Well, in my opinion this song is about being a young & maybe a little naive &/or introverted girl and finding yourself loving a man who is at first very charming, carefree & outgoing, and seems at first to be without limits, as in
"There was a time
you opened up every doorway
you didn't mind if everything
wasn't your way"
then that man starts to gradually become more introverted & shows their more possessive/obsessive side to you as the relationship progresses, even while they keep up the appearance of being carefree & outgoing to everyone else,
"Don't pull away
that goes against what you told me
I look in your eyes
I realize what you've sold me
is love in a vacuum"
so you confront them about the way they're acting and of course they deny it,
"I think you've changed
but you insist that
that's not true"
quite possibly they are an addict of some sort, my guess would be cocaine, &/or showing very obsessive behavior towards you (early on in the video for this song we see the man hanging a picture up, it is a very large portrait of Aimee & it is prominently displayed in his/their apartment for the duration of the song), thus their "love in a vacuum",
"You look so strange, so distant
that you're hardly you
Now I can see
how you have been acting different
You say it's me
but I know
that it isn't
it's love in a vacuum"
but still you are in love with them and don't want to leave them and you know that they are truly in love with you and they don't want you to leave them either, maybe they are convinced you can save them from themself, maybe they are so broken that the possibility of an overdose &/or suicide attempt is very real and you want to get through to them that their behavior not only dangerous but it is also just pissing you off and if they don't wise up they run the risk of loosing you, as in the lines
"You will be lonely
if you leave me alone", so you want to save them but can't get through to them due to the addiction &/or emotional problems they have,
"Love in a vacuum
and that's not enough
love in a vacuum
You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
You will be lonely
if you leave me alone
You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
it's just not enough"
you want them to understand that the love they are giving you is not enough when it is filtered through the vacuum of their drug addiction &/or emotional impairment,
"You will be lonely
you'll be the only one who feels this way
it's just not enough
and just wait
you will be lonely
Love in a vacuum
Love in a vacuum
and that's not enough
Love in a vacuum".
'Love In A Vacuum' for me is a hauntingly truthful acute argument on the loneliness of obsession and almost inevitable loss of love that follows people who are broken in some way or another; the obsessives, the coke heads, the drunks, addicts or the just-plain-old emotionally broken; a razor sharp, lyrically driven, deceptively poppy, yet ultimately-depressing-in-the-best-way song.
Quintessential Aimee Mann.
I've been waiting all night long
I've been waiting to sing your song
Tonight, will you help me
Just help me find your key?
I run my hands down your neck
Across your back to another fret
I know you're fragile
You're bound to self-destruct
And I can see right through your skin
Your bones are hollow, they're paper-thin
Tonight, you're weightless
I know the way you feel
So try, try lifting all your weight
For a man, a man gone wrong.
And try, try wasting all your days
On a man, a man like me.
And my love is a lot like yours
It's been crippled by the wars we wage
We're hopeless
We're on the losing side
You never speak when we're making love
You never mean it when you come to me
With your arms stretched
Defenseless and alone
So try, try lifting all your weight
For a man, a man gone wrong.
And try, try wasting all your days
On a man, a man like me.
I taste you on my fingers
And I smell you on my lips
I don't know where you're going
But you're going to slip
Hey, honey, better save yourself
You're never gonna make it
Hey, honey, honey, better save yourself
You're never gonna make it.
So try, try lifting all your weight
For a man, a man gone wrong.
And try, try wasting all your days
On a man, a man like me.
I've been waiting to sing your song
Tonight, will you help me
Just help me find your key?
I run my hands down your neck
Across your back to another fret
I know you're fragile
You're bound to self-destruct
And I can see right through your skin
Your bones are hollow, they're paper-thin
Tonight, you're weightless
I know the way you feel
So try, try lifting all your weight
For a man, a man gone wrong.
And try, try wasting all your days
On a man, a man like me.
And my love is a lot like yours
It's been crippled by the wars we wage
We're hopeless
We're on the losing side
You never speak when we're making love
You never mean it when you come to me
With your arms stretched
Defenseless and alone
So try, try lifting all your weight
For a man, a man gone wrong.
And try, try wasting all your days
On a man, a man like me.
I taste you on my fingers
And I smell you on my lips
I don't know where you're going
But you're going to slip
Hey, honey, better save yourself
You're never gonna make it
Hey, honey, honey, better save yourself
You're never gonna make it.
So try, try lifting all your weight
For a man, a man gone wrong.
And try, try wasting all your days
On a man, a man like me.
Lyrics submitted by Aristophanes
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Love in a Vacuum
'Til Tuesday
'Til Tuesday
Siberian Kiss
Glassjaw
Glassjaw
its amazing how far music can come.. 24 years after it released and its one of the most heartfelt songs ive heard
Spirit Within
Bertoldi Brothers
Bertoldi Brothers
Warren wanted a Beach Boys thing for this one, and Carl Wilson and Billy Hinsche came in, with Carl arranging the vocal parts. The other harmony vocalists (credited as the "Gentlemen Boys") were Jackson Browne, J.D. Souther, Zevon's longtime backers Waddy Wachtel and Jorge Calderon, and Linda Rondstadt/Stone Poneys guitarist Kenny Edwards.
Show Me a Little Shame
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
He certainly did earn that reputation.
Step
Ministry
Ministry
Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
"I run my hands down your neck Across your back to another fret "
Well, frets are on guitars, so either he is singing to a guitar or he is simply describing how he wrote a song for a woman he loves and now he is performing it for her.
"And my love is a lot like yours It's been crippled by the wars we wage We're hopeless We're on the losing side "
Basically, the relationship he has with this woman is very fragile. They have fought so much that it has weakened or "crippled" their love for each other.
"You never speak when we're making love You never mean it when you come to me With your arms stretched "
Basically he doesn't feel like the woman is being honest with him. He doesn't think she really loves him.
As a sidenote, I don't think he is trying to tell his girlfriend that she has an elongated spherical shape. The words are not, therefore, "Defenseless and oblong", but "Defenseless and alone".
My favorite part is when he says "I taste you on my fingers And I smell you on my lips"
Also, soundgoround, it's not emo, so please don't get too excited.