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.
You lost faith in the human spirit
You walk around like a ghost
Your star-spangled heart
Took a train for the coast
When you shine you're a hilltop mansion
So how'd you lose the light?
Was it blown by the wind
In the still of the night?
You're up against the wall
Up against the wall
There's something dying on the street
When they knock you down
You're gonna get back on your feet
('Cause you can't stop now)
I always saw you as a kind of keeper
A mother to a child
But your boys have grown soft
And your girls have gone wild
From the Blue Ridge to the Black Hills
To the Redwood sky
The season may pass
But the dream doesn't die
Now don't you drop the ball
Up against the wall
There's something dying on the street
When they knock you down
You're gonna get back on your feet
('Cause you can't stop now)
And when they break your heart
And when they cause your soul to mourn
Remember what I said
Boy, you was battle born
('Cause you can't stop now)
You was battle born
When the night falls on the land
Are you haunted by the sound?
It's gonna take more than a hand
To turn this thing around
Won't you lean it on me?
Rescue, set me free
Up against the wall (up against the wall)
There's something dying on the street
When they knock you down (up against the wall)
You're gonna get back on your feet
'Cause you can't stop now ('cause you can't stop now)
And did they break your heart? (Did they break your heart?)
And did they cause your soul to mourn?
Remember what I said (remember what I said)
Boy, you was battle born (you were battle born)
'Cause you can't stop now ('cause you can't stop now)
Come on, show your face (come on, show your face)
Come on, give us one more spark (give us one more spark)
We'll sing your song of fire (sing your song of fire)
Unless we fall into the dark (fall into the dark)
'Cause you can't stop now ('cause you can't stop now)
You never live, you never learn
You never shine if you never burn
A rising tide, the undertow
The famine and the overflow
Well, turn away, welcome home
You walk around like a ghost
Your star-spangled heart
Took a train for the coast
When you shine you're a hilltop mansion
So how'd you lose the light?
Was it blown by the wind
In the still of the night?
You're up against the wall
Up against the wall
There's something dying on the street
When they knock you down
You're gonna get back on your feet
('Cause you can't stop now)
I always saw you as a kind of keeper
A mother to a child
But your boys have grown soft
And your girls have gone wild
From the Blue Ridge to the Black Hills
To the Redwood sky
The season may pass
But the dream doesn't die
Now don't you drop the ball
Up against the wall
There's something dying on the street
When they knock you down
You're gonna get back on your feet
('Cause you can't stop now)
And when they break your heart
And when they cause your soul to mourn
Remember what I said
Boy, you was battle born
('Cause you can't stop now)
You was battle born
When the night falls on the land
Are you haunted by the sound?
It's gonna take more than a hand
To turn this thing around
Won't you lean it on me?
Rescue, set me free
Up against the wall (up against the wall)
There's something dying on the street
When they knock you down (up against the wall)
You're gonna get back on your feet
'Cause you can't stop now ('cause you can't stop now)
And did they break your heart? (Did they break your heart?)
And did they cause your soul to mourn?
Remember what I said (remember what I said)
Boy, you was battle born (you were battle born)
'Cause you can't stop now ('cause you can't stop now)
Come on, show your face (come on, show your face)
Come on, give us one more spark (give us one more spark)
We'll sing your song of fire (sing your song of fire)
Unless we fall into the dark (fall into the dark)
'Cause you can't stop now ('cause you can't stop now)
You never live, you never learn
You never shine if you never burn
A rising tide, the undertow
The famine and the overflow
Well, turn away, welcome home
Lyrics submitted by phoebe9261, edited by Gravecrux, Drknight16, VoiceOfReason67
Battle Born Lyrics as written by Dave Brent Keuning Brandon Flowers
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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He certainly did earn that reputation.
Did they break your heart?
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or?
hmmm, that sounds like it could be about right actually. i'll have a listen tomorrow and change it if that fits