1
Transdermal celebration
Caused a slight mutation
In the rift
It toppled down a nation
And left the people running for the hills
But the mutants that I see
Shine their beauty unto me
I wish you could see them
Tectonic tribulation
Formed a crust of green beyond the reef
Waves fell in formation
Cause the plants to bend with spi-ked leaves
I'm growing with the land
Time has taken my hands and let me touch them
Hey, hey,
A billion miles to Mark A
Lay on the lawn, he's already home
When the morning ray hits his face
Transdermal celebration
Jets flew in formation
I could see them
Dropping the crustaceans
Leaving trails of flames in their wake
But where is the mutation
Who once told me it was safe, I can't find him
Caused a slight mutation
In the rift
It toppled down a nation
And left the people running for the hills
But the mutants that I see
Shine their beauty unto me
I wish you could see them
Tectonic tribulation
Formed a crust of green beyond the reef
Waves fell in formation
Cause the plants to bend with spi-ked leaves
I'm growing with the land
Time has taken my hands and let me touch them
Hey, hey,
A billion miles to Mark A
Lay on the lawn, he's already home
When the morning ray hits his face
Transdermal celebration
Jets flew in formation
I could see them
Dropping the crustaceans
Leaving trails of flames in their wake
But where is the mutation
Who once told me it was safe, I can't find him
Lyrics submitted by Chronobrain, edited by stevieboy97
Transdermal Celebration Lyrics as written by Michael Melchiondo Aaron Freeman
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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.
Too many Ween fans instantly assume every song is about drugs. Most aren't and I don't think this one is.
I think it's about the continuation of life after death and evolution, and just being a small part of it.
The whole song the lyrics are about the changing of skin, transdermal in the sense of taking a new form, not a "through skin" kinda way like a nicotine patch. And he keeps talking about mutants, mutation being key to the evolution of species. As they evolve over time.
I think it's about how our lives are so short but we're a part of a larger cycle of life, death, rebirth, and evolution. The video nails it.
@rufonz drugs were pretty integral in the making of most Ween albums, so the "language" of drug users is in there. They also seem to have a huge following of people that includes a lot of drug users and people who are caught up with Gene Weens struggle with addiction and so they write the songs off as that.<br /> <br /> Problem is that the subjectivity of music means people are free to stop at this surface level and rob themselves of the greatness of the depth of ween. <br /> <br /> Personally I've always kinda seen this song as a sci-fi landscape where some form of pathogen is changing people for the better and people are spreading it. Out of fear of anything new, the armies are sent in to destroy the new and bring back the status quo. The narrator seems to be unbiased and almost naive - describing bombs as crustaceans. The last line about "But where is the mutation who once told me it was safe, I can't find him" seems to indicate a "victory" and the destruction of the unknown.<br /> <br /> It's kind of a sad story, to me, despite the triumphant feeling of the music.
I think you are probably pretty close. USually, reading these Song Meaning theories by people just makes me sad - because a LOT of people are really stupid and/or really clueless. <br /> I think you are right in the ballpark here. I dont think a song as Brown as 'Transdermal' will ever be fully understood by anyone outside of the band - but I really give you credit. You have a thoughtful theory and it's as good as any. Works for me.
It could be anything, I just think its funny that it sounds exactly like a Stone Temple Pilots song.
I really, really believe this song is about the continuation of life. I know its a little abstract, but the video captures the song almost perfectly. Its about the immortality of how life just continues on, takes new forms, but still does continue. Transdermal in this song doesn't mean through skin...but more literally a changing of skin. So its a celebration of life and death, the turnover of life, but also its continuation. Hence the references to "mutants", as mutations are how species evolve and change. I suppose more accurately its about fathoming the infinite nature of life and how we're all apart of it.
Click this link to see the animated music video for the song: chocodog.com/chocodog/ween/transdermal animated.wmv OR go to milkandcookies.com and look for it. It's really cool and completely depicts what the song is about. This video made me really like ween.
I think it's a reference to God. All the stuff about being protected, growing with the land, the fact that the track becomes so powerful towards the jet part, and he seems happy about it. Safe. Meh, that's my opinion.
I agree with chronobrain. It is obviously about the end of the world.. It seriously pisses me off when people think every ween song is about an "acid trip". I dont see any references to drugs in this one and skiguski is the biggest dumbass I have ever witnessed on this stupid website.
I've never really focused on the lyrics, but from the title alone I've always liked to believe it was about sex (remember, take into account I didn't listen to the lyrics) It seems most everyone that's commented has taking the "trans" part in transdermal in the transcending, existential, progression of shit and what not. I took it in the merging of the 'dermals', like epidermal. You know, like in fucking. :) And fucking is definitely a reason to celebrate and even a celebration in itself. Shit, one of the best celebrations in my opinion. So great that if i must, i'll master....er....um...celebrate by myself :D
I, too, thought that this song was very loosely a reference to sex. After I heard and read the lyrics and had time to mull it over, I kind of dropped my original thought, but somewhere deep down, I still really want this song to mean sex.<br /> <br /> But that's just my head in the gutter, as usual. Personally, that is why I am so in love with Ween. For one, the meanings of many of their songs are so up for debate that I kind of feel as if they're deliberately messing with their audience. But that doesn't have to be a bad thing; it leaves their music up to interpretation. The other reason is because Ween keeps my mind almost permanently in the gutter. :)
I created an account on this site solely to reply to your post. <br /> "I've never really focused on the lyrics, but from the title alone I've always liked to believe it was about sex (remember, take into account I didn't listen to the lyrics)" <br /> WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Why would you comment on lyrics to a song with what you think this meaning is without having listened to the lyrics!?!?!?!?! Why should anyone take you seriously? WHAT IS EVEN THE POINT?!?!?!?!?! WHY?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
A guy on facebook asked what the song was about and Deaner answered:
"It's a very deep emotional song about a friend of ours who passed away very young of an o.d. so sad, he was our roomate, bandmate, and close friend, that's why the DWG plays it as well---Guy and he were very tight and the song has a lot of meaning."
source: scontent-b.cdninstagram.com/hphotos-xaf1/t51.2885-15/e15/10895197_335050683366194_1037987970_n.jpg
Acid trip?
The end of the world on acid. That's gotta be pretty mind-blowing.