1
You can care if you wanna
You can care if you don't
But c'mon it's a big big world now
You gotta get what you want
Got no lack of frustration
Got no lack of disease
But c'mon it's a big big world now
You gotta like what you see
And I do
Well you can ride, ride, ride on down to the aluminum park
Well you can ride, ride, ride on down with your head in the dark
Well, its a little bit important to me, you get a whole lot of what you need
So you can ride, ride, ride, on down to the aluminum park
Ride!
You can care if you don't
But c'mon it's a big big world now
You gotta get what you want
Got no lack of frustration
Got no lack of disease
But c'mon it's a big big world now
You gotta like what you see
And I do
Well you can ride, ride, ride on down to the aluminum park
Well you can ride, ride, ride on down with your head in the dark
Well, its a little bit important to me, you get a whole lot of what you need
So you can ride, ride, ride, on down to the aluminum park
Ride!
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
A Theme for Your Ego
A Loss for Words
A Loss for Words
Not Everyone Heals as Fast as You
Safe In Heaven Dead
Safe In Heaven Dead
1
Legacy of Saints in Disguise
Thyrane
Thyrane
1
In the long run
Cowboy Junkies, The
Cowboy Junkies, The
1
Love in a Vacuum
'Til Tuesday
'Til Tuesday
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 you, business executives
to you, business executives
should the second line read, "You WON'T care if you don't" ??
And thank you, I am a business exec and if I listened to this song every morning I'd probably, one day, just keep driving...South preferably.
I thought the same, but the album sleeve lyrics are the ones I posted. I also thought he says "Got no LIKELY disease," but again, the album sleeve is what I posted.
I dont think its limited to just business executives. I think the barrel is aimed at politicians and other big decision makers.
An aluminum park is slang for a junk yard. It sounds like James' is accompanying some nameless big wig down to a scrap yard to "get a whole lot of what (he) needs). Although there is no lack of problems (frustration, desease), this gentleman is going keep the blinders on (ride on down with your head in the dark) and take what he needs.
This is about as political as MMJ gets, which I certainly appreciate. Theres no shortage of clowns with a microphone and half baked ideas of how to fix the world.
"Got no lack of disease" sounds right.
It relates to drugs for me. One because supposedly junkies got their name from returning scrap metal for money. Two, because shooting cocaine makes everything sound metal
In case anyone is still stumped, I believe the song is a message to the listener. The aluminum park represents a place you may have played as child, and he's urging you now, as an adult, to get out in the world and play. Play your own game, make your own way, and enjoy it like you did when you were a kid.