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.
As I sit in a trance like state
Streams of uncensored consciousness appear
Flooded by images before me
The prophecy realized soon to be
I am the watcher
I have power
I see the slithering Serpent
In the foretold Dark Age I see
The greatness of the Dragon's Legacy
Millenniums have passed since the oracle begun
The great legacy shall never be gone
Into the night
The Serpent appears
Vanquished light
Screaming draws near
Forbidden Art shall forever rule
The worlds of saltwater, earth and the skies
"Suspended alone"
My trance goes on and on
I am one with the dragon of the night
See the dark justice
See the serpent reign supreme
See the people burn alive.
-Eastern Chaos-
Beautiful fire burn and burn
Fulfill my desire and my yearn
"Six thousand years of hibernated power
lost through the sands of time
races became and races were gone
three of those maintained the secret
one brought the silver crescent
one brought the winged flame
and one brought the Dragon' Legacy"
As I sit in a trance like state
Forbidden knowledge becomes real
Flooded by images before me
Behold the ancient curse of the Dragon's Legacy
Can you hear the demon sounds?
Thedemons are dancing 'round and 'round
I have the power of the watcher the giver
I have crossed two mighty rivers
The prophecy soon to be
Behold the ancient curse
Of the Dragon's Legacy
Streams of uncensored consciousness appear
Flooded by images before me
The prophecy realized soon to be
I am the watcher
I have power
I see the slithering Serpent
In the foretold Dark Age I see
The greatness of the Dragon's Legacy
Millenniums have passed since the oracle begun
The great legacy shall never be gone
Into the night
The Serpent appears
Vanquished light
Screaming draws near
Forbidden Art shall forever rule
The worlds of saltwater, earth and the skies
"Suspended alone"
My trance goes on and on
I am one with the dragon of the night
See the dark justice
See the serpent reign supreme
See the people burn alive.
-Eastern Chaos-
Beautiful fire burn and burn
Fulfill my desire and my yearn
"Six thousand years of hibernated power
lost through the sands of time
races became and races were gone
three of those maintained the secret
one brought the silver crescent
one brought the winged flame
and one brought the Dragon' Legacy"
As I sit in a trance like state
Forbidden knowledge becomes real
Flooded by images before me
Behold the ancient curse of the Dragon's Legacy
Can you hear the demon sounds?
Thedemons are dancing 'round and 'round
I have the power of the watcher the giver
I have crossed two mighty rivers
The prophecy soon to be
Behold the ancient curse
Of the Dragon's Legacy
Lyrics submitted by Lateralus518
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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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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.
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There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.