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.
I wish that we could talk about it
But there, that's the problem
With someone new I couldn't start it
Too late, for beginnings
The little things that made me nervous
Are gone, in a moment
I miss the way we used to argue
Locked, in your basement
I wake up and the phone is ringing
Surprised, as it's early
And that should be the perfect warning
That something's a problem
To tell the truth I saw it coming
The way you were breathing
But nothing can prepare you for it
The voice on the other end
The worst is all the lovely weather
I'm stunned, it's not raining
The coffee isn't even bitter
Because, what's the difference?
There's all the work that needs to be done
It's late, for revision
There's all the time and all the planning
And songs, to be finished
And it keeps coming
And it keeps coming
And it keeps coming
'Til the day it stops
And it keeps coming
And it keeps coming
And it keeps coming
'Til the day it stops
And it keeps coming
And it keeps coming
And it keeps coming
And it keeps coming
And it keeps coming
And it keeps coming
And it keeps coming
'Til the day it stops
I wish that we could talk about it
But there, that's the problem
With someone new I could have started
Too late for beginnings
You're smaller than my wife imagined
Surprised, you were human
There shouldn't be this radio silence
But what are the options?
When someone great is gone
When someone great is gone
When someone great is gone
When someone great is gone
When someone great is gone
When someone great is gone
When someone great is gone
When someone great is gone
We're safe, for the moment
Saved for the moment
But there, that's the problem
With someone new I couldn't start it
Too late, for beginnings
The little things that made me nervous
Are gone, in a moment
I miss the way we used to argue
Locked, in your basement
I wake up and the phone is ringing
Surprised, as it's early
And that should be the perfect warning
That something's a problem
To tell the truth I saw it coming
The way you were breathing
But nothing can prepare you for it
The voice on the other end
The worst is all the lovely weather
I'm stunned, it's not raining
The coffee isn't even bitter
Because, what's the difference?
There's all the work that needs to be done
It's late, for revision
There's all the time and all the planning
And songs, to be finished
And it keeps coming
And it keeps coming
And it keeps coming
'Til the day it stops
And it keeps coming
And it keeps coming
And it keeps coming
'Til the day it stops
And it keeps coming
And it keeps coming
And it keeps coming
And it keeps coming
And it keeps coming
And it keeps coming
And it keeps coming
'Til the day it stops
I wish that we could talk about it
But there, that's the problem
With someone new I could have started
Too late for beginnings
You're smaller than my wife imagined
Surprised, you were human
There shouldn't be this radio silence
But what are the options?
When someone great is gone
When someone great is gone
When someone great is gone
When someone great is gone
When someone great is gone
When someone great is gone
When someone great is gone
When someone great is gone
We're safe, for the moment
Saved for the moment
Lyrics submitted by someonegreat, edited by janeaparis1
Someone Great Lyrics as written by James Jeremiah Murphy
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Glassjaw
Glassjaw
its amazing how far music can come.. 24 years after it released and its one of the most heartfelt songs ive heard
Corpse I Fell In Love With
Gadjits, The
Gadjits, The
He reuses the verse melody from the previous album's "Dirty Little Religion", the topics of the verses are all over the place, and he packs too many words into one line (goes to show...) and too few in another (it's pretty hard to find), and rhymes "Henley Regatta" with "Persona non grata", but gets away with it all as only he could.
The Spy
Doors, The
Doors, The
Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
I always interpreted this song being about an affair. The ride of emotions when you find someone cool new and exciting - all perish in a moment when you get caught. You’re safe for the moment once your partner forgives you. But, only for the moment. And the rollercoasrer keeps going until the day one dies.
Some lyrics which brought me to this conclusion are as follows:
1) I wish we could talk about it - but that’s the problem (He no longer can speak to the mistress)
2) With someone new I could have started - it’s late for revision (He is settled with his wife - and it’s late he’s too old to entirely start over with someone else)
3) You’re smaller than my wife imagined - surprise that you’re human (His wife’s mental flux over the situation - the shock to find the mistress is real. Perhaps all the wife’s former worries that something is off were right)
4) The worst is all the lovely weather - I’m surprised it’s not raining (The darkness of being found out - and with a glimpse of relief that the secret is over)
5) I miss the way we used to argue locked in the basement (Hiding the relationship - secret places safe for them to be)
6) There shouldn’t be this ray of silence - but what are the options (Someone you care for leaves and you can’t call them to see how they are - because, they were never meant to be here with you forever.
7) When someone great is gone you’re safe for the moment (Getting out of the affair, unscathed, until the next one)
I could be wrong tho :)