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.
(Spare a little of your imagination)
(Spare a little of your imagination)
Hello hollow halo, hello (can you hear them say?)
Hollow halo (can you hear them calling?)
You'll never; you'll never leave this world alone
You'll never; you'll never leave this world alone
And I've become a martyr to the stars
Become a model to the same
Side that I've been fighting
I'm still afraid to crawl
(No more pointing fingers at mistakes)
I'm drowning like a saint
(I'm here in a reflection)
I'm still afraid to fall
How do you suppose, we can light the way to get us home
What you thought was lost, now found within
Feel this weight lift
No more pointing fingers at mistakes
And I'm here in a reflection
What a way to see this thing out
What a way to lay this burden down
What a way to sing this sorrow
What a way to send this one out
Hello hollow halo
Hello hollow halo
Hello hollow halo
Hello hollow halo
And all this leads to nothing
Still this world won't wait
Complicated nothings
Still this world won't wait
What a way to see this thing out
What a way to lay your burden down
What a way to signal tragedy
Hello hollow halo
Hello hollow halo
Hello hollow halo
(Can you hear them say?)
Hello hollow halo
(Can you here them calling?)
(Still this world won't wait)
(Can you here them calling?)
(You can see all of this and watch it before your eyes
Everything owes its existence
Solely and completely to sound
Sound is a factor which holds it all together
Sound is the basis of form and shape
Spare a little of your imagination
And send it into the great voids of space
Came a sound, and matter took shape
Please watch carefully)
Sine waves and mirrors
Smoke that you inhale
Dry mouthing bitter tones
Better left unsaid
I know this will burn you
So I'll become the fire
These days will change us all
Don't you feel the same?
Don't you fear the same things?
Don't we feel the same?
Don't you fear at all?
But lately
Maybe the damage has been done
As we float away like embers
Beneath us the fire still it burns
And I don't, I don't know why
We question who we are and then we die
I guess, I'll see you when it ends
I'll see you round the bend
My sober sorry friend
Don't you feel the same
Don't we feel the same
(I guess I'll see you when it ends)
(I'll see you round the bend)
Don't you feel the same
(My sober sorry friend)
When we collide
Some say goodbye
Some save their words
Leaving no resolve
There's a break in the wall
You can feel it
It's letting us all escape
So people tell me you need
The waking day, to fall asleep
Light your way, find your place
In you
(Spare a little of your imagination)
Hello hollow halo, hello (can you hear them say?)
Hollow halo (can you hear them calling?)
You'll never; you'll never leave this world alone
You'll never; you'll never leave this world alone
And I've become a martyr to the stars
Become a model to the same
Side that I've been fighting
I'm still afraid to crawl
(No more pointing fingers at mistakes)
I'm drowning like a saint
(I'm here in a reflection)
I'm still afraid to fall
How do you suppose, we can light the way to get us home
What you thought was lost, now found within
Feel this weight lift
No more pointing fingers at mistakes
And I'm here in a reflection
What a way to see this thing out
What a way to lay this burden down
What a way to sing this sorrow
What a way to send this one out
Hello hollow halo
Hello hollow halo
Hello hollow halo
Hello hollow halo
And all this leads to nothing
Still this world won't wait
Complicated nothings
Still this world won't wait
What a way to see this thing out
What a way to lay your burden down
What a way to signal tragedy
Hello hollow halo
Hello hollow halo
Hello hollow halo
(Can you hear them say?)
Hello hollow halo
(Can you here them calling?)
(Still this world won't wait)
(Can you here them calling?)
(You can see all of this and watch it before your eyes
Everything owes its existence
Solely and completely to sound
Sound is a factor which holds it all together
Sound is the basis of form and shape
Spare a little of your imagination
And send it into the great voids of space
Came a sound, and matter took shape
Please watch carefully)
Sine waves and mirrors
Smoke that you inhale
Dry mouthing bitter tones
Better left unsaid
I know this will burn you
So I'll become the fire
These days will change us all
Don't you feel the same?
Don't you fear the same things?
Don't we feel the same?
Don't you fear at all?
But lately
Maybe the damage has been done
As we float away like embers
Beneath us the fire still it burns
And I don't, I don't know why
We question who we are and then we die
I guess, I'll see you when it ends
I'll see you round the bend
My sober sorry friend
Don't you feel the same
Don't we feel the same
(I guess I'll see you when it ends)
(I'll see you round the bend)
Don't you feel the same
(My sober sorry friend)
When we collide
Some say goodbye
Some save their words
Leaving no resolve
There's a break in the wall
You can feel it
It's letting us all escape
So people tell me you need
The waking day, to fall asleep
Light your way, find your place
In you
Lyrics submitted by sawyejr, edited by GChocoBis, NourSherif
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Cheers for the help everyone, sorry it took so long to fix up. Probably the best song I've ever heard.
@sawyejr Seriously the best song ever made I listen to it multiple times a day for months now and I'm waiting for it to get old.