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.
Mr. Maker he's got it made
A beautiful wife and a baby on the way
And his bills are already paid
No need to skimp, no need to save
But all around him, the world grows hard
He thinks to himself, he must have played a lucky card
If he was alone he'd give it all away
To people and things, that he wanted to save
But oh no, it's alright
Mr. Maker, he'll be fine
It's alright, it's OK
Because of the love he gave away
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Doesn't stop to think it's because of he
Always doing right, he stays healthy
The girls in the alley won't get a hold of him
He's got no time for that kind of sin
And he, he's not a member of the Catholic Church
The pastor of his town got sent down for dirt
He sees the boys from Sunday school
It's hard to believe what he read in the morning news
But oh no, it's alright
Mr. Maker, he'll be fine
It's all right, it's OK
Because of the love he gave away
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Heart beat, stay heavy
Love us all please, stay on your feet
For me, for me
Stay on your feet for me
for me
Stay on your feet for me
But oh no, it's alright
Mr. Maker, he'll be fine
It's alright, it's OK
Because of the love he gave away
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
A beautiful wife and a baby on the way
And his bills are already paid
No need to skimp, no need to save
But all around him, the world grows hard
He thinks to himself, he must have played a lucky card
If he was alone he'd give it all away
To people and things, that he wanted to save
But oh no, it's alright
Mr. Maker, he'll be fine
It's alright, it's OK
Because of the love he gave away
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Doesn't stop to think it's because of he
Always doing right, he stays healthy
The girls in the alley won't get a hold of him
He's got no time for that kind of sin
And he, he's not a member of the Catholic Church
The pastor of his town got sent down for dirt
He sees the boys from Sunday school
It's hard to believe what he read in the morning news
But oh no, it's alright
Mr. Maker, he'll be fine
It's all right, it's OK
Because of the love he gave away
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Heart beat, stay heavy
Love us all please, stay on your feet
For me, for me
Stay on your feet for me
for me
Stay on your feet for me
But oh no, it's alright
Mr. Maker, he'll be fine
It's alright, it's OK
Because of the love he gave away
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
![Album art](../../../images/art-default.png)
Love in a Vacuum
'Til Tuesday
'Til Tuesday
![Album art](../../../images/art-default.png)
Corpse I Fell In Love With
Gadjits, The
Gadjits, The
He reuses the verse melody from the previous album's "Dirty Little Religion", the topics of the verses are all over the place, and he packs too many words into one line (goes to show...) and too few in another (it's pretty hard to find), and rhymes "Henley Regatta" with "Persona non grata", but gets away with it all as only he could.
![Album art](../../../images/art-default.png)
when rules change
Life in Your Way
Life in Your Way
High life
![Album art](../../../images/art-default.png)
Fortnight
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
The song 'Fortnight' by Taylor Swift and Post Malone tells a story about strong feelings, complicated relationships, and secret wishes. It talks about love, betrayal, and wanting someone who doesn't feel the same. The word 'fortnight' shows short-lived happiness and guilty pleasures, leading to sadness. It shows how messy relationships can be and the results of hiding emotions. “I was supposed to be sent away / But they forgot to come and get me,” she kickstarts the song in the first verse with lines suggesting an admission to a hospital for people with mental illnesses. She goes in the verse admitting her lover is the reason why she is like this. In the chorus, she sings about their time in love and reflects on how he has now settled with someone else. “I took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary / And I love you, it’s ruining my life,” on the second verse she details her struggles to forget about him and the negative effects of her failure. “Thought of callin’ ya, but you won’t pick up / ‘Nother fortnight lost in America,” Post Malone sings in the outro.
![Album art](../../../images/art-default.png)
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
I always thought it was kinda like, look, Mr. Maker has this great life, everything is perfect... or so it seems. Even though everything seems perfect, he has struggles just like everyone else, to the point where he is contemplating taking his own life, that it's not important. but the narrator of the song cares for Mr. Maker, he asks him to "stay on your feet for me." "heart beat, stay heavy"--don't give up! The narrator is trying to tell Mr. Maker to hang in there, he can make it because of all the love that he has. idk... that's what struck me when i heard this.