Black Balloon by Goo Goo Dolls

  Verse 1

Baby's black balloon makes her fly 

I almost fell into that hole in your life

And you're not thinking about tomorrow

'Cause you were the same as me 

But on your knees

Verse 2

A thousand other boys could never reach you
How could I have been the one
I saw the world spin beneath you
And scatter like ice from the spoon
That was your womb

Chorus

Comin' down the world turned over
And angels fall without you there
And I go on as you get colder
Or are you someone's prayer

Verse 3

You know the lies they always told you 
And the love you never knew
What's the things they never showed you
That swallowed the light from the sun
Inside your room

Comin' down the world turned over
And angels fall without you there
And I go on as you get colder
Or are you someone's prayer

And there's no time left for losin'
When you stand they fall

Comin' down the world turned over
And angels fall without you there
And I go on as you get colder

All because I'm
Comin' down the years turn over 
And angels fall without you there
And I'll go and lead you home and
All because I'm
All because I'm
And I'll become
What you became to me

This is a song that I have listened to a lot, yet never really paid attention to the lyrics or meaning behind the song. The Goo Goo Dolls write a variety of songs that have catchy beats, but when looking closer they are generally all about something very deep. According to the Goo Goo Dolls, the song “Black Balloon” is about a girl (most likely a lover) that gets hooked on heroin. The title and symbol within the song is a black balloon. This represents the darkness that this woman has in her life and the further darkness that the heroin brought into her life.

         In the first verse, “Baby's black balloon makes her fly”, the song is talking about how the heroin makes this woman high and happy. It begins to tell how the man almost fell into the same habit as her. He refers to how far deep the addiction is by saying “you’re not thinking about tomorrow” implying that the only thing that this girl cares about it getting high in the moment. He explains that they are similar but she has been taken over by the drugs.

         In the second verse, the singer/song writer talks about how no one else could get through to her, and he doesn’t know how he was the one that could. He explains that he watched her downward spiral unfold.

         The chorus is the first part that implies that she is dead when it says “angels fall without you there” and “I go on as you get colder”. It is saying that his world turned around when she died, and he continues to live despite the tragedy and heartbreak.  

         In the third verse, the first line is “You know the lies they always told you”. I interpret this as the lies of old boyfriends or hers as he says that she never really knew love. The second half of the verse asks what is was that was missing that made her take her life.

         After this, the chorus repeats itself. The very last verse is the chorus with some words changed where he explains that after years go by and he gets older he will join her in heaven.