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.
He said: "I write what I see
Write to make it right, don't like where I be
I'd like to make it like the sights on TV
Quite the great life, so nice and easy"
See: now you can still die from that
But it's better than not being alive from straps
Agreed, a Mead notebook and a Bic
That click when it's pushed and a wack-ass beat
That's a track that's weak that he got last week
Cause everybody in the stu' was like: "That's that heat!"
A bass-heavy medley with a sample from the 70s
With a screwed-up hook that went "stack that cheese"
Something something something, "stack that cheese"
Mother, sister, cousin, "stack that cheese"
He couldn't think of nothin', "stack that cheese"
He turns down the beat, writer's block impedes
Crying from the next room, a baby in need
Of some Pampers and some food and place to sleep
That plus a black Cadillac on Ds
Is what keep him on track to be a great MC
One you never heard of, I
Push it hard to further the
Grind, might feel like murder, but
Hip-Hop you saved my life
Reps North-side, so he rocks them braids
1100 friends on his Myspace page
"Stack That Cheese" got 700 plays
Producer made him take it down, said he had to pay
Open mic champ 2 weeks in a row
Ex d-Boy with a b-boy flow
Glow like Leroy, you should see the boy go
Got a daddy serving life and a brother on the Row
Best homie in the grave, tatted up while in the cage
Minute Maid got his momma working like a slave
Down baby-momma, who he really had to honor
Cause she was his biggest fan, even let him use her Honda to
Drive up to Dallas, went to open up for amateurs
Let him keep a debit card so he could put gas in it
Told her when he get on he gon' take her to the Galleria
And buy everything but the mannequins, ya dig?
One you never heard of, I
Push it hard to further the
Grind, might feel like murder, but
Hip-Hop you saved my life
His man called, said: "your time might be now
They played your freestyle over 'Wipe Me Down'
They played it 2 times, say it might be crowned
As the best thing out the H-town in a while"
He picked up his son with a great big smile
Rapped every single word to the newborn child
Then he put him down and went back to the kitchen
And put on another beat and got back to the mission of
Get his momma out the hood, put her somewhere in the woods
Keep his lady looking good, have her rolling like she should
Show his homies there's a way other than that flippin' yay
Bail his homie out of jail, put a lawyer on his case
Throw a concert for the school, show the shorties that it's cool
Throw some candy on the Caddy, chuck the deuce and act a fool
Man it feels good, when it happens like that
Two days from going back to selling crack, yessir
Write to make it right, don't like where I be
I'd like to make it like the sights on TV
Quite the great life, so nice and easy"
See: now you can still die from that
But it's better than not being alive from straps
Agreed, a Mead notebook and a Bic
That click when it's pushed and a wack-ass beat
That's a track that's weak that he got last week
Cause everybody in the stu' was like: "That's that heat!"
A bass-heavy medley with a sample from the 70s
With a screwed-up hook that went "stack that cheese"
Something something something, "stack that cheese"
Mother, sister, cousin, "stack that cheese"
He couldn't think of nothin', "stack that cheese"
He turns down the beat, writer's block impedes
Crying from the next room, a baby in need
Of some Pampers and some food and place to sleep
That plus a black Cadillac on Ds
Is what keep him on track to be a great MC
One you never heard of, I
Push it hard to further the
Grind, might feel like murder, but
Hip-Hop you saved my life
Reps North-side, so he rocks them braids
1100 friends on his Myspace page
"Stack That Cheese" got 700 plays
Producer made him take it down, said he had to pay
Open mic champ 2 weeks in a row
Ex d-Boy with a b-boy flow
Glow like Leroy, you should see the boy go
Got a daddy serving life and a brother on the Row
Best homie in the grave, tatted up while in the cage
Minute Maid got his momma working like a slave
Down baby-momma, who he really had to honor
Cause she was his biggest fan, even let him use her Honda to
Drive up to Dallas, went to open up for amateurs
Let him keep a debit card so he could put gas in it
Told her when he get on he gon' take her to the Galleria
And buy everything but the mannequins, ya dig?
One you never heard of, I
Push it hard to further the
Grind, might feel like murder, but
Hip-Hop you saved my life
His man called, said: "your time might be now
They played your freestyle over 'Wipe Me Down'
They played it 2 times, say it might be crowned
As the best thing out the H-town in a while"
He picked up his son with a great big smile
Rapped every single word to the newborn child
Then he put him down and went back to the kitchen
And put on another beat and got back to the mission of
Get his momma out the hood, put her somewhere in the woods
Keep his lady looking good, have her rolling like she should
Show his homies there's a way other than that flippin' yay
Bail his homie out of jail, put a lawyer on his case
Throw a concert for the school, show the shorties that it's cool
Throw some candy on the Caddy, chuck the deuce and act a fool
Man it feels good, when it happens like that
Two days from going back to selling crack, yessir
Lyrics submitted by Wulfreigns
Hip-Hop Saved My Life Lyrics as written by Lupe Fiasco Nikki Jean
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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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This song is def a twin to "Unfair" (a song she has been quoted as saying is about falling in love with someone who is already in a relationship) so it is presumably about the same person. Given the references to buying an apartment and not being able to see her love interest "after tonight," it's most likely that she's moving away and she'll "wait a day to break the bad news" (i.e. notifying him that she's leaving once she's already gone).
And, of course, the fact that she sees in him a fellow "idealist" and "dreamer" (terms commonly given to people with the INFP personality on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)) portends that she'll always be left wondering if they would've been perfect together.
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Hayalperest
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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.
I remember how I came across this song. I was sleeping and than I had a dream I was rapping these lyrics but I didn't even know the song. So than I wake up and tell my brother, he tells me that he was blasting the song all morning. Weird huh? So than I started listening to it and really got into it. Cause he has a sick flow, and his lyrics have great means to them. "He says, I write what I see. Write to make it right, don't like where I be" That's my fav line cuz I'm a writer and I don't like where I'm at so I write for enjoyment, self expression and to one day get out of this place.