that cliché 'the eyes are the window to the soul.' I think that eyes are beautiful and you can tell everything by a person's eyes. To me, irises, and eyes in particular are important to me in my life. So that's it!"
  • Live performed this as part of their nine-song set at Woodstock '94. The event helped build a buzz around Throwing Copper, which was slowly climbing the albums chart in America, where it would eventually sell 8 million copies. In 2019, the band released their Woodstock set as part of the 25th anniversary of the album.

Comments: 3

  • Bluethunder42 from EarthWould a band as good as Live waste such a great piece of music on a brain dead topic as oral sex? The lyrics aren't even correct on this site and many others. Where it says "Until I take their Price", they should actually be "Until I take their flags", which is a reference to the armies mentioned in the chorus. It has always struck me as a song about a battle over something that broke out and the two sides battle over conflicting versions of the story in its aftermath.
  • AnonymousIt's about revolution, truth, justice... https://bit.ly/3rYPThr
  • John from Brisbane, AustraliaIt's about masturbation.
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