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.
Talking in my sleep
Backpedal to the reason you don't want to walk with me
Don't fight what you can't say
You know I do it
You can't hope to live off change
The rope she's gonna chase
A barter on good faith
Or wither white with grace
While drive eats you away
But you and I
We're breaking the windows
So we can feel the cold
Computers and candles lighting what we know
We're doing fine
Now and here won't fade this time
Drove up to Beacon Hill
For the first time tonight
It's us against the our will
With Neil Young and Catholic guilt
So we're both a little gone
And the scenery's getting hazy
The view goes on and on
To Sad Bastard songs
We're breaking the windows
So we can feel the cold
Computers and candles lighting what we know
We're doing fine
Now and here won't fade this time
Like the starting lineup last year
Grinning like a fool
Can you tell the road veers in your head
Can you own it if it owns you?
But you and I
We're breaking the windows
So we can feel the cold
Computers and candles lighting what we know
We're doing fine
Now and here won't fade this time
I promise that we won't sell the store
There's wintery weather, but I'll never leave New York
We're doing fine
Now and here won't fade this time
Backpedal to the reason you don't want to walk with me
Don't fight what you can't say
You know I do it
You can't hope to live off change
The rope she's gonna chase
A barter on good faith
Or wither white with grace
While drive eats you away
But you and I
We're breaking the windows
So we can feel the cold
Computers and candles lighting what we know
We're doing fine
Now and here won't fade this time
Drove up to Beacon Hill
For the first time tonight
It's us against the our will
With Neil Young and Catholic guilt
So we're both a little gone
And the scenery's getting hazy
The view goes on and on
To Sad Bastard songs
We're breaking the windows
So we can feel the cold
Computers and candles lighting what we know
We're doing fine
Now and here won't fade this time
Like the starting lineup last year
Grinning like a fool
Can you tell the road veers in your head
Can you own it if it owns you?
But you and I
We're breaking the windows
So we can feel the cold
Computers and candles lighting what we know
We're doing fine
Now and here won't fade this time
I promise that we won't sell the store
There's wintery weather, but I'll never leave New York
We're doing fine
Now and here won't fade this time
Lyrics submitted by eltroyo11
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talking in my sleep, back pedal to the reason that you don't want to walk with me don't fight what you can't say, you know i do it you can't hope to live off change or hope she's gonna chase or barter on good faith, or wither white with grace while drive eats you away
but you and i, we're breaking the windows so we can feel the cold computers and candles lighting what we know we're doing fine, now and here won't fade this time
drove up to Beacon Hill for the first time tonight, it's us against our will with Neil Young and Catholic guilt so we're both a little gone and the scenery's getting hazy the view goes on and on to sad bastard songs
but you and i, we're breaking the windows so we can feel the cold computers and candles lighting what we know we're doing fine, now and here won't fade this time
at the starting line of last year, grinning like a fool can you tell how much the road veers, can you own it if it owns you?
but you and i, we're breaking the windows so we can feel the cold computers and candles lighting what we know we're doing fine, now and here won't fade this time
i promise that we won't sell the store yeah there's wintery weather but i'll never leave New York we're doing fine, now and here won't fade this time