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.
Got my window open wide
Got my window open wide
Got a good woman by my side
Got a good woman by my side
Now this kind of day
Has no night
Yeah
This kind of day
Has no night
Ain't got much on my mind
Ain't got much on my mind
[Chorus]
'Cause I know
Something good this way comes
Now watching the streets
Filling up
Watching the streets filling up
In the shade of the summer sun
In the shade of the summer sun
Got sweet apple pie on the stove
Got sweet apple pie on the stove
The birds they're all flyin' low
The birds they're all flyin' low
[Chorus]
The trouble, doll
Is not moving mountains, but
Digging the ground that you're on
If it's true
That good fortune gives no chase
We got just what it takes
Collar up on my coat
Collar up on my coat
Trucks are pullin'
In for the show
Trucks are pullin'
In for the show
Grasshopper jump in the road
Grasshopper jump in the road
Kids they're all running home
The kids
They're all running home
'Cause they know
Something good this way comes
Yeah
Something good this way comes
The trouble, doll
Is not moving mountains, but
Digging the ground
That you're on
If it's true
That good fortune
Gives no chase
We got just what it takes
Got my window open wide
Got my window open wide
Got a good woman by my side
Got a good woman by my side
[Chorus]
Yeah
Something good this way comes
Yeah
Something good this way comes
Got my window open wide
Got a good woman by my side
Got a good woman by my side
Now this kind of day
Has no night
Yeah
This kind of day
Has no night
Ain't got much on my mind
Ain't got much on my mind
[Chorus]
'Cause I know
Something good this way comes
Now watching the streets
Filling up
Watching the streets filling up
In the shade of the summer sun
In the shade of the summer sun
Got sweet apple pie on the stove
Got sweet apple pie on the stove
The birds they're all flyin' low
The birds they're all flyin' low
[Chorus]
The trouble, doll
Is not moving mountains, but
Digging the ground that you're on
If it's true
That good fortune gives no chase
We got just what it takes
Collar up on my coat
Collar up on my coat
Trucks are pullin'
In for the show
Trucks are pullin'
In for the show
Grasshopper jump in the road
Grasshopper jump in the road
Kids they're all running home
The kids
They're all running home
'Cause they know
Something good this way comes
Yeah
Something good this way comes
The trouble, doll
Is not moving mountains, but
Digging the ground
That you're on
If it's true
That good fortune
Gives no chase
We got just what it takes
Got my window open wide
Got my window open wide
Got a good woman by my side
Got a good woman by my side
[Chorus]
Yeah
Something good this way comes
Yeah
Something good this way comes
Lyrics submitted by Rafael Moliv
Something Good This Way Comes Lyrics as written by Jakob Dylan
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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.
This song is Jacob’s profession of faith with many biblical references. “ The trouble, doll Is not moving mountains, but Digging the ground That you're on If it's true That good fortune Gives no chase We got just what it takes”
We were all made in Gods image thus the doll. If you don’t believe in luck then you’ve got what it takes. Faith