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.
From the day you arrived
I've remained by your side
In chains, entombed
Placed inside
Safe and sound
Shapes and colors are all I see
On the day you arrived
I became your device
To name and soothe
Placed inside
Safe and sound
Shades and colors are all I see
Shapes of colors are all I feel
From the day you arrived
I have stayed by your side
Placed inside
Safe and sound
Shades of colors are all I see
Shapes of colors are all I feel
Placed inside,
Safe and sound
Shades of colors are all I see
Safe inside
I've remained by your side
In chains, entombed
Placed inside
Safe and sound
Shapes and colors are all I see
On the day you arrived
I became your device
To name and soothe
Placed inside
Safe and sound
Shades and colors are all I see
Shapes of colors are all I feel
From the day you arrived
I have stayed by your side
Placed inside
Safe and sound
Shades of colors are all I see
Shapes of colors are all I feel
Placed inside,
Safe and sound
Shades of colors are all I see
Safe inside
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings, edited by Sparkiford, thrwmyhrtawy.
Entombed Lyrics as written by Chino Camilo Moreno Abe Cunningham
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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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.
This song is really sad... clearly about Chi in my opinion. ;(
IMHO the same... Metaphore of Chi's rebirth in the grave
I think the nature of the lyrics and the way he sings the song say it all, it's about Chi. At the chorus, you can almost hear that break in his voice, the one you hear when someone's talking to you on the brink of falling apart. Heart-breaking, really. My favourite song on the album though, it's beautiful.
This song is what made me create my account. I had to say something. I don't know if it's just the relationship I'm in or what... but this song to me screams emotional abuse/possessiveness.
First it talks about an initial undying devotion from the protagonist's [?] perspective. You know how when you first get into a relationship and you're on your best behavior? Well, some people - like myself - will take that to an extreme, and obey and be loyal to a significant other who is demanding/jealous/possessive/abusive/etc. You'll remain by this person's side no matter what; defend their words and stand by them no matter what. Some people can stand up and leave when a red flag pops up, but not you. You are their emotional slave. In chains, so to speak.
A metaphor for being emotional hostage. Your "good behavior" as I put it before has become the norm. You have become completely excluded from the outside world, because this person has made him/herself your everything. You will never admit to anyone that s/he is less than perfect - because if you do, you are admitting that you yourself have poor judgement and emotional issues. You are also risking retaliation from your abusive partner if s/he finds out. If you stay in this tomb of emotional isolation and make-believe, you are safe and sound. You will not experience any harsh repercussions from your partner or society.
A description of the obscurity you see when your eyes are closed. That's all you see because you will not open your eyes and admit the reality of a nightmare that has consumed your life to anyone.
From day one, your abusive partner had control. It's not a partnership. You're nothing more than a device they can use to manipulate to find their own happiness. You're a puppet when you talk to anyone besides him. He plans and controls everything you say to anyone else.
From then on it repeats, because after a while, it's all you think about. How you've become a pawn in someone else's game; how you've isolated yourself from everyone else you ever cared about and made them hate you; how you have no choice but to depend on him now; how you make sure every little movement you make won't upset him. You're a doll in someone else's dollhouse. You blame yourself. All you can think about is how YOU FUCKED YOURSELF. Over, and over, and over again.
Entombed. You burried yourself alive. You will struggle and suffocate emotionally until you die and are nothing but a shell of yourself who has become a servant to your tyrant of a "significant other."
By the way, if this seems like I'm reaching for meaning that's not there, then that means you haven't been in an abusive relationship. I congratulate you for that. Anyone who's been in an abusive relationship will know EXACTLY what I'm talking about.
No dude you're spot-on. I'd go further to say the song may be about a BDSM relationship. All the signs point to it.
@happytown3000 funny how you are describing my last relationship to such a specific level that I’m sacred lmao
@happytown3000 i created an account just to upvote this and to say that i know EXACTLY what you're talking about, and i absolutely agree with your take on those lyrics.
164 days later and just like the last comment, I also created an account to say that I couldn't agree more. Currently standing in the rubble of said relationship and this song came on after not hearing it for over 2 years. Did a Google search to make sure I heard things right and glad I did. Helping me decide I made the right decision to leave. Deftones has something for every part of my life, it's why they're my favorite!
I agree that it could be interpreted as a song about Chi.. But it could also be interpreted as a song about someone else. Basically, in my opinion, the lines "From the day you arrived, I've remained by your side, in chains, entombed" stands for describing a relationship with a person who is outside the realm of possibility to provide assistance for. This could be about Chi as much as it could be about a possible past relationship with someone else. However, I feel it is closer to being about Chi than anything else. The lines "On the day you arrived, I became your device to name and soothe" could also be interpreted as representing the situation in which, perhaps, Chino attempted to connect with Chi during which he was in a coma by trying to remind himself of his name and their shared memories together, and to provide him with hope for a future.
Overall, I do feel it could be about Chi, but at the same time especially with the nature of Chino's lyrics, you can never be sure of anything being absolute about them. They're open to interpretation as always.
And perhaps by being "safe inside" in terms of being "entombed" from being able to do anything about Chi's condition, he is therefore protecting himself from further pain if the worst possibility happens to Chi in the future. Basically it's about uncertainty, and the protecting of one's self from getting one's hopes up. I don't think this is necessarily a Chi song, but at the same time, I feel it is the closest to being one as of yet by Deftones.
Chino said a lot of his lyrics aren't necessarily about him, so it could be a loved one of Chi's. It just sounds too romantic to be a "bro" song, but you never know.
"Entombed", safe and sound, placed inside a mother's womb. The arrival there is about birth. While you're a fetus all you see is "shades of colors". The mother is always by the son's side, since the day he arrive.
I totally agree with you. The line that got me was...<br /> <br /> "From the day you arrived, I became your device, to NAME and SOOTH." A mother will name her child and sooth them as well.
This is interesting. Only thing that doesn't really make sense is the sequencing and flow of the lyrics. The speaker has "remained by (his/her) side," since "the day (he/she) arrived," so it doesn't make sense that the mother would have "arrived." I see it more of a relationship/deep love for someone that has "entombed" the speaker.
Chi's presence echoes through the song, he is such an important figure to the band, especially to Chino
This definitely sounds like it's coming from Chi's perspective talking to Chino. He's been entombed, first placed in a coma and then in a semi conscious state where perhaps all he sees is shapes and colors...
Sorry for the quadruple posts.
Seems like Chino can be writing about a mother and her child before and after birth. Entombed, placed inside, safe and sound. That's talking about the baby in its mother's womb.
"From the day you arrived, I became your device, to NAME and SOOTH." A mother will name her child and sooth them as well. Could be about Chi too. I'm sure it can be about a ton of things. That's probably how Chino likes it.
Entombed.... Being trapped inside this body... In a coma. His whole being is trapped... "safe" inside his body... even though this isn't how he really feels. It's like he is buried alive. Chino has been there by his side since he has arrived, chained to his hospital bed. When he wakes, Chino puts himself in his eyes. Shapes and colors all all he sees and feels. Everything is a blur... trying to wake up... he sees what Chi sees. This is such an emotional, heartfelt song to me. His lyrics are so all over the place, but this is how I chose to interpret it. I can't stop listening to it... I don't even know how to put the way I interpret it or feel about it into perfect words. This band is so amazing!