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.
Free me right now
You take me away, take it from me
Free me right now
You take me away, take it from me, yeah
Beautiful prisoner, let it be dead
Promises made and sentences read
Voices and visions are locked in my head
Like a safe full of sorrow
All of the words that we damn never speak
All of our ghosts and the secrets we keep
Gather them all, and we'll bury them deep
Like a safe full of sorrow
Free me right now
You take me away, take it from me
Free me right now
You take me away, take it from me, hey
One for forever
One in your name
One to remember
We're one in the same
One to forget but it always remains
Like a safe full of sorrow
Free me right now
You take me away, take it from me
Free me right now
You take me away, take it from me
Could you free what's keepin' you?
Well, I need somebody too
Free me, free me
Free me, free me
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Free me right now
You take me away, take it from me
Free me right now
You take me away, take it from me
Can you free what's keepin' you?
Well, I need somebody too
Free me, free me
Free me, free me
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah
You take me away, take it from me
Free me right now
You take me away, take it from me, yeah
Beautiful prisoner, let it be dead
Promises made and sentences read
Voices and visions are locked in my head
Like a safe full of sorrow
All of the words that we damn never speak
All of our ghosts and the secrets we keep
Gather them all, and we'll bury them deep
Like a safe full of sorrow
Free me right now
You take me away, take it from me
Free me right now
You take me away, take it from me, hey
One for forever
One in your name
One to remember
We're one in the same
One to forget but it always remains
Like a safe full of sorrow
Free me right now
You take me away, take it from me
Free me right now
You take me away, take it from me
Could you free what's keepin' you?
Well, I need somebody too
Free me, free me
Free me, free me
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Free me right now
You take me away, take it from me
Free me right now
You take me away, take it from me
Can you free what's keepin' you?
Well, I need somebody too
Free me, free me
Free me, free me
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah
Lyrics submitted by intothegrinder2
Free Me Lyrics as written by Taylor Hawkins David Eric Grohl
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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its amazing how far music can come.. 24 years after it released and its one of the most heartfelt songs ive heard
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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.
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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).
And, of course, the fact that she sees in him a fellow "idealist" and "dreamer" (terms commonly given to people with the INFP personality on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)) portends that she'll always be left wondering if they would've been perfect together.
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Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Once again amused by the comments about the lack of responses and how much people like the song...seems to miss the point really.
This sounds like a song of frustration about someone who wants to be released from their current state of (probably emotional) agony. You can think of it as a relationship that has got to a point where it needs to move forward, or maybe ended, but something is getting in the way. Perhaps the person is angry because they see a straight-froward step to fix the problem but the other won't do it for some reason. It also talks about issues that are locked away so it can be about skeletons in closets. It could even be taken from the point of view of a criminal who wants his/her accomplice to confess together with them. Of course like all songs, it can be interpreted in all sorts of ways. At the moment, the relationship that needs to move forward is my personal favorite!
ah man...i love this song. they played it live a VhQ...fuck it was great.
i can image it would. a little like 'in your honor' song. a superhero song, someone needing saving!
Cleaning the skeletons out of your closet. And encouraging others to do the same. Pretty basic.
asif only 4 comments now this is one of my favourite songs on IYO
fucken so good!
this is 1 of the top 4 songs of the IYH, why the hell is there only 4 comments?
Briliant song
Such an underrated song. This is one of my favorites, Dave is unbelievable in this song.
This sounds a lot like it is directed at Courtney Love. the lyrics seem to fit.
Could you free what's keepin' you? I think this and most of the song refers Courtney's controlling of Nirvana's affairs mainly for her personal gain, ignoring the fact that it was Dave and Krist's band. The song also seems to suggest that Dave has some serious knowledge that he is keeping to himself due to his loyalty, integrity or what ever that could be her undoing. "I could sing for sorrow"
Freeing yourself from whats keeping you from being happy. The song is basically about clearing your mind of all thats creating your despair. Letting go of all your regrets, all of that is making you unhappy. You have to accept yourself and what you have been through to be able to be content with yourself, and until you free yourself from the mental cage that your mind keeps yourself in, you cannot reach such a state of happiness. Just my thought on the whole song.