Name - Song meaning

"And even though the moment passed me by I still can't turn away
I saw the dreams you never thought you'd lose tossed along the way
Letters that you never meant to send lost or thrown away

And now we're grown up orphans that never Knew their names
Don't belong to no one that's a shame
You could hide beside me maybe for a while
And I won't tell no one your name
I won't tell em' your name

Scars are souvenirs you never lose , the past is never far
Did you lose yourself somewhere out there , did you get to be a star
Don't it make you sad to know that life is more that who we are

You grew up way too fast and now there's Nothing to believe
And reruns all become our history
A tired song keeps playing on a tired radio
And I won't tell no one your name
I won't tell em' your name

I think about you all the time
But I don't need the same
It's lonely where you are come back down
And I won't tell em your name "

- The Goo Goo Dolls : Name

Music for most people is an escape, a way to think outside the box, and to discover things about themselves that they never could have done alone. There's a ton of songs that do this for me, and I honestly don't know what I would do without music in my life. The song name is truly amazing and deep, and it can be interpreted in many different ways. For me, it's a song of abandonment.

Knowing that somebody has changed their lifestyle to avoid you is a painful feeling, and can truly scar you for life. This song, to me, represents that. I believe it's a story about a man who is tortured by his past. Every day, in some way, he's reminded of events that took place before he was even born. Things that he never could have seen or understood, and never will. Things that he didn't even have a chance to prevent. Things that will haunt him forever. Yet there's hope for him. He desires to confront this problem face to face, to hopefully cover up his scars. He knows that nothing can change the past, yet he tries so desperately to do so. Wishing every day that something could have been different. He questions his faith in God, his faith in humanity. How could somebody do this to a child, to a mother, to a family, to another human being?

Greed, selfishness, and evil is all this man can see now. He sees no good in humanity. Even to those closest to him, he's constantly judging. Constantly hating. Why can't he get better? As he grows older, he grows more hateful. He keeps his distance from basically everyone in his life. The only person in the world that he believes is truly good is his own Mother. He hates himself to the core. What did he do to deserve this pain? It must have been his fault though! He was the entire reason for the abandonment. Because of this, hate is all he knows. Try as he might to love, it never comes easy. He wishes he wasn't like this. He hates himself the most.

Someday, he'll have a chance to redeem himself though. A family of his own to support and love, he will never let them down. Not like he was let down, never. He'd much rather die than see failure of this. This determination is the only thing that keeps him alive. Determination to make a difference in somebody's life. He knows he will succeed. There is hope! He would never want anyone else to feel the pain he feels every night, as he lays on his couch awake, for hours on end. Not sleeping, only hating.