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.
To never open a book, always reading a magazine
Outspend, betting if it looks like winning you haven't been
Knives don't have your back
I wait and I count, the knives don't have your back
I wait and I count to the last breath we take
What we made, doesn't make sense
What's a wolf without a pack?
Open your chest and take the heart from it
Open your chest
What's bad, we'll fix it
What's wrong, we'll make it alright, alright
It's gone, we'll find it
Takes so long, we've got time
All the time
Some part of you, too small to lose
Some part of you, too small to lose
All of us, All of you
All of us, All of you counting to the last breath we take
What we made, doesn't make sense
What's a wolf without a pack?
Open your chest and take the heart from it
When you talk, can I tape you?
How'd you get what we don't know?
We don't know how to help
Only know how to hound
Nose to the grindstone
Grindstone to the ground
Don't even visit that place,
They'll sharpen their teeth on your smile
I'm glad you didn't
All our songs will be lullabyes in no time
What's bad, What's wrong, make it alright, alright
It's gone, so long
We've got time, all the time
All the time
Aaaaaahhhhhhh
Outspend, betting if it looks like winning you haven't been
Knives don't have your back
I wait and I count, the knives don't have your back
I wait and I count to the last breath we take
What we made, doesn't make sense
What's a wolf without a pack?
Open your chest and take the heart from it
Open your chest
What's bad, we'll fix it
What's wrong, we'll make it alright, alright
It's gone, we'll find it
Takes so long, we've got time
All the time
Some part of you, too small to lose
Some part of you, too small to lose
All of us, All of you
All of us, All of you counting to the last breath we take
What we made, doesn't make sense
What's a wolf without a pack?
Open your chest and take the heart from it
When you talk, can I tape you?
How'd you get what we don't know?
We don't know how to help
Only know how to hound
Nose to the grindstone
Grindstone to the ground
Don't even visit that place,
They'll sharpen their teeth on your smile
I'm glad you didn't
All our songs will be lullabyes in no time
What's bad, What's wrong, make it alright, alright
It's gone, so long
We've got time, all the time
All the time
Aaaaaahhhhhhh
Lyrics submitted by whaleharpoone
Winning Lyrics as written by Louie St. Louis Kurtis Deshaun Williams
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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So pretty! it's incredible.
"when you talk, can i tape you?" i've thought this a lot. such beautiful voices belong to those we love, they at times are enough to sustain our wanting of them, their tone of voice enough to soothe our problems. but i think she says, "only know how to hound." it would work with the wolf reference better.
she's calling out to help someone else. and this sound also has the book reference that can be seen throughout the album. and the time reference throughout all her songs.
at times it sounds a little too much like Shrine to Fast Goodbyes, when that song even has the line, "got time when it isn't enough." but music works better when its a circle