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.
Those thieving birds
Hang strung from an empty nest
This swan plagued pond
Foresaken and under whelmed
Those leaving words
Hang strong from an emptiness
Hang strong from an emptiness
Those thieving birds
Hang strung from an empty nest
Those theiving birds
This is tearing me apart
If the Sun won't shine
Forever will never be fine
Underneath the hollow ground
Lies a night time sky
For only a desperate eye
When I'm paranoid I see walls behind walls behind walls
When I'm over joyed I see falls over falls over falls
When I'm all alone I'll be wary and careful to
Only eat with uncles
Never talk to strangers
God is in the kitchen
Faking baby dangers
Not only liked but loved as well
If this streets air ain't up to par
I'll take my clothes and take this strange behaviour
Not only liked but loved as well
Change whatever karma means
For the only things that end never truly begin
If this streets air ain't up to par
I'll take my clothes and take this strange behaviour
Not only liked but loved as well
If this streets air ain't up to par
I'll take my clothes and take this strange behaviour
Not only liked but loved as well
When I'm paranoid I see walls behind walls behind walls
When I'm over joyed I see falls over falls over falls
When I'm all alone I'll be wary and careful to
Only eat with uncles
Never talk to strangers
God is in the kitchen
Faking baby dangers
If this keeps tearing me apart
The walls come down won't stop this empty feeling
For everything apart from this (x3)
Lonely in life
Dead or alive
If the truth had incursions
No more goodbyes
No more big lies
If the truth had versions
As long as you and I are together
I'll hold onto the jewellery
Like staple strapped clenched fist and tongs
Hang strung from an empty nest
Those thieving birds (x3)
Hang strung from an empty nest
Hang strung from an empty nest
This swan plagued pond
Foresaken and under whelmed
Those leaving words
Hang strong from an emptiness
Hang strong from an emptiness
Those thieving birds
Hang strung from an empty nest
Those theiving birds
This is tearing me apart
If the Sun won't shine
Forever will never be fine
Underneath the hollow ground
Lies a night time sky
For only a desperate eye
When I'm paranoid I see walls behind walls behind walls
When I'm over joyed I see falls over falls over falls
When I'm all alone I'll be wary and careful to
Only eat with uncles
Never talk to strangers
God is in the kitchen
Faking baby dangers
Not only liked but loved as well
If this streets air ain't up to par
I'll take my clothes and take this strange behaviour
Not only liked but loved as well
Change whatever karma means
For the only things that end never truly begin
If this streets air ain't up to par
I'll take my clothes and take this strange behaviour
Not only liked but loved as well
If this streets air ain't up to par
I'll take my clothes and take this strange behaviour
Not only liked but loved as well
When I'm paranoid I see walls behind walls behind walls
When I'm over joyed I see falls over falls over falls
When I'm all alone I'll be wary and careful to
Only eat with uncles
Never talk to strangers
God is in the kitchen
Faking baby dangers
If this keeps tearing me apart
The walls come down won't stop this empty feeling
For everything apart from this (x3)
Lonely in life
Dead or alive
If the truth had incursions
No more goodbyes
No more big lies
If the truth had versions
As long as you and I are together
I'll hold onto the jewellery
Like staple strapped clenched fist and tongs
Hang strung from an empty nest
Those thieving birds (x3)
Hang strung from an empty nest
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The way this song speaks to me🥺🥺when I sing it I feel like I relate
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really soft song. it does give me the impression of loss, the whole thieving bit. daniel is an amazing songwriter. and i got the album not long ago, and all the song have such extroadinary lyrics to them. ;)