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.
Survival
Survival
One more goddamn day when I know what I want
And my want will be considered tonight, considered tonight
Just another day when all that I want
Will mark me as a sinner tonight, I'm a sinner tonight, yeah
People can no longer cover their eyes
If this disturbs you, then walk away
You will remember the night you were struck by the sight of
Ten thousand fists in the air
Power unrestrained and dead on the mark
Is what we will deliver tonight, deliver tonight
Pleasure fused with pain is triumph of the soul
Will make you shiver tonight, will make you shiver tonight, yeah
People can no longer cover their eyes
If this disturbs you, then walk away
You will remember the night you were struck by the sight of
Ten thousand fists in the air
We are the ones that will open your mind
Leave the weak and the haunted behind
(We are the ones that will open your mind)
Leave the weak and the haunted behind
(We are the ones that will open your mind)
Leave the weak and the haunted behind
(We are the ones that will open your mind)
Leave the weak and the haunted behind
People can no longer cover their eyes
If this disturbs you, then walk away
You will remember the night you were struck by the sight of
Ten thousand fists in the air
Ten thousand fists in the air
Ten thousand fists in the air
Survival
One more goddamn day when I know what I want
And my want will be considered tonight, considered tonight
Just another day when all that I want
Will mark me as a sinner tonight, I'm a sinner tonight, yeah
People can no longer cover their eyes
If this disturbs you, then walk away
You will remember the night you were struck by the sight of
Ten thousand fists in the air
Power unrestrained and dead on the mark
Is what we will deliver tonight, deliver tonight
Pleasure fused with pain is triumph of the soul
Will make you shiver tonight, will make you shiver tonight, yeah
People can no longer cover their eyes
If this disturbs you, then walk away
You will remember the night you were struck by the sight of
Ten thousand fists in the air
We are the ones that will open your mind
Leave the weak and the haunted behind
(We are the ones that will open your mind)
Leave the weak and the haunted behind
(We are the ones that will open your mind)
Leave the weak and the haunted behind
(We are the ones that will open your mind)
Leave the weak and the haunted behind
People can no longer cover their eyes
If this disturbs you, then walk away
You will remember the night you were struck by the sight of
Ten thousand fists in the air
Ten thousand fists in the air
Ten thousand fists in the air
Lyrics submitted by deviationer, edited by Templin
Ten Thousand Fists Lyrics as written by David Draiman Dan Donegan
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This song is def a twin to "Unfair" (a song she has been quoted as saying is about falling in love with someone who is already in a relationship) so it is presumably about the same person. Given the references to buying an apartment and not being able to see her love interest "after tonight," it's most likely that she's moving away and she'll "wait a day to break the bad news" (i.e. notifying him that she's leaving once she's already gone).
And, of course, the fact that she sees in him a fellow "idealist" and "dreamer" (terms commonly given to people with the INFP personality on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)) portends that she'll always be left wondering if they would've been perfect together.
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
This song is excellent, their best since the The Sickness CD. I think its about being at a concert and feeling the energy. All the lyrics just seem to steer it that way. And not to be picky but its Survival, not Survial.