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.
What have you done?
You followed footsteps in the dark,
And found your faith left out behind your father's car.
You said "there's no one watching over me or over you, it's always out of reach"
I'm still sinking into:
Oh my God, where are we now?
Fractured lives dissolving
Like sugar in the sacrament.
If it was just one night, then we would be released.
Tie these lies between our teeth
Keep tearing open bodies, "let it bleed" tonight.
Where have you gone?
Off with the friends you couldn't keep?
Your mother's arms fill up with all the empty needs.
So the saints line up to bring her in
Comfort her and it's always comforting when they start to sing the same old:
"holy, holy, lift up your dress.
Feel your body dissolving
Like sugar in the sacrament"
"if it was just one night, then you could be redeemed.
Tie these sins between your teeth,
Make hollow promises we'll never keep tonight"
This is all we've ever known of God.
Fight with me. let me touch you now.
You followed footsteps in the dark,
And found your faith left out behind your father's car.
You said "there's no one watching over me or over you, it's always out of reach"
I'm still sinking into:
Oh my God, where are we now?
Fractured lives dissolving
Like sugar in the sacrament.
If it was just one night, then we would be released.
Tie these lies between our teeth
Keep tearing open bodies, "let it bleed" tonight.
Where have you gone?
Off with the friends you couldn't keep?
Your mother's arms fill up with all the empty needs.
So the saints line up to bring her in
Comfort her and it's always comforting when they start to sing the same old:
"holy, holy, lift up your dress.
Feel your body dissolving
Like sugar in the sacrament"
"if it was just one night, then you could be redeemed.
Tie these sins between your teeth,
Make hollow promises we'll never keep tonight"
This is all we've ever known of God.
Fight with me. let me touch you now.
Lyrics submitted by faileddesign
Sugar in the Sacrament Lyrics as written by III, ANDREW EVERDING, GEOFFREY RICKLY, ROBERT KEELEY, STEVEN PEDULLA, THOMAS RULE, TIMOTHY PAYNE
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
![Album art](../../../images/art-default.png)
Love in a Vacuum
'Til Tuesday
'Til Tuesday
![Album art](../../../images/art-default.png)
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.
![Album art](../../../images/art-default.png)
Grand Theft Auto
Insane Ian
Insane Ian
The way this song speaks to me🥺🥺when I sing it I feel like I relate
![Album art](../../../images/art-default.png)
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
![Album art](../../../images/art-default.png)
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Geoff was raised a Catholic and I'm pretty sure this song isn't about any wrongs the church or it's followers have committed. He's always talking about the way women are treated and viewed as objects. There was an interview that Geoff did right before war all the time came out that even talked about how people are told they have to look at women a certain way to be more of a man. The example he gave was The Man Show.
Either way, if i could have a good conversation with anyone in the world I would definitely pick Geoff Rickly. I love how the music industry hasn't ruined his morals.
not that your wrong, but just saying..<br /> just because you were raised a religion, does not mean you cant have the guts to point out its faults.