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.
This is Tiger the Lion
Gimme the Knuckles of Frisco
If there's danger in the language,
Gentlemen,
I suggest no further use of
The two-way radio.
'John Cage had come to feel
That art in our time
Was far less important
Than our daily lives,
To which so many'd become
More or less inclined.
The purpose of it's not unique.
Not to build masterpieces
For a delectative elite
But simply to wake to your life.'
You'll be serving the song
When you find out you won't change
Serving the song
Walking the range.
'John Cage had come to feel
Art in our time
Was much less important
Than our daily life
If there's a perpetual plan
For discovery days
Where everyone can take part
In what he called
Purposeless play
And there's a sign of life in this play
Not to get order from chaos
Tell you how to create
But simply to wake to your life.'
You'll be serving the song
When we find out you won't change
Serving the song
Bombing the range
This is Tiger the Lion
Get me Into the Pillows
If you're painted by radar, gentlemen,
There'll be no further use of
The two-way radio
Gimme the Knuckles of Frisco
If there's danger in the language,
Gentlemen,
I suggest no further use of
The two-way radio.
'John Cage had come to feel
That art in our time
Was far less important
Than our daily lives,
To which so many'd become
More or less inclined.
The purpose of it's not unique.
Not to build masterpieces
For a delectative elite
But simply to wake to your life.'
You'll be serving the song
When you find out you won't change
Serving the song
Walking the range.
'John Cage had come to feel
Art in our time
Was much less important
Than our daily life
If there's a perpetual plan
For discovery days
Where everyone can take part
In what he called
Purposeless play
And there's a sign of life in this play
Not to get order from chaos
Tell you how to create
But simply to wake to your life.'
You'll be serving the song
When we find out you won't change
Serving the song
Bombing the range
This is Tiger the Lion
Get me Into the Pillows
If you're painted by radar, gentlemen,
There'll be no further use of
The two-way radio
Lyrics submitted by black_cow_of_death
Tiger the Lion Lyrics as written by Johnny Fay Gordon Downie
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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First off, I am not a huge Hip fan. I have always found them to be overrated and academic, but still able to craft a catchy melody or two. Tiger The Lion is BY FAR the absolute best thing they have EVER done. In my opinion the rest of the Music@Work album was boring as all hell, but this song salvaged it for me and is really the only song (maybe next to Nautical Disaster) that is worth mentioning in their catalog! If they wrote more songs like this, I would probably own more of their CDs. Gord Downie and company should probably follow a bit of the advice they liberally quote from John Cage and make their music more 'purposeless play' than radio-friendly and marketable.