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.
Oh Stacey, look what you've done
You think that your the only one
Well she should have gone to school,
And she should have made it through, but she never
And she should have studied hard,
And she should have played the part, but she never
Oh she should have kept her head
And got out of bed more in the mornings
And she should have had her day,
She'd have done it her way but she never
She made her father worry 'til he was sick
Found him on the couch one night all cold and stiff
Now she drinks away the Will and she's not proud of it
Oh Stacey, look what you've done
You think that your the only one
Well she should have had more time to get to know the world a little better
And she should have had more friends to glue her brain and stick it back together
But she had to go around and disagree with everyone she knew
And now all her friends
They're going to help her spend her fortune
She made her father worry 'til he was sick
Found him on the couch one night all cold and stiff
Now she drinks away the Will and she's not proud of it
"Oh mother was it always going to be this way?"
It didn't have to daughter but I knew that's what you'd say
"I will put flowers on and visit every week"
But that won't wake your father from his everlasting sleep.
She made her father worry 'til he was sick
Found him on the couch one night all cold and stiff
Now she drinks away the Will and she's not proud of it
You think that your the only one
Well she should have gone to school,
And she should have made it through, but she never
And she should have studied hard,
And she should have played the part, but she never
Oh she should have kept her head
And got out of bed more in the mornings
And she should have had her day,
She'd have done it her way but she never
She made her father worry 'til he was sick
Found him on the couch one night all cold and stiff
Now she drinks away the Will and she's not proud of it
Oh Stacey, look what you've done
You think that your the only one
Well she should have had more time to get to know the world a little better
And she should have had more friends to glue her brain and stick it back together
But she had to go around and disagree with everyone she knew
And now all her friends
They're going to help her spend her fortune
She made her father worry 'til he was sick
Found him on the couch one night all cold and stiff
Now she drinks away the Will and she's not proud of it
"Oh mother was it always going to be this way?"
It didn't have to daughter but I knew that's what you'd say
"I will put flowers on and visit every week"
But that won't wake your father from his everlasting sleep.
She made her father worry 'til he was sick
Found him on the couch one night all cold and stiff
Now she drinks away the Will and she's not proud of it
Lyrics submitted by thestephness
Oh Stacey (Look What You've Done!) Lyrics as written by Abigail Harding Boyan Chowdhury
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Glassjaw
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its amazing how far music can come.. 24 years after it released and its one of the most heartfelt songs ive heard
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Doors, The
Doors, The
Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
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Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
ahhh thank you putting these up, you snwered some lyrical questions. i was gonna post them, good job i didnt cos i woulda got some lyrics wrong.
this song is obviously about a girl called stacey (like me, my names stacey) who was a bit wild tot he point where it stressed her father out and he either commited suicide or died from acute stress and she just spen the money he left her in his will on booze. tutut.. yay! welcome back zutons!!
think by the end of the song she starts to regret doing what she done in her life but her mum doesnt believe her,its too late.sad song man
i think this song is about a girl that was realy messed up but tried to change that sadly it was too late well i dont know why exactly but everytime i listen to this song i feel sad even tough it has a happy sort of tune but the lyrics make it pretty clear
I thought that the mother was dead too...?
No, I think she's talking to the mother in the last verse.
both the 'well she should have..' verses are the story of my life. and the end is well sad, her dad commits suicide cuz he can't take having such a complicated daughter :/
A very naughty and disagreeable girl (okay, woman) who for some reason in the video goes around killing all the Zutons. Maybe it's remnants of teenage angst, running around getting drunk, being unable to hold down a job and worrying her parents sick. Maybe it's a morality lesson.
A very naughty and disagreeable girl (okay, woman) who for some reason in the video goes around killing all the Zutons. Maybe it's remnants of teenage angst, running around getting drunk, being unable to hold down a job and worrying her parents sick. Maybe it's a morality lesson to us all.