If you find yourself caught in love
Say a prayer to the man above
Thank him for everything you know
You should thank him for every breath you blow
If you find yourself caught in love
Say a prayer to the man above
You should thank him for every day you pass
Thank him for saying your sorry ass
If you're single, but looking out
You must raise your prayer to a shout
Another partner must be found
Someone to take your life beyond
Another TV "I Love 1999"
Just one more box of cheapo wine
If you find yourself caught in love
You should say a prayer to the man above
If you don't listen to the voices then my friend
You'll soon run out of choices
What a pity it would be
You talk of freedom don't you see
The only freedom that you'll ever really know
Is written in books from long ago
Give up your will to Him that loves you
Things will change, I'm not saying overnight
But something has to give
You're too good looking not to live
If you find yourself out of love
Shed a tear for the one you love
Tell your boss that you've gone away
Down your tools for a holiday
If you're going off to war then I wish you well
But don't be sore
If I cheer the other team
Killing people's not my scene
I prefer to give the inhabitants a say
Before you blow their town away
I like to watch them play
I like to marvel at the random beauty of a simple village girl
Why should she be the one who's killed? If you find yourself caught in love
Say a prayer to the man above
Thank him for everything you know
You should thank him for every breath you blow
If you find yourself caught in love
Say a prayer to the man above
You should thank him for every day you pass
Thank him for saying your sorry ass
If you're single, but looking out
You must raise your prayer to a shout
Another partner must be found
Someone to take your life beyond
Another TV "I Love 1999"
Just one more box of cheapo wine
If you find yourself caught in love
You should say a prayer to the man above
If you don't listen to the voices then my friend
You'll soon run out of choices
What a pity it would be
You talk of freedom don't you see
The only freedom that you'll ever really know
Is written in books from long ago
Give up your will to Him that loves you
Things will change, I'm not saying overnight
But something has to give
You're too good looking not to live
If you find yourself out of love
Shed a tear for the one you love
Tell your boss that you've gone away
Down your tools for a holiday
If you're going off to war then I wish you well
But don't be sore
If I cheer the other team
Killing people's not my scene
I prefer to give the inhabitants a say
Before you blow their town away
I like to watch them play
I like to marvel at the random beauty of a simple village girl
Why should she be the one who's killed? If you find yourself caught in love
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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.
This is my very favorite B&S song. I love the beginning and then the explosion into catchy positive lyrics. I love all the synical remarks subtly peppered in with the God talk.
I think it's funny how someone dare mention God in a song and everyone gets uncomfortable. Religion is a part of life, and so what if B&S mention God in some of their songs. It doesn't making them raving Bible thumpers, they're just putting all the parts of life together.
Quickbrownfox, B&S actually ARE quite religious (Stuart Murdoch in particular; he used to live above a church hall and be responsible for cleaning it. He's said in several interviews that he used to hide his religious feelings but then he decided to sing about them, because why not? He also sings in his church choir every Sunday). Having said this, I don't think anyone of them are the "preaching" kind of religion where they particularly care what others think. Clearly, Stuart understands the problems with religion (see If You're FEeling Sinister, The State I Am In, etc.) but I also think it brings him happiness.
As for the meaning of the song, I agree completely with you. I think it's a lovely anti-war message that isn't overdone and is put beautifully. I'm not in the least religious but I appreciate the love that some people feel for God and religion and how in this case it's simply about love and peace rather than senseless war or violence. I really love it. This song makes me sing along to God as if I believed it! (I do believe in peace and love, of course, so I guess that's what I'm singing about).
cute song- a little too much god ness going on in this song for my comfort
My boyfriend first owned the Cd and I got to know this band quite by accident. That was probably my luckiest day I think. And I especially love this song cos its lyrics make so much sense and the tunes are just unbelievably catchy.
agreed, belle&sebastian do have quite a bit of pro-religious thigns in their work but it's put in so beautifully that i don't even mind at all
i agree... im not christian and i dont believe in god at all, but i sing along to belle and sebastian anyway
Vezo, proves nothing to me other than that there is something beautiful in mankind after all, whether put there by a magic man from the heavens (unlikely, IMHO) or by chance. But by all means, use a music site to preach your views on religion...
I always found the tone of this song and the last verse somehow reminded me of when NATO was bombing the former Yugoslavia... I guess the "simple village girl" bit gave me that image.
Musically brilliant, as always.
I think the last verse where he talks about not blowing the inhabitans away is talking about his own perosnal fears about falling in love. He's afraid to "wage war" on the opposite sex, afraid of what pain may be caused and whatever negativity that may come after. I like the message in the beginning of the song alot more.
so stuart doesn't really sing "but somethign gotta give..."
it's like. "but you've got to start some where, start by kidding on your (something)"
i can't make out that one last word. somethign like "Care"
I thought it was "Start by giving all you can." That makes sense, at least.