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.
She is a pyramid
But with him she's just a grain of sand
This love's too strong like Mice and Men
Squeezing out the life that should be let in
She was a hurricane-cane-cane-cane
But now she's just a gust of wind
She used to set the sails of a thousand ships
Was a force to be reckoned with
She could be a Statue of Liberty
She could be a Joan of Arc
But he's scared of the light that's inside of her
So he keeps her in the dark
Oh, she used to be a pearl, oh
Yeah, she used to rule the world, oh
Can't believe she's become a shell of herself
'Cause she used to be a pearl
She was unstoppable
Moved fast as light, like an avalanche
But now she's stuck deep in cement
Wishing that they'd never ever met
She could be a Statue of Liberty
She could be a Joan of Arc
But he's scared of the light that's inside of her
So he keeps her in the dark
Oh, she used to be a pearl, oh
Yeah, she used to rule the world, oh
Can't believe she's become a shell of herself
'Cause she used to be a
Do you know that there's a way out,
There's a way out
There's a way out
There's a way out
You don't have to be held down,
Be held down
Be held down
Be held down
'Cause I used to be a shell
Yeah, I let him rule my world
My world, oh, yeah
But I woke up and grew strong
And I can still go on
And no one can take my pearl
You don't have to be shell, no
You're the one that rules your world, oh
You are strong and you'll learn
That you can still go on
And you'll always be a pearl
She is unstoppable
But with him she's just a grain of sand
This love's too strong like Mice and Men
Squeezing out the life that should be let in
She was a hurricane-cane-cane-cane
But now she's just a gust of wind
She used to set the sails of a thousand ships
Was a force to be reckoned with
She could be a Statue of Liberty
She could be a Joan of Arc
But he's scared of the light that's inside of her
So he keeps her in the dark
Oh, she used to be a pearl, oh
Yeah, she used to rule the world, oh
Can't believe she's become a shell of herself
'Cause she used to be a pearl
She was unstoppable
Moved fast as light, like an avalanche
But now she's stuck deep in cement
Wishing that they'd never ever met
She could be a Statue of Liberty
She could be a Joan of Arc
But he's scared of the light that's inside of her
So he keeps her in the dark
Oh, she used to be a pearl, oh
Yeah, she used to rule the world, oh
Can't believe she's become a shell of herself
'Cause she used to be a
Do you know that there's a way out,
There's a way out
There's a way out
There's a way out
You don't have to be held down,
Be held down
Be held down
Be held down
'Cause I used to be a shell
Yeah, I let him rule my world
My world, oh, yeah
But I woke up and grew strong
And I can still go on
And no one can take my pearl
You don't have to be shell, no
You're the one that rules your world, oh
You are strong and you'll learn
That you can still go on
And you'll always be a pearl
She is unstoppable
Lyrics submitted by thoseguiltyeyes
Pearl Lyrics as written by Christopher Stewart Katy Perry
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Hipgnosis Songs Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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To me, this song is about losing yourself in a relationship. "She is a pyramid, but with him she's just a grain of sand". Normally she is strong willed and independent but within the relationship she's lost a part of herself and is just a shadow of what she used to be . I especially like the part "Yeah I used to be a shell, I let him rule my world", especially because I was in a situation similar to this..I relied all my happiness on him and essentially let him rule my world even though he didn't treat me very well. We aren't together anymore, and I'm slowly getting my pearl back, and I feel great and better off without him. Realize your self-worth, and the fact that YOU rule your world and your happiness!