Goo Goo Dolls - Name Lyrics Meaning

Here's my line by line interpretation of the song;

1. "And even though the moment passed me by
I still can't turn away" Meaning "I missed the opportunity to really bring attention to and help you with your problems, but I just can't give up on you yet even though its looking too late"

2. "Cause all the dreams you never thought you'd lose
Got tossed along the way
And letters that you never meant to send
Get lost or thrown away" meaning "I have seen you simply give up on everything you told me you ever wanted for yourself, things that you seriously wanted to pursue. The things you really felt were important, your values, ideas, dreams, aspirations, completely forgotten about and disregarded".

3."And now we're grown up orphans that never knew their names, don't belong to no one thats a shame."
meaning "And now we have survived a parent-less childhood (not necessarily due to death, many kids' parents are neglectful, abusive or abandon their kids)and because of the chaos and trauma we endured, as well as the pain, we arent sure of ourselves. Nobody was there to guide us (as parents are supposed to)

4. "But if you could hide beside me
Maybe for a while?
And I won't tell no one your name"
Meaning, "But if you could use me as your shield, be vulnerable, let me help you out of this mess maybe there is hope...I won't expose you for what you are, I want to help you become who you were meant to be, I know YOU, I have been there"

5."And I wont tell them your name"
meaning, "I promise not to expose you"

6."Scars are souvenirs you never lose
The past is never far" meaning "The memories of your pain never completely leave you, but you can heal from it"

7."Did you lose yourself somewhere out there,
Did you get to be a star?"
I think here the songwriter is pointing out the reality of the situation to the person, stating the obvious as a question, the person has lost focus of who they are internally. Then the line "did you get to be a star" means "these new, grandiose ambitions of yours, have they taken fruit?" when obviously they have not.

8."And don't it make you sad to know that life, Is more than who we are" here the songwriter is being sarcastic, saying "does the realization that the meaning of life has a lot more depth to it than how much money we make or good we are at something or how famous we are?"

9."You grew up way too fast
And now there's nothing to believe"meaning "You didn't get the opportunity to experience life as a healthy, happy child, you had been exposed to too much harsh reality without anybody there to buffer the blows and filter it for you as your parents should have. You have lost the sense of hope, wonder and faith that naive children and balanced adults easily draw on to help them cope with the difficulties of life"

10. "And reruns all become our history" meaning "now you are following in your parents' footsteps and making the same mistakes over and over again in your life, and now this is what your life has become"

11."A tired song keeps playing on a tired radio" meaning "its the same old story and its getting old"

12. "And I won't tell no one your name
And I won't tell em your name" meaning "I won't expose you, don't worry, I wont judge, trust me."

13."I think about you all the time
But I don't need the same" meaning "You are often on my mind, but not for selfish reasons, I don't expect you to be thinking and worrying about me. I love you unconditionally, even if you don't or can't feel that way for me."

14."Its lonely where you are, come back down, and I won't tell 'em your name" meaning "This place you are in mentally/spiritually/emotionally is lonely, you guard yourself from reality and alienate yourself from those who care about you. Come back to reality, let go of your pride and embrace your shortcomings so you can heal. I won't expose, exploit or otherwise hurt you."