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.
Downloading doves on your fancy computer
You're shooting for love in the dark
Hey boss, you've found her now go instant message
Her name is a pretty good start
Ultima sits in her bedroom in Texas
And waits for her hamsters to touch
She lost her legs in a car crash three years ago
She doesn't get around much
But she is hoping someday
Somebody will take her away
Now that you got her address you can send her
A matching attachment and face
Slick rhododendrons you make out of paper
With flowers that never lose shape
You have a video camera strapped
To your forehead in case she is true
Smiling, rewind as we die in slow motion
As if it's not happening to you
Don't be afraid of the dark ages darling
You may have to wait, your lover is coming
With mixes of Marlyn songs
And pictures she took at the throne
Knowing her name is enough, Ultima
Foxtrotting, globe trotting under your fingertips
Tapping for oil in vain
Surely you won't think to hold that against me
It's such an unusual name
Someone is hoping to find
Her limbs in an auction online
Knowing her name is enough
Ultima Esperanza, Ultima Esperanza
You're shooting for love in the dark
Hey boss, you've found her now go instant message
Her name is a pretty good start
Ultima sits in her bedroom in Texas
And waits for her hamsters to touch
She lost her legs in a car crash three years ago
She doesn't get around much
But she is hoping someday
Somebody will take her away
Now that you got her address you can send her
A matching attachment and face
Slick rhododendrons you make out of paper
With flowers that never lose shape
You have a video camera strapped
To your forehead in case she is true
Smiling, rewind as we die in slow motion
As if it's not happening to you
Don't be afraid of the dark ages darling
You may have to wait, your lover is coming
With mixes of Marlyn songs
And pictures she took at the throne
Knowing her name is enough, Ultima
Foxtrotting, globe trotting under your fingertips
Tapping for oil in vain
Surely you won't think to hold that against me
It's such an unusual name
Someone is hoping to find
Her limbs in an auction online
Knowing her name is enough
Ultima Esperanza, Ultima Esperanza
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings, edited by Inue
Ultima Esperanza Lyrics as written by Amanda Palmer
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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.
Step
Ministry
Ministry
Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Techno Ted
Audioslave
Audioslave
Techno Ted may be a person who caused Chris incredible emotional pain & trepidation as well as moments of peace & happiness but now is removed and awaiting his fate. Darling may be a different person who is also free of him and can live her life free of Ted's tyranny. "In between all the laughing, and daydreams ... lies: a desert of truth" Lies are like a desert or the omission of Truth: Where there were Lies then Truth was absent. The song, "Techno Ted", may be a cathartic celebration of the downfall of this person.
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
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.
Amanda Palmer herself has said it's about a relationship her friend got into with someone he (she?) first met online. Things got serious, but ultimately they broke up.
also, "ultima esperanza" is spanish for "last hope", probably referring to how so many lonely people, before they completely give up on ever finding love, turn to long-distance/"cyber" relationships, thinking maybe "The One" just isn't in the same city/state/country. so "e-dating" becomes their "last hope".<br /> <br /> so, yes, it's "ultima esperanza", not "ultimate esperanza" >.><br /> <br /> yes, it's grammatically-incorrect--spanish puts adjectives after nouns--but try singing it "esperanza ultima" sometime and you'll see why she chose that phrasing