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.
Halls Of Illusions
[Violent J]
Ticket please, thanks, walk through the door
Into the Halls Of Illusions, visit yours
And see what coulda and shoulda and woulda been real
But you had to fuck up tha whole deal
"Lets take a walk down the hallway
It's a long way it, it takes all day!"
And when you get to tha end, you'll find a chair
With straps and chains, we slap you in there
Lock you down tight so you can't move a thread
And pull your eyelids up over your head
'cause you're about to witness an illusionary dream
It's just to bad it ain't what it seems
[Shaggy 2 Dope]
You walk in and see two kids on the floor
They playin Nintendo and he's got tha high score
And sittin behind them chillin in a chair
Is your wife, when ya look, oh, you ain't there
It's some other man in the hand in hand
Now she looks so happy you don't understand
See this is an illusion, it never came true
All because of you!
[Violent J]
Back to reality and what you're about
Your wife can't smile 'cause ya knocked her teeth out
And she can't see straight from gettin hit
'cause you're a fat fuckin drunk piece of shit
But it's all good here, come have a beer
I'll break the top off it and shove it in ya ear
And you're death comes wicked painful and slow
At tha hands of MILENKO!
[Chorus (2x)]
Great Milenko, wave your wand
Don't look now, your life is gone
This is all because of you
What you got yourself into
[Violent J]
Look who's next it's Mr. Clark
The dirty old man from the trailer park
You got your ticket? Thanks take your coat off
And later on, why not, I'll rip your throat off
"Lets take a walk down the hallway
It's a long way it, it takes all day"
And when you get to the end you'll find a chair
You see all the blood, yeah your boy was just here
We get all different kind of people comin through
Richies, chickens and bitches just like you
In the Halls everybody gets a turn
To sit and witness your illusion before you burn
[Shaggy 2 Dope]
What do we have here, oh yeah, no way
It looks like your kids and they okay
Your daughter's chillin up in college top grade
And your son's a fuckin doctor, phat paid
They got families and kids and it's all good
They even coach little league in the neighborhood
Is this true have ya really seen tha holy ghost?
Nah, bitch, not even close!
[Violent J]
Back to reality your son's on crack
And your daughter's got nut stains on her back
And they both fuckin smell like shit
And live in the gutter and sell crack to each other
When they were kids you'd beat em and leave em home
And even whip em with the cord on the telephone
And that reminds me man hey ya gotta call
Watch your step to Hell...it's a long fall!
[Chorus (2x)]
[Violent J]
Ah, it's time to pack up and move to the next town
But we forgot Mr. Bigot, okay, dig it
We can't show you an illusion 'cause we're all packed
But I'll still cut ya neck out, how's that?
[Chorus (4x)]
[Violent J]
Ticket please, thanks, walk through the door
Into the Halls Of Illusions, visit yours
And see what coulda and shoulda and woulda been real
But you had to fuck up tha whole deal
"Lets take a walk down the hallway
It's a long way it, it takes all day!"
And when you get to tha end, you'll find a chair
With straps and chains, we slap you in there
Lock you down tight so you can't move a thread
And pull your eyelids up over your head
'cause you're about to witness an illusionary dream
It's just to bad it ain't what it seems
[Shaggy 2 Dope]
You walk in and see two kids on the floor
They playin Nintendo and he's got tha high score
And sittin behind them chillin in a chair
Is your wife, when ya look, oh, you ain't there
It's some other man in the hand in hand
Now she looks so happy you don't understand
See this is an illusion, it never came true
All because of you!
[Violent J]
Back to reality and what you're about
Your wife can't smile 'cause ya knocked her teeth out
And she can't see straight from gettin hit
'cause you're a fat fuckin drunk piece of shit
But it's all good here, come have a beer
I'll break the top off it and shove it in ya ear
And you're death comes wicked painful and slow
At tha hands of MILENKO!
[Chorus (2x)]
Great Milenko, wave your wand
Don't look now, your life is gone
This is all because of you
What you got yourself into
[Violent J]
Look who's next it's Mr. Clark
The dirty old man from the trailer park
You got your ticket? Thanks take your coat off
And later on, why not, I'll rip your throat off
"Lets take a walk down the hallway
It's a long way it, it takes all day"
And when you get to the end you'll find a chair
You see all the blood, yeah your boy was just here
We get all different kind of people comin through
Richies, chickens and bitches just like you
In the Halls everybody gets a turn
To sit and witness your illusion before you burn
[Shaggy 2 Dope]
What do we have here, oh yeah, no way
It looks like your kids and they okay
Your daughter's chillin up in college top grade
And your son's a fuckin doctor, phat paid
They got families and kids and it's all good
They even coach little league in the neighborhood
Is this true have ya really seen tha holy ghost?
Nah, bitch, not even close!
[Violent J]
Back to reality your son's on crack
And your daughter's got nut stains on her back
And they both fuckin smell like shit
And live in the gutter and sell crack to each other
When they were kids you'd beat em and leave em home
And even whip em with the cord on the telephone
And that reminds me man hey ya gotta call
Watch your step to Hell...it's a long fall!
[Chorus (2x)]
[Violent J]
Ah, it's time to pack up and move to the next town
But we forgot Mr. Bigot, okay, dig it
We can't show you an illusion 'cause we're all packed
But I'll still cut ya neck out, how's that?
[Chorus (4x)]
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He reuses the verse melody from the previous album's "Dirty Little Religion", the topics of the verses are all over the place, and he packs too many words into one line (goes to show...) and too few in another (it's pretty hard to find), and rhymes "Henley Regatta" with "Persona non grata", but gets away with it all as only he could.
Step
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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.
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
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This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
I feel Therdak has the best interpretation of this song and it's the same thing I thought really. What happens in the song is it takes you through a tour of the Halls of Illusions. This is a place you apparently visit when you die and you're on you're way to hell. The illusion shows a universe in which your family and those close to you are happy and living the ideal life. This is of course just an illusion. Then it swirls you back to reality. The way things are now even though you're dead. It shows a world where those closest to you had their life ruined because of your evil ways.
The best example is in the lyrics when it says, "When they were kids you'd beat em and leave em home And even whip em with the cord on the telephone". His children's lives are ruined because he was abusive and neglegent to them when he was alive and that's what caused them to become lowlife crackheads as adults. This song is amazing because it's basically talking about how an individual's evil ways don't only affect that person, but the people around them, and can even have great reprecussions long after they're dead.