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.
If you go looking for hot water
Don't act shocked when you get burned a little bit
If you really want some hot water
I can help you find it
Oh
Oh
Oh yeah
Well, if they catch me around, you're playing rock the boat
I'm gonna catch hell
And if you're throwing your voice in bed singing a note
I'm gonna catch hell
I know it
That's right
Try and catch me
Oh yeah
Tricky, tricky
Yeah
Oh
Oh
If you're getting tricky, lying to yourself
You're gonna catch hell
And if you're testing God, lying to his face
You're gonna catch hell
C'mon
Hey
That's it
They're gonna catch you
Hell, they're gonna catch you
Don't act shocked when you get burned a little bit
If you really want some hot water
I can help you find it
Oh
Oh
Oh yeah
Well, if they catch me around, you're playing rock the boat
I'm gonna catch hell
And if you're throwing your voice in bed singing a note
I'm gonna catch hell
I know it
That's right
Try and catch me
Oh yeah
Tricky, tricky
Yeah
Oh
Oh
If you're getting tricky, lying to yourself
You're gonna catch hell
And if you're testing God, lying to his face
You're gonna catch hell
C'mon
Hey
That's it
They're gonna catch you
Hell, they're gonna catch you
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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"Hot water" is a colloquialism for a bad situation, kind of like in the phrase "now don't go gettin yourself in hot water!" its a colloquialism in the South.
"If you go looking for hot water Don't act shocked when you get Burned a little bit"
The meaning of this stanza is basically, if you go seeking out a bad situation or if you're looking for trouble, don't be surprised when you find it.
This is half death Letter Blues and half In My Time of Dying but 100% Jack.
I love Jack when he plays slide. A couple years ago a saw him play Death Letter and it was the most amazing experience of my concert-going life. We need more of it.
it sounds like a jam so i'm not sure if the lyrics have any deep meaning but it sounds like his warning someone that thier actions have consequences
love it
Yeah, this is amazing, kinda sinsiter sounding too. I love the 'testing god' line.
What's the significance of hot water?
first of all...song is sick. anyways, i think the hot water just relates to the phrase "you're in hot water" meaning in trouble. kind of saying that if you go looking for trouble, don't be shocked when you find some. example: you go looking for a fight, someone's going to hit back ya know?
kinda sounds like death letter and ball and biscuit at the beginning
the significance of hot water is in the whole verse. if you look for trouble, you must deal with the consequences. if you screw with god for instance, you might "catch hell".
Bar far best song off Icky Thump, musically and lyrically!
What about the 'if you really want some hot water, i can help you find it?'. Cool twist.
Definately the best song on Icky Thump, and I agree with schrome, it reminds me of the live versions of Death Letter
The slide guitar is sick
"If you're getting chick (?)"
Might this be instead: If you're getting chic
as in ... Conforming to the current fashion; stylish
that'd make more sense with the next line where he says you're lying to yourself.