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 wouldn't let him play the opry
With whiskey on his breath
And it didn't take'em long
to figure out what they missed
He went down that lost highway
Underneath the purple sky
A legend disappeared before his time
Things Change
They said he was the devil
dressed in gold leme
The way he shook his hips
out there on that stage
But before that faithful day
He left Tennessee
All of them were calling him the king
Things Change
Well they like to call them hippies
outlaws with guitars
But they brought a little poetry
To the honky tonks and bars
They might've got a little crazy
They might have flew a little too high
Somewhere somebody's playing their song tonight
Things Change
(Don't you know things change)
Now some say it's too country
Some say it's a little rock n roll
But it's just good music
If you can feel it in your soul
It doesn't really matter
It's always been the same
life goes on
Things Change
[Bridge:]
Don't you know they change
Oh, things change
As long as this world is turning
Things are gonna change
Gonna keep on changing
Gonna change
With whiskey on his breath
And it didn't take'em long
to figure out what they missed
He went down that lost highway
Underneath the purple sky
A legend disappeared before his time
Things Change
They said he was the devil
dressed in gold leme
The way he shook his hips
out there on that stage
But before that faithful day
He left Tennessee
All of them were calling him the king
Things Change
Well they like to call them hippies
outlaws with guitars
But they brought a little poetry
To the honky tonks and bars
They might've got a little crazy
They might have flew a little too high
Somewhere somebody's playing their song tonight
Things Change
(Don't you know things change)
Now some say it's too country
Some say it's a little rock n roll
But it's just good music
If you can feel it in your soul
It doesn't really matter
It's always been the same
life goes on
Things Change
[Bridge:]
Don't you know they change
Oh, things change
As long as this world is turning
Things are gonna change
Gonna keep on changing
Gonna change
Lyrics submitted by Merrickdragon
Things Change Lyrics as written by Bill Luther Chris Lindsey
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This song is def a twin to "Unfair" (a song she has been quoted as saying is about falling in love with someone who is already in a relationship) so it is presumably about the same person. Given the references to buying an apartment and not being able to see her love interest "after tonight," it's most likely that she's moving away and she'll "wait a day to break the bad news" (i.e. notifying him that she's leaving once she's already gone).
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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.
the first person they are talking about is hank williams
obviously the second is about elvis presley
the third is mostly about willie nelson
basically i think overall this song is a little autobiographical on tim's part - i think he's like things change and i've changed- but realize change isn't necessarily always bad
yea that's my two cents, -rebeckah
The first line should be "They wouldn't let him play the oprey"Awesom song tho...
Actually, it's spelled correctly. It's Grand Ole Opry.
reeebeckah is close:
First Verse is Johnny Cash
Second Verse is Elvis
Third Verse is the Eagles
Fourth Verse is himself and maybe his wife as she has been accused of crossing over a little too much
Actually, reeebeckah was correct about the first verse. Johnny Cash couldn't play the Opry due to drug rages, not drinking. Hank Williams had a drinking problem and had a song called "Lost Highway" and has talked about the "purple sky." Johnny Cash also lived a long life, whereas Hank died young (or "before his time").
I agree with reeebeckah
Its
1.Hank Williams 2.Elvis 3.The Highwaymen (hence Willie Nelson)
Thanks