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.
Time to put the ear covers on?
No!
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la
(Born to) Born to multiply
Born to gaze into night skies
All you want's one more Saturday
Well, look here, until then
They're gonna buy your life's time
So keep your wick in the air and your feet in the fetters
'Til the day
We come in doing cartwheels
We all crawl out by ourselves
And your shape on the dance floor
Will have me thinking such filth I'll gouge my eyes
You'd be damned to be one of us, girl
Faced with a dodo's conundrum
I felt like I could just fly
But nothing happened every time I tried
Ooh, ooh
A duotone on the wall
Selfless fool who hoped he'd save us all
Never dreamt of such sterile hands
You keep 'em folded in your lap
Or raise them up to beg for scraps
You know he's holding you down
With the tips of his fingers just the same
Will you be pulled from the ocean
A-just a minute too late
Or changed by a potion
To find a handsome young mate for you to love
You'll be damned to pining through the windowpanes
You know you'd trade your life for any ordinary Joe
Well, do it now or grow old
Your nightmares only need a year or two to unfold
Been alone since you were twenty-one
You haven't laughed since January
You try and make like this is so much fun
But we know it to be quite contrary
La-la-la-la, la-la-la
Dare to be one of us, girl
Faced with the android's conundrum
I felt like I should just cry
But nothing happens every time I take one on the chin
You're Himmler in your coat, you don't know how long I've been
Watching the lantern dim, starved of oxygen
So give me your hand and let's jump out the window
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
No!
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la
(Born to) Born to multiply
Born to gaze into night skies
All you want's one more Saturday
Well, look here, until then
They're gonna buy your life's time
So keep your wick in the air and your feet in the fetters
'Til the day
We come in doing cartwheels
We all crawl out by ourselves
And your shape on the dance floor
Will have me thinking such filth I'll gouge my eyes
You'd be damned to be one of us, girl
Faced with a dodo's conundrum
I felt like I could just fly
But nothing happened every time I tried
Ooh, ooh
A duotone on the wall
Selfless fool who hoped he'd save us all
Never dreamt of such sterile hands
You keep 'em folded in your lap
Or raise them up to beg for scraps
You know he's holding you down
With the tips of his fingers just the same
Will you be pulled from the ocean
A-just a minute too late
Or changed by a potion
To find a handsome young mate for you to love
You'll be damned to pining through the windowpanes
You know you'd trade your life for any ordinary Joe
Well, do it now or grow old
Your nightmares only need a year or two to unfold
Been alone since you were twenty-one
You haven't laughed since January
You try and make like this is so much fun
But we know it to be quite contrary
La-la-la-la, la-la-la
Dare to be one of us, girl
Faced with the android's conundrum
I felt like I should just cry
But nothing happens every time I take one on the chin
You're Himmler in your coat, you don't know how long I've been
Watching the lantern dim, starved of oxygen
So give me your hand and let's jump out the window
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
Lyrics submitted by heyheyhey111, edited by honeybee13, yaiir, Gryphoning, SoWhy, pinkredrabbits, lekawa, ydepth, pavelkomarov, boywithdreams
Australia Lyrics as written by James Mercer
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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ElectRonald: I think that interview snippet definitely backs up my interpretation from 12-30. Mercer confirms that the song is about a girl who used to have dreams but opted to go the safe and "ordinary" route and has become a dreadful person because of it. I think the subject of the song is any person like that girl and the form of the song is a plea to us not become like her. Truly brilliant wordplay at work too.
Thanks for providing (and translating!) the interview snippet!!!!