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.
A junkie walking through the twilight
I'm on my way home
I left three days ago, but no one seems to know I'm gone
Home is where the hatred is
Home is filled with pain and it,
Might not be such a bad idea if I never, never went home again
Stand as far away from me as you can and ask me why
Hang on to your rosary beads
Close your eyes to watch me die
You keep saying, kick it, quit it, kick it, quit it
God, but did you ever try
To turn your sick soul inside out
So that the world, so that the world
Can watch you die
Home is where I live inside my white powder dreams
Home was once an empty vacuum that's filled now with my silent screams
Home is where the needle marks
Try to heal my broken heart
And it might not be such a bad idea if I never, if I never went home again
Home again
Home again
Home again
Kick it, quit it
Kick it, quit it
Kick it, quit it
Kick it, can't go home again
I'm on my way home
I left three days ago, but no one seems to know I'm gone
Home is where the hatred is
Home is filled with pain and it,
Might not be such a bad idea if I never, never went home again
Stand as far away from me as you can and ask me why
Hang on to your rosary beads
Close your eyes to watch me die
You keep saying, kick it, quit it, kick it, quit it
God, but did you ever try
To turn your sick soul inside out
So that the world, so that the world
Can watch you die
Home is where I live inside my white powder dreams
Home was once an empty vacuum that's filled now with my silent screams
Home is where the needle marks
Try to heal my broken heart
And it might not be such a bad idea if I never, if I never went home again
Home again
Home again
Home again
Kick it, quit it
Kick it, quit it
Kick it, quit it
Kick it, can't go home again
Lyrics submitted by red_chords
Home Is Where the Hatred Is Lyrics as written by Gil Scott-heron
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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The way this song speaks to me🥺🥺when I sing it I feel like I relate
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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.
"Home is where the hatred is"
That is one incredible line, so much meaning there, and such a clever play on words...Respect, man, respect
i'm not at all into funk or anything like that, straight punkska and hardcore. but damn i love this song. so much damn meaning to it. "home is where the needle marks try to heal my broken heart." that line got me alot. i got a couple of my friends to listen to it and not try to criticize but to just listen. it was freakin' moving as hell. its amazing, i love this song. anyways, this song is just about how gil scott hated the city he lived in and didn't feel like he could go back, andi think he moved away from all the bad influences later.
This some is about how he was addicted to Herion
Fantastic poem about a junkie who came from a bad place and is now in an infinitely worse one. The last line is ambiguous, hopeful and doomed, likely on purpose - can he quit, or is he ready to give up and die?
You can't change things you might want to change, if you don't have the support structure around you to do that. It might be because you're surrounded by people who just don't support you no matter what, or it might be that you're surrounded by people who don't want to change themselves (like if you want to quit smoking but your whole family smokes). Change is hard and scary.
Thelastpunkkid, I think its a bit deeper than simply hating 'the city he came from'
Personally I think home is very specific to Gil's own parental home. I think it was a place of great misery to him, which perhaps led him to turn to drugs, which made the situation worse as he was then outcast by his parents and given no support.
" stand as far away from me as you can and ask me why hang on to your rosary beads close your eyes to watch me die you keep saying, kick it, quit it, kick it, quit it"
You dig?
His parents, perhaps conservative and religious, couldnt accept him, they looked on in fear from a distance and simply turned their backs on him until such time as he kicked the addiction.
No offence mate but I think you should probably do some research about Gil before you start typing rubbish about his family background and his childhood. Gil's parents seemed decent people - his dad played football for Glasgow Celtic FC! Anyway he actually lived with his Gran until she died and then moved back with his mother. He was granted a scholarship to a well known private school! Hardly a tough upbringing. <br /> <br /> Not all songs are written in the first person you know - perhaps he was trying to describe how things are for other people who are in that situation?
I believe his 'home' is his addiction.
"home is where i live inside my white powder dreams home was once an empty vacuum that's filled now with my silent screams home is where the needle marks try to heal my broken heart"
"and it might not be such a bad idea if i never, if i never went home again"
And while it's easy to say "kick it, quit it," physically it's not that simple, but he does know it would be best to quit.
But as iterated below... He can't kick it, can't go home again
These lyrics sound like they could have been written by some mopey, adolescent angst-fueled teenager.
BUT, this guy makes them sound real. Love it. It's always interesting when you find a song that reads like it could have been written in 2011. He sings it with this understated emotion, making it hard not to be moved...unlike some other bands lately that come off as whiny and attention-seeking.
Gil Scott Heron was an amazing writer and conveyer of words, and it's a fucking shame that the only reason I'm aware of him is by hearing the news of his death.