Iris
The breeders퉥 Lyrics


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Four hours in the pot, one hour out
It grows and I sleep standing up
When Iris sleeps over
What a book she'll write
Oh last night
Oh come on, nobody wants that
Sister, sister, oh
We tried hour by hour
Hour by hour
Hour by hour

Four hours to daylight, four hours and then
Pour water on me til I live again
When Iris sleeps over
It'll be alright
All last night
But come on, nobody wants that
Sister, sister, oh
We tried hour by hour




Hour by hour
Hour by hour

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Breeders' song "Iris" suggest a sense of cyclical repetition and growth, both literally and metaphorically. The first line of the song mentions "four hours in the pot, one hour out," indicating perhaps a reference to boiling or cooking something. The second line describes the singer sleeping while standing up, suggesting a sense of weariness or instability. When Iris sleeps over, the singer predicts that she will write a book, perhaps indicating a sense of creativity and inspiration that comes from this cyclical growth cycle.


The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "hour by hour," emphasizing the sense of repetitiveness and the cyclical nature of the growth process. The final verse of the song suggests that the growth process is cyclical but ultimately positive, with the singer indicating that pouring water on them will help them "live again." The song seems to be suggesting that growth is a process that can be uncomfortable and tiring, but ultimately leads to positive results.


Line by Line Meaning

Four hours in the pot, one hour out
The singer is spending most of his time smoking marijuana, only taking an hour break before starting again.


It grows and I sleep standing up
The singer is so high from smoking marijuana that he can barely stay awake.


When Iris sleeps over
Iris is a person who the singer is interested in and is looking forward to spending time with.


What a book she'll write
Iris is interesting and unique enough to create a compelling story if she were to write a book.


Oh last night
The artist is reminiscing about a previous night, likely one that was spent with Iris.


Oh come on, nobody wants that
The singer is dismissing an idea or suggestion that someone has proposed, possibly related to the previous night.


Sister, sister, oh
This may be a reference to a woman named Sister who the singer is addressing or talking about.


We tried hour by hour
The artist and someone else, possibly Sister, have been attempting something on an hourly basis, but it has not been successful.


Four hours to daylight, four hours and then
The artist has been awake and smoking for four hours, and only has four more hours until it's daylight again.


Pour water on me til I live again
The artist is likely feeling dehydrated from smoking so much, and is suggesting that he needs water to feel better.


When Iris sleeps over, it'll be alright
Having Iris around has a calming effect on the singer and he knows that everything will be okay.


All last night
The artist spent the previous night with Iris, and it was a positive experience.


But come on, nobody wants that
The singer is once again dismissing an idea or suggestion that someone has proposed, possibly related to the previous night.


Sister, sister, oh
The singer is once again addressing or talking about a woman named Sister.


We tried hour by hour
The singer and Sister have been attempting something on an hourly basis, but it has not been successful.


Hour by hour
The artist has been operating on an hourly schedule, possibly related to smoking marijuana or attempting something with Sister.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KIM DEAL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@javiercassianobustamante4705

IRIS

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
And sooner or later it's over
I just don't wanna miss you tonight

And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's meant to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

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
Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive

And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's meant 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 meant 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...

0:01 ●━━━━━━━━━━━ 3:35
⇆ㅤㅤ◁ㅤㅤ❚❚ㅤㅤ▷ㅤ ↻

Replays, Only Cost a Like.



All comments from YouTube:

@Kaizenyy

It's March 2024 anyone here??

I just turned 18. March 23 is my birthday. And I played this song while I'm alone at my room waiting for my mom to call me out 👾

It is now April 2024!! 🥳

04/20/2024
-What? It's 5k? 🥹

@gekagekachannel1977

08-03-2024❤❤😂

@nataliemanahan5168

I am. I'll always love this song.

@garyhedlund108

Me too

@abelpena3035

Front and center 🫡

@johnsaxton2930

Yep

569 More Replies...

@puffpuffpassmako

Fun fact: The band confirmed the story of the music video. The man suffers from terrible agoraphobia and social anxiety. He's very lonely and every day he looks through his telescope to watch people interact and takes down notes on how to socialize. He tries going out several times but is too scared and ends up changing his mind. He then has a breakdown from the isolation. Eventually he has enough and at the end he musters up the courage to leave his roof and goes out to see the world and try to make himself happy

@renata.g

Another fact: John Rzeznik was terribly depressed by that time, so he wasn't able to write or compose anything. And this song was a relief.

@portalgangadventures

Another fun fact. The Mandolin and epic guitar solo were performed by a session artist by the name of Time Pierce.

@tygnarly2531

Reminds me of hunchback of Notre dame

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