Adam Roths powerful vocals are backed by a live cello (Alex Ashton), keyboard (David Christensen), guitar (Danny Cocke) bass (Steve Avery) and drums (Chris Brawley), blending together to create a sound that is both dark in tone, yet lyrically powerful.
Their debut CD "The Eyes of Tomorrow," (based on a story written by former guitarist Tony Verdi) was released in September 2007, and guides listeners through a painful story of love and loss. Broken Iris has been gaining momentum and building a faithful following at their live shows, proving that their musical talents are not limited to the recording studio. Broken Iris is currently planning their 2008 tour. .... Synthesis Magazine said, "After winning a highly publicized contest on KWOD 106.5, a local band called "Broken Iris" was the opener of the day for Dave Mathews Band. The Sacramento-based band played an all-too-short set, including the song that won the vote, Beautiful Girl, on the side stage to a large, enthusiastic crowd. In addition to the bass, piano, and guitar, they have a strong drummer, a cellist and an awesome lead vocals. Their lyrics are deep, they harmonize astonishingly well and their style is likely to fall under something like soft, emotional rock. Whatever it is, it works, and they are definitely a band to watch."
The eyes of tomorrow
Broken Iris Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tranquilized
In this little white room of mine
There I go
On my own
In this redifined world inside
Conquer and dismay this
Peaceful sanity of mine?
Your attempting to bore me
Shatter and destroy me
Is worthless and fuels my gain
Maybe we're all insane
There you stand
Ignorantly
Just a monotone pallet you see
If there was a color
Created for me
It'd consist in shades of three
I see you enjoy this
While I exploit this
Brief insanity of mine
Perceive and understand you
Is far more than I can do
Perception's left far behind
Maybe we're all insane
The way that we live
Reminiscing for the head game
What if we're all insane?
I'm feeling so damn hollow
Staring into the eyes of tomorrow
Coming around again
I'm feeling much better
My friend
The doctor says
I'm sorry just you must attend
To your little white room again
To my little white room
Maybe we're all insane
The way that we live
Reminiscing over head games
What if we're all insane?
I'm feeling so damn hollow
Staring into the eyes of tomorrow
Tomorrow
The lyrics of Broken Iris's song The eyes of tomorrow delve into the themes of isolation, mental illness, and the struggle to maintain sanity in a society that can feel overwhelming. The opening line, "Here I stand, tranquilized, in this little white room of mine," immediately introduces the listener to the singer's sense of seclusion and detachment. The singer then jumps to a different perspective, addressing someone who is attempting to "conquer and dismay" their "peaceful sanity." The language of conflict continues as the singer tells this person that their attempts to "bore" and "destroy" them are "worthless" and "fuels [their] gain."
The second verse sees the singer criticizing someone who appears "ignorant" and "monotone." They then paint a picture of their own unique "shade of three." The language in this verse feels almost accusatory as the singer tells this monotone person that they "enjoy" their "brief insanity." However, the singer ends the verse by admitting that they can't fully understand this person nor can they truly perceive and understand the complexities of society.
The final verse sees the singer struggling with their mental illness and the societal expectation that they must attend their "little white room again." They then question whether "we're all insane." The final lines of the song see the singer staring "into the eyes of tomorrow" feeling "so damn hollow."
Overall, The Eyes of Tomorrow depicts the struggles of mental illness and the sense of isolation that often accompanies it. The song is a poignant reminder of the importance of empathy and the need to try and understand one another's struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
Here I stand
I'm present in this moment
Tranquilized
I'm feeling calm and relaxed
In this little white room of mine
I'm physically contained in a small space, possibly a mental institution
There I go
I'm moving forward in life
On my own
I'm independent, not relying on anyone else
In this redefined world inside
My personal experiences have changed my perception of the world
So, why do you take this
Someone is attempting to disrupt my peace of mind
Conquer and dismay this
They want to destabilize me emotionally
Peaceful sanity of mine?
They are trying to disturb my sense of inner peace and clarity
Your attempting to bore me
Their efforts to disrupt me are ineffective
Shatter and destroy me
They are trying to break me down completely
Is worthless and fuels my gain
Their efforts are pointless and only make me stronger
Maybe we're all insane
Everyone has their own unique struggles and experiences
There you stand
The other person is also present in this moment
Ignorantly
They are unaware of my personal experiences
Just a monotone pallet you see
They see me as one-dimensional and uninteresting
If there was a color
If I were to describe myself in a color
Created for me
That color would represent me personally
It'd consist in shades of three
That color would have three distinct shades
I see you enjoy this
The other person is deriving pleasure from my struggles
While I exploit this
I am using my struggles as a source of strength and growth
Brief insanity of mine
My struggles are temporary and I will eventually overcome them
Perceive and understand you
I don't fully grasp the other person's perspective
Is far more than I can do
Their experiences are beyond my understanding
Perception's left far behind
I'm unable to fully comprehend the situation
The way that we live
Our individual experiences shape the way we interact with the world
Reminiscing for the head game
We look back on our past experiences to understand how they've influenced us
What if we're all insane?
What if everyone has their own struggles and is struggling to some extent?
I'm feeling so damn hollow
I'm feeling empty and unfulfilled
Staring into the eyes of tomorrow
I'm looking towards the future with uncertainty and fear
Coming around again
I'm going through a familiar experience
I'm feeling much better
I'm starting to recover and feel better about my situation
My friend
A person that's supporting me through my struggles
The doctor says
The medical professional is giving me advice
I'm sorry just you must attend
I need to go back to my room to focus on my recovery
To your little white room again
I'm returning to that small, contained space
Tomorrow
The future, which is uncertain and potentially scary
Contributed by Adam V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Swanfeather The Elder
A lot of people in the comments are saying that this song gave them some warm feeling. Well, let me just figure this out in the comments cause I'm too lazy to record and post this on my channel cause I'm a couch potato.
Well it's clear that this song points towards depression and insanity. He mentions a doctor, which points toward some mental health thing. And "little white room" might mean one of those white rooms they put crazy people in so that the people can calm down. So I think the guy is probably beaten down by life, because no one, especially those with tons of work, looks forward to tomorrow, for fear that something might happen and maybe they forgot to do some work or something. So "I'm feeling so damn hollow, staring into the eyes of tomorrow" might be like he doesn't want to play this game anymore, there's so much work to do and hardly any fun. Fear often is what drives people over the edge, and fear of the workloads you are 100% guaranteed by having a job.
A lot of people might be going through this phase right now. Honestly, I think that toward the end, when he realized he was going back into the white room, he ran away or something. Or maybe he has some sort of lover, like "To my little white room again...to your little white room..." so his lover went insane with him and they're both in their own white rooms and he wants to get back to her. The topic's up for discussion, but that's my belief.
A lot of people might be feeling this right now whether they're aware of it or not, and that's why they can connect with this song and why they are given that "warm feeling" when they listen to it. Maybe it's just comforting to know that someone else understands your pain. Out to those people reading this right now, everything will be okay. Just hang on, all right? There's always light at the end of the tunnel.
If you've read this far, I'm really surprised. Toodledoo. :>
Dreginy Let's Plays
They're working on...something. We've received conflicting information over the years. At one point it was going to be a second album titled 'From Overcast to Understanding', but I believe more recently they said they're working on an EP titled 'Latter to the Sun'. Either way, Broken Iris just released a new single at the beginning of October titled 'Pray'. Check it out! Also, over the last couple years, Broken Iris has released a couple single songs here and there as well, if you haven't heard them. These are, 'Everything' (which is a reworking of a simple piano song that singer Adam Roth made for some singing contest), 'Reptilian', 'Gypsy', & 'Clouded Son'. Everything & Clouded Son are a bit harder to find so I'll include links below, but the others can be found on YouTube (including Adam's original solo version of Everything if you're interested!)
Everything: https://brokenirisofficial.bandcamp.com/track/everything
Clouded Son: https://www.facebook.com/adamrothbrokeniris/videos/1828338247193784/UzpfSTkzMDUxMDA3NzA6MTAxNTQ2NjIzODA4MzU3NzE/
If you're interested in keeping up with Broken iris I highly recommend following the Broken Iris page on Facebook. Adam always updates with new information there!
[ ] broken Iris
Thank you everyone for listening to our hearts
Gavin Rains
What's up Adam!!!
Gavin Rains
Are you going to make another album? My favorite song from you is A New Hope
Pedro Souto
I love so much your band, im from Brazil, this kind of music is not popular here, but i love ❤
Pie Pierrot
Damn all of Broken Iris's lyrics are so poetic and deep. Like, seriously, this sounds like something English teachers might make you read and analyze, but in a good way! Lol, seriously though this speaks to my soul, thanks you guys for creating such awesome music!
Emir
Broken Iris is so unknown, it's a bit sad because the music is great
hellgirl
I JUST REDISCOVERED THIS BAND, I AM BLESSED.
Dreginy Let's Plays
Hallelujah!
Gris Lee
His voice makes my heart race,it's smooth,beautiful yet chilling,and the music leaves me in utter bliss
GhostofSkyrim
4 years later, and it's better than my initial thought back when I first listening to it. I am so glad I followed through with my urge to hear this song again, it is probably my favorite even though picking a favorite from all of his songs is impossible. XD