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.
They tell us that
We lost our tails
Evolving up
From little snails
I say it's all
Just wind in sails
Are we not men?
We are Devo
Are we not men?
D-E-V-O
We're pinheads now
We are not whole
We're pinheads all
Jocko Homo
Are we not men?
We are Devo
Are we not men?
D-E-V-O
Are we not pins?
We are Devo
Monkey men all
In business suits
Teachers and critics
All dance the poot
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
D-E-V-O
Are we not pins?
We are Devo
Are we not men?
D-E-V-O
All together now, God made man!
But he used the monkey to do it
Apes in the plan
We're all here to prove it
I can walk like an ape, talk like an ape, I can do what monkey do
God made man
But a monkey supplied the glue
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
We must repeat
D-E-V-O
We must repeat
D-E-V-O
We must repeat
D-E-V-O
We must repeat
D-E-V-O
We must repeat
D-E-V-O
We must repeat
D-E-V-O
We must repeat
D-E-V-O
We must repeat
Okay, let's go!
We lost our tails
Evolving up
From little snails
I say it's all
Just wind in sails
Are we not men?
We are Devo
Are we not men?
D-E-V-O
We're pinheads now
We are not whole
We're pinheads all
Jocko Homo
Are we not men?
We are Devo
Are we not men?
D-E-V-O
Are we not pins?
We are Devo
Monkey men all
In business suits
Teachers and critics
All dance the poot
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
D-E-V-O
Are we not pins?
We are Devo
Are we not men?
D-E-V-O
All together now, God made man!
But he used the monkey to do it
Apes in the plan
We're all here to prove it
I can walk like an ape, talk like an ape, I can do what monkey do
God made man
But a monkey supplied the glue
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
Are we not men?
We are Devo!
We must repeat
D-E-V-O
We must repeat
D-E-V-O
We must repeat
D-E-V-O
We must repeat
D-E-V-O
We must repeat
D-E-V-O
We must repeat
D-E-V-O
We must repeat
D-E-V-O
We must repeat
Okay, let's go!
Lyrics submitted by magicnudiesuit, edited by livid_imp, Loraqs
Jocko Homo Lyrics as written by Mark Allen Mothersbaugh
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Love in a Vacuum
'Til Tuesday
'Til Tuesday
Show Me a Little Shame
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
He certainly did earn that reputation.
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.
Fortnight
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
The song 'Fortnight' by Taylor Swift and Post Malone tells a story about strong feelings, complicated relationships, and secret wishes. It talks about love, betrayal, and wanting someone who doesn't feel the same. The word 'fortnight' shows short-lived happiness and guilty pleasures, leading to sadness. It shows how messy relationships can be and the results of hiding emotions. “I was supposed to be sent away / But they forgot to come and get me,” she kickstarts the song in the first verse with lines suggesting an admission to a hospital for people with mental illnesses. She goes in the verse admitting her lover is the reason why she is like this. In the chorus, she sings about their time in love and reflects on how he has now settled with someone else. “I took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary / And I love you, it’s ruining my life,” on the second verse she details her struggles to forget about him and the negative effects of her failure. “Thought of callin’ ya, but you won’t pick up / ‘Nother fortnight lost in America,” Post Malone sings in the outro.
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
This also comes from an old anti-evolution tract Mark and Jerry found called "Jocko-Homo Heavenbound" by B. H. Shadduck. You can buy this online but it's insanely expensive.
The "are we not men" chant comes from Island of Dr. Moreau, by H.G. Wells, and Island of Lost Souls, the movie. The surgically-evolved animals, now in the forms of men, have a long litany they repeat to keep from reverting into their native, animal state. "What is the law? Not to spill blood, that is the law. Are we not men?" Oingo Boingo used this too, in their song "No Spill Blood."
"Dancing the poot" was an art thing Jerry did in college with a friend, Jim Bubbi. Bubbi was dressed like a luchador and led around on a leash like a dog, as the character "Pootman." Meanwhile Jerry dressed in a hideous leather mask and butcher's jacket as Gorj, "he who is not always thus," kind of a god of depression. Anyway, Gorj would lead Pootman around art exhibits at the school and then point at an exhibit, at which point Pootman would hold his nose and do an "it stinks" dance.
I'm not making that up.
Actually, the members of Devo are (or were) very much against organized religion. They eschewed sentimentality and optimism and admitted that Mr. Spock was their idea of the perfect human. The lyrics of "Jocko Homo" result from the misconception that evolution is necessarily a change for the better and that it is possible to "devolve." In reality, "devolution" does not exist; any species-wide change is evolution, and it makes no sense for any species to "devolve" in the first place, since that would require it to become less suited to its environment. Even if humans gradually developed more simian features, it would still be evolution, despite being an atavistic change. This song is a criticism of human stupidity, not of evolution. The mention of God has nothing to do with any particular religion. As Kupo75 said, it doesn't matter whether or not God was involved with humanity; humans are still regressing, according to Devo. And yes, this song is an explanation of why the band chose to name themselves what they did.
Excellent comment , Xenomantid@
I heart Devo, but are they like uber-religious or something? Y'know, 'God made man' etc. Hmmhr. and i'm sure they say 'are we not kings' at somepoint. oh well. devo are great. electro nonsense, that's what i like to hear.
No, I'm sure that the message that they're trying to convey is not pertaining to the accuracy of the evolution theory, rather the false impression that we, as a species, are improving as we are evolving, but that we are in reality deteriorating, devolving. Nothing religious about this song I assure you!
To me, this is the true and best explanation of the theory of de-evolution and where it has taken us in society. Essentially, it explains how Devo got their name, and why they chose to name themselves as such.
Our society is decaying - it's slowly DEeVOlving. Soon we'll all be back to monkeys. Whether by God or not, man came into being through monkeys, and we'll die that way too.
Read "The Beginning Was The End" by Oscar Kiss Maerth. Its where their entire philosophy comes from. Humans de-evolved from a species of brain-eating apes. Their diet increased the apes sex drives, brain size, agression and physical dexterity, but eventually caused insanity. We are the product of this de-evolutionary anomoly.
thanks - i have been beaten to the punch - i have no need to comment on this song. you folks are right on - very intelligent commentary.
I absolutely love the end of the song, before the final "We are Devo" part. One of the most persuasive and most addictive Devo songs.
God, the live version's so goddamned different.
This is my version of the Lyrics: they tell us that we lost our tails evolving up from little snails i say it's all just wind in sails
are we not men?
we are DEVO!
we're pinheads now we are not whole we're pinheads all jocko homo
are we not men?
D-E-V-O
monkey men all in business suits teachers and critics all dance the poot
are we not men?
we are DEVO!
are we not men?
D-E-V-O
I Got A Rhyme that comes in a Riddle (OH-HI-OH) What's Round On The Ends: High in the middle? (OH-HI-OH) All Together Now: God made man but he used the monkey to do it. apes in the plan and we're all here to prove it I can walk like an ape talk like an ape. i can do what monkeys do. God made man but a monkey supplied the glue
are we not men? we are DEVO!
are we not men? we are DEVO!
are we not men? we are DEVO!
are we not men? we are DEVO!
We Must Repeat D-E-V-O
We Must Repeat D-E-V-O
We Must Repeat D-E-V-O
We Must Repeat OK LET'S GO