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.
Every step of the way we walk the line
Your days are numbered, so are mine
Time is pilin' up, we struggle and we scrape
We're all boxed in, nowhere to escape
City's just a jungle, more games to play
Trapped in the heart of it, trying to get away
I was raised in the country, I been workin' in the town
I been in trouble ever since I set my suitcase down
Got nothing for you, I had nothing before
Don't even have anything for myself anymore
Sky full of fire, pain pourin' down
Nothing you can sell me, I'll see you around
All my powers of expression and thoughts so sublime
Could never do you justice in reason or rhyme
Only one thing I did wrong
Stayed in Mississippi a day too long
Well, the devil's in the alley, mule's in the stall
Say anything you want to, I have heard it all
I was thinkin' about the things that Rosie said
I was dreaming I was sleeping in Rosie's bed
Walking through the leaves, falling from the trees
Feeling like a stranger nobody sees
So many things that we never will undo
I know you're sorry, I'm sorry too
Some people will offer you their hand and some won't
Last night I knew you, tonight I don't
I need somethin' strong to distract my mind
I'm gonna look at you 'til my eyes go blind
Well, I got here following the southern star
I crossed that river just to be where you are
Only one thing I did wrong
Stayed in Mississippi a day too long
Well my ship's been split to splinters and it's sinking fast
I'm drownin' in the poison, got no future, got no past
But my heart is not weary, it's light and it's free
I've got nothin' but affection for all those who've sailed with me
Everybody movin' if they ain't already there
Everybody got to move somewhere
Stick with me baby, stick with me anyhow
Things should start to get interesting right about now
My clothes are wet, tight on my skin
Not as tight as the corner that I painted myself in
I know that fortune is waitin' to be kind
So give me your hand and say you'll be mine
Well, the emptiness is endless, cold as the clay
You can always come back, but you can't come back all the way
Only one thing I did wrong
Stayed in Mississippi a day too long
Your days are numbered, so are mine
Time is pilin' up, we struggle and we scrape
We're all boxed in, nowhere to escape
City's just a jungle, more games to play
Trapped in the heart of it, trying to get away
I was raised in the country, I been workin' in the town
I been in trouble ever since I set my suitcase down
Got nothing for you, I had nothing before
Don't even have anything for myself anymore
Sky full of fire, pain pourin' down
Nothing you can sell me, I'll see you around
All my powers of expression and thoughts so sublime
Could never do you justice in reason or rhyme
Only one thing I did wrong
Stayed in Mississippi a day too long
Well, the devil's in the alley, mule's in the stall
Say anything you want to, I have heard it all
I was thinkin' about the things that Rosie said
I was dreaming I was sleeping in Rosie's bed
Walking through the leaves, falling from the trees
Feeling like a stranger nobody sees
So many things that we never will undo
I know you're sorry, I'm sorry too
Some people will offer you their hand and some won't
Last night I knew you, tonight I don't
I need somethin' strong to distract my mind
I'm gonna look at you 'til my eyes go blind
Well, I got here following the southern star
I crossed that river just to be where you are
Only one thing I did wrong
Stayed in Mississippi a day too long
Well my ship's been split to splinters and it's sinking fast
I'm drownin' in the poison, got no future, got no past
But my heart is not weary, it's light and it's free
I've got nothin' but affection for all those who've sailed with me
Everybody movin' if they ain't already there
Everybody got to move somewhere
Stick with me baby, stick with me anyhow
Things should start to get interesting right about now
My clothes are wet, tight on my skin
Not as tight as the corner that I painted myself in
I know that fortune is waitin' to be kind
So give me your hand and say you'll be mine
Well, the emptiness is endless, cold as the clay
You can always come back, but you can't come back all the way
Only one thing I did wrong
Stayed in Mississippi a day too long
Lyrics submitted by SquidOmelet
Mississippi Lyrics as written by Bob Dylan
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I'll shortly comment. I love this song partly because is one example of the dialectic between the previous Dylans album Time out of mind and the one from wich this song is taken, a dialectic which is set in terms of basic feelings and attitude. If TOOM, expecially in songs like Not Dark Yet and Highlands, was the record of an old man, approaching to death, and the basic feeling is quiet desperation, this instead is the song of a man who feel that in the end, life is really worthwile. That he expresses with wonderful words such as:
Well my ship's been split to splinters and it's sinking fast I'm drownin' in the poison, got no future, got no past But my heart is not weary, it's light and it's free I've got nothin' but affection for all those who've sailed with me
and above all
Stick with me baby, stick with me anyhow Things should start to get interesting right about now
That, said from a 60 years old man, is deeply moving. He still had to pass through a great amount of sufference and humiliation (i love this: "Walking through the leaves, falling from the trees/Feeling like a stranger nobody sees"), and this is showed by the consistent use of apocalyptic imagery, (that is almost a Dylan trademark), even if with a humorous falvour i think . But the prevailing emotion is love of life. It makes me cry
Yes, I like it for the same reasons. However, I think that people often over identify the Dylan narrator character in his songs with Dylan the man himself. I love the downbeat, black humour in lines like that couplet "Stick with me baby...." The first time I heard it I laughed out loud. Perhaps one of the reasons that we always assume that Bob Dylan is singing about himself is the fact that his characters stand up so well.
I love this song. I think the reason that there aren't very many 'Dylan fans' on this site is because they can't be interpreted as easily as other artists' songs can. He writes in a way that they best interpretation sometimes is just repeating the lyrics. It's as if every one is able to give their own interpretation of every single line. To me, the most meaningful and personal line of the entire song is, "You can always come back, but you can't come back all the way." I like to think about an old lover during that line. You can always call her and talk to her and see her, but you can never get back to that feeling of the way things were when you were madly in love.
The amazing thing about this song is that every single verse is amazingly catchy, and I will find myself remembering them at the most random moments of the day.
It's one of my favourites too. And I think it's the best track from Love and Theft. It was an outtake from Time Out Of Mind and I have heard a cover of this song played by Sheryl Crow. Lyrics are just great and I think he is just talking about death and about how time is slippin' so quickly and we can't avoid it anyway. Great song.
"I been in trouble ever since I set my suitcase down"
I think there's a lot of Dylan's own psyche in that, although he continues to travel, I think its something that disquiets and unsettles him.
a very moving song. another dylan song i can listen to hundreds of times without it getting boring. much like 'like a rolling stone' my favourite part is the 'All my powers of expression and thoughts so sublime, Could never do you justice in reason or rhyme' it seems like something you would put in a Valentines card.
This seems to be fair few people's favourite song that Mr. Zimmerman has written. (I know every song has its own distinct following) But I honestly believe this to be one of the best songs created by anyone. Its so raw.
Also as mentioned somwhere above, the lines
"Things should start to get interesting right about now..."
From a 60 year old man has never been heard of. Also after the release of Modern Times, it seems Bobby was right...
Am I the only one to hear the "Blonde on Blonde" sound in this song?
I can't beleive no one has commented on this song yet, its one of the most insightful songs ever written, this site really needs more Dylan fans.
One of my favorite Dylan songs. I think it's about so many things. I'll have to try to elaborate when I have a minute. Btw, we do need more Dylan fans here.
I just can't forgive nigtingalerider for posting that opinion and not quoting this: "I know that fortune is waiting to be kind" that line always gets to me. Fortune SHOULD be waiting to be kind. Any minute now. I mean, it HAS to be so