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.
(Come with me)
We took a back road, we're gonna look at the stars
We took a back road in my car
Down to the ocean, it's only water and sand
And in the ocean we'll hold hands
But I don't really like you, apologetically dressed
In the best, put on the heartbeat glide
Without an answer the thunder speaks for the sky
And on the cold, wet dirt I cry
And on the cold, wet dirt I cry
Don't you wanna come with me?
Don't you wanna feel my bones on your bones?
It's only natural
A cinematic vision ensued
Like the holiest dream
There's someone calling, an angel whispers my name
But the message relayed is the same
"Wait 'til tomorrow, you'll be fine"
And it's gone to the dogs in my mind
I always hear them
When the dead of night comes calling
Save me from this fight
But they can never wrong this right
Don't you wanna come with me?
Don't you wanna feel my bones on your bones?
It's only natural
Don't you wanna swim with me?
Don't you wanna feel my skin on your skin?
It's only natural
I never had a lover (I never had a lover)
I never had soul (I never had soul)
I never had a good time (And I never had a good time)
I never got gold (I never got gold)
Don't you wanna come with me?
Don't you wanna feel my bones on your bones?
It's only natural
Don't you wanna swim with me?
Don't you wanna feel my skin on your skin?
It's only natural
Don't you wanna come with me?
Don't you wanna feel my bones on your bones?
It's only natural
Come and take a swim with me?
Don't you wanna feel my skin on your skin?
It's only natural
We took a back road, we're gonna look at the stars
We took a back road in my car
Down to the ocean, it's only water and sand
And in the ocean we'll hold hands
But I don't really like you, apologetically dressed
In the best, put on the heartbeat glide
Without an answer the thunder speaks for the sky
And on the cold, wet dirt I cry
And on the cold, wet dirt I cry
Don't you wanna come with me?
Don't you wanna feel my bones on your bones?
It's only natural
A cinematic vision ensued
Like the holiest dream
There's someone calling, an angel whispers my name
But the message relayed is the same
"Wait 'til tomorrow, you'll be fine"
And it's gone to the dogs in my mind
I always hear them
When the dead of night comes calling
Save me from this fight
But they can never wrong this right
Don't you wanna come with me?
Don't you wanna feel my bones on your bones?
It's only natural
Don't you wanna swim with me?
Don't you wanna feel my skin on your skin?
It's only natural
I never had a lover (I never had a lover)
I never had soul (I never had soul)
I never had a good time (And I never had a good time)
I never got gold (I never got gold)
Don't you wanna come with me?
Don't you wanna feel my bones on your bones?
It's only natural
Don't you wanna swim with me?
Don't you wanna feel my skin on your skin?
It's only natural
Don't you wanna come with me?
Don't you wanna feel my bones on your bones?
It's only natural
Come and take a swim with me?
Don't you wanna feel my skin on your skin?
It's only natural
Lyrics submitted by foldsbaldwin
Bones Lyrics as written by Dave Brent Keuning Brandon Flowers
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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He certainly did earn that reputation.
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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?
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"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
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.
I do believe the lyrics say "I never got gold" instead of boned...sorry guys!
The song is simply sexy and there is nothing else to it! Like killing_spree said, he really doesn't like the girl (But I don’t really like you) and he just is with her to get some action. He knows it's morally/religiously wrong to manipulate her like that. (There’s someone calling, an angel whispers my name). But yet, he taunts her and does anything to lure her into having sex with him. (Don’t you wanna come with me?/Don’t you wanna feel my bones on your bones?/It’s only natural.)
Typical male ;) I can't wait to hear the album version!
Lyndz
There's something cheesy and very "Rocky Horror Picture Show," about this song. I guess I'm the only one picking up on this. lol.
@bakismaki Nope I agree completely. This whole album has a very Rocky Horror vibe to it.
Bones definitely has the connotation of "boning," but in the context of the song (and the fact that it's plural), I think it suggests something deeper than just sex. The bones are representing their bodies as a whole, but just saying bones makes it sound darker, like an empty, dead relationship.
I agree, I think that he did mean for the connotations to be there, but I really don't think that it was written to just be about 'boning'. I think it implies a less graphic, more whole meaning. Like that 'yes, don't you want to have sex with me, don't you want to be right next to me- the kind of closeness where we are just skin, just bones'. Not 'don't you want me to bone you'.
To me, this song is about a boy who is confused about his emotions and doesn't know what he wants. Does he really love her? is it just lust? He wants to be close to her...but does he? He is trying to convince the girl, and at the same time trying to convince himself and asking for her input as well. This guy is not the prince charming that a girl would throw herself at "Never had a lover...never got bold (gold?)" some places say it is gold, but if that's true it refers to a gold medal which means 1st place, which means he is always 2nd or in the middle or just not really noticable. It is really relatable sometimes.
I think this is part of the murder trilogy, but i dont think the trilogy is three songs i think its three albums!
There is just too many different references to make it only three songs...
I think he actually kills her in bones and then midnight show is him reflecting on what happened.
"We took a back road, we’re gonna look at the stars We took a back road in my car Down to the ocean, it’s only water and sand... But i dont really like you"
--> Ties in with midnight show "driver faster boy" shows they were in a car and "i took my babys breathe before the chandelier of stars" shows he killed her under the stars. Also in jenny he refers to a promenade so they were obviously at the beach and brandons reference that water had something 2 do with it, but it didnt kill her. "I dont really like you" is because hes found out that shes been with some other guy and hates her for it.He then says "and on the cold wet dirt i cry" and this is because he's killed her. "Dont you wanna come with me, dont you wanna feel your bones on my bones" is because he cant understand why she doesnt wanna be with him, and why shes having sex with some other guy.
and then in midnight show hes reflecting on whats happened.
"i got a blanket in the back seat of my mind"
I think this has two meaning, one being he now has this dark secret cuz hes killed her but i also think he could hav her body in the back seat of the car and hes talking to it!! This is then emphasised by "something in the back said"
"driver fast boy" is cuz hes got the body in the back and he needs to get rid of it as soon as he can
Then in for reasons unkown hes panicing and trying to run away so he doesnt get caught.
"I pack my case. I check my face. I look a little bit older. I look a little bit colder" --> meaning he looks older as he now has the weight of killing jenny on his shoulders
"But my heart, it don’t beat, it don’t beat the way it used to. And my eyes, they don’t see you no more. And my lips, they don’t kiss, they don’t kiss the way they used to, and my eyes don’t recognize you at all. "
His heart dont beat the way it used to cuz hes heartbroken from seeing jenny with another guy and now also the fact hes killed her. His eyes dont recognize her cuz shes dead!
And then in jenny its obvious hes been arrested and being asked what happened. I think "She couldn't scream while I held her close I swore I'd never let her go" infers that he strangeled her to death.
Brandon has also said in numerous interviews that the murderer was sent down for the crime so i think both bourbon on the shelf and mr brightside have references to this.
Bourbon - "Got a new place, and how it's so much better. Falling over myself, the televisions on, I turn it off and smile."
Brightside - I'm coming out of my cage And I've been doing just fine
I think both of these could refer to him being in some sort of mental institute or prison?
Seems to me like he's singing about meaningless sex and trying to use all the social cliches to justify a pretty selfish desire. Reference to "bones" and "skin" in contrast to "holliest" "angel" seem to really stand out. He even reduces something as romantic and poetic as the ocean to "water and sand." And "it's only natural" is the character's way of saying, "it's not so bad...its only natural," when he really believes he shouldn't do it (the voice that tells him to "wait" until tomorrow). He doesn't want to hear the same "relayed" message (to wait). I don't think the lead singer really espouses this view, but that he's getting into the head of someone who's trying to justify his actions (like the killer in Jenny was a friend of mine).
More deeper than sex though, I think it's about how seeing the world as "only natural" just "water and sand" really strips it of its beauty and reduces it to brittle bones.
Brilliant song. almost pleading in its tone, yet very polished. I think it's more of the Killers saying what they mean through reverses and paradoxes. smart band.
Love the Song.
I think this song is just that he wants to get laid, hence he doesn't really like her.
hahaha true
I disagree with the comments I've read here. Sure, it's easy to take a superficial look at this song and just think it's about getting laid. But I think it's deeper than that. <br /> <br /> I don't think I'd be overanalyzing it to say that it's also about the absurdity of life. We can assume that the girl he's looking at the stars and holding hands with in the first verse is his girlfriend. But in the chorus, instead of talking about their sex having some sort of loving element, all he mentions is their bones. They're just bodies engaging in meaningless fucking, like in the sense of A Handmaid's Tale. He even mentions that he doesn't really like her.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> "There’s someone calling, an angel whispers my name<br /> But the message relayed is the same<br /> (wait till tomorrow you'll be fine)"<br /> <br /> The angel whispering his name is an attempt at finding something more than just futile materialism, but he just waits until tomorrow, just letting his life slip away day by day.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Then a bit later:<br /> <br /> Don’t you wanna swim with me?<br /> Don’t you wanna feel my skin on your skin?<br /> It’s only natural<br /> <br /> Feeling a bit less depressed for some reason, he begins talking about the whole person, shown by the inclusion of skin.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> I never had a lover<br /> I never had a soul<br /> <br /> Again, despite obviously having a girlfriend, he never had a "lover." I think this reconfirms that they go out and fuck, but they still don't have a true intimacy. The most important line for my argument is "never had a soul," because that's what the whole thing's about.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> As he begins remembering all the shit that's happened to him (And I never had a good time/I never got bold) he goes back to just thinking about bones. Then he starts going back and forth into a duality of man-type thing.
That actually makes a lot more sense than I want it to.
I have the Guitar book for Sam's town, and it has the vocals. The lyrics are "put on a heartbeat glide."
Don't ask me what it means but that is.
This song is obviously about sax. At the beginning the sax is hidden a bit more, but eventually the saxual overtones come into play. By the end, the song is pretty much 100% backed by sax. You can really here the references to sax between the lines in the chorus. It's got a nice brassy tone, but it's actually woodwind.
But that's just my interpretation.
I like this song alot, i hope its on the album, i heard it on the radio1 live thing nice lyrics too