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.
Shower in the dark day
Clean sparks diving down
Cool in the waterway
Where the baptized drown
Naked in the cold sun
Breathing life like fire
Thought I was the only one
But that was just a lie
'Cause I heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Pale in the flare light
The scared light cracks and disappears
And leads the scorched ones here
And everywhere no one cares
The fire is spreading
And no one wants to speak about it
Down in the hole
Jesus tries to crack a smile
Beneath another shovel load
'Cause I heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Fourth of July, July
Now I'm in control
Now I'm in the fall out
Once asleep but now I stand
And I still remember your sweet everything
Light a roman candle
And hold it in your hand
Heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July, yeah
Clean sparks diving down
Cool in the waterway
Where the baptized drown
Naked in the cold sun
Breathing life like fire
Thought I was the only one
But that was just a lie
'Cause I heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Pale in the flare light
The scared light cracks and disappears
And leads the scorched ones here
And everywhere no one cares
The fire is spreading
And no one wants to speak about it
Down in the hole
Jesus tries to crack a smile
Beneath another shovel load
'Cause I heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Fourth of July, July
Now I'm in control
Now I'm in the fall out
Once asleep but now I stand
And I still remember your sweet everything
Light a roman candle
And hold it in your hand
Heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July
Heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the fourth of July, yeah
Lyrics submitted by jt, edited by Mellow_Harsher
4th Of July Lyrics as written by Chris Cornell
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I don't really see it as anything about religion or drugs or a nuclear holocaust, but about war and the irony of American pride.
Now follow me on this, but if you think of a war veteran with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, what do you think they feel on the 4th of July? Fireworks are a little cliched of being reminiscent of gunfire. The noise will often take a soldier right back to those awful days:
"And I heard it in the wind And I saw it in the sky"
this would make this veteran consider the similarities between the sound of gunfire and the sound of fireworks. But is the relationship just physical?
Fireworks are THE symbol of American pride. They stand for all American values. i.e. freedom and justice.
On the other hand, guns are a symbol of war, which is seen as having the qualities of oppresion and unjust killing.
These two symbols are contrasted against eachother.
Back to the veteran, when he's hearing the fireworks, he's thinkinng of war
"And I thought it was the end, I thought it was the 4th of July"
He's thinking: "I thought I heard war, but I really just heard American Pride."
And that's where the irony comes from. America, and all its core values are built on the exact opposite OF those values. America derives its peace from unnecessary bloodshed, and its justice from its unjustified violence.
So from the perspective of the veteran(and who should understand Amercan pride better?), these two symbols have a remarkable resemblance both aurally, AND in their meaning.
that's why I like this song. because the symbols are both aural, they lend themselves well to some intense imagery.
but anyway, that's what I get from the lyrics. If Chris Cornell says it's about an acid trip then that's what it is.
Very good interpretation....too bad I only get 1 vote...
@mitchgustavtherobot <br /> I think this is exactly what he's writing about. The imagery is clear. A nuclear war or some type of war where there is a hail of missiles raining down on a people. However, this is clearly the literal meaning.<br /> <br /> Anyway, he says once he released a song it is about whatever the listener thinks it's about. He was such an inspiration. RIP.
Cornell said this again on Friday at the show in LA, "This song is about being on acid and having 2 cop cars pull up next to you with their lights flashing".
Like "mitchgustavtherobot" said, "If Chris Cornell says it's about an acid trip then that's what it is."<br /> <br /> However, that having been said, it would not only be a little bit disappointing to me, it wouldn't always make sense with the lyrics.<br /> <br /> "Down in the hole, Jesus tries to crack a smile, beneath another shovel load" just REALLY REALLY sounds deeper than some random acid song like "Look at all the happy creatures dancing on the lawn" ("Looking Out My Backdoor" by Creedence Clearwater Revival). Also, the aforementioned 4th of July line, doesn't seem to fit with acid, other drugs, or especially cops.<br /> <br /> If the song is, indeed, what you stated, then that is that, for sure, but it won't stop me from interpreting this song another way, it's just deeper and better that way, AND that is the glory of such good lyrics. Half the art is what it means to the listener.
@pr4mojo Sad to know that Cornell said that... This makes me think if the same applies to the universe.... Maybe there's no creator after all, maybe we are random indeed. The lesser cool story :(
This song is fucking mindblowing. I smell gunpowder and see sparks when I hear it. The lyrics point incredibly strongly to an apocalypse, acid or no. Jesus dead, Hell freezing over (COLD sun), plus the fucking fact that he mentions that he thought it was the end. He uses the 4th of july as an allegory for the apocalypse- fire, explosions..it also first well with the summer theme of the album.
My favorite part is "Light a roman candle and hold it in your hand"- If you've ever held a Roman candle at fourth of July, you're basically shooting flames from your hand. Very cool mental image.
And goddamn that riff. It makes my throat itch.
Bruce almighty, this should have been a single from Superunknown. Perhaps it was because they already had five beauties from it already. This is scary stuff and one of Chris Cornell's best and most underrated pieces of songwriting. He is a star; in fact he's five *****
Always took it as a chaotic, end-time scenario caused by over-population, mass/uncontrolled consumerism and then global war brought upon us by greed and inflexibility. Where we've taken ourselves to the very brink, the world (or what's left of it) falling apart around us, while the people who are suppose to be representing good, wholesome values (the Christians in this instance) hide behind the reasoning they've never done anything wrong and that their faith will provide for them right up until it's far too late to reverse the damage done.
haha, if this really is about acid trip then it actually makes some sense... if thats possible lol. great song!
This song has some apocalyptic themes & very dark lyrics ("Jesus tries to crack a smile beneath another shovel load"). Chris Cornell explained the song in an interview with RIP magazine, April 1994: "One time I was on acid, and there were voices ten feet behind my head. The whole time I'd be walking, they'd be talking behind me. It actually made me feel good, because I felt like I was with some people. At one point I was looking back, and I saw that one person was wearing a black shirt and jeans, and the other person was wearing a red shirt. They were always there. It was kinda like a dream, though, where I'd wake up and look and focus once in a while and realize there was no one there. I'd go, 'Oh, f--k, I'm hearing voices.' '4th of July' is pretty much about that day. You wouldn't get that if you read it. It doesn't read like, 'Woke up, dropped some acid, got into the car & went to the Indian reservation.'"
its about a nuclear war and the aftermath of it
I don't really see it as anything about religion or drugs or a nuclear holocaust, but about war and the irony of American pride.<br /> <br /> Now follow me on this, but if you think of a war veteran with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, what do you<br /> think they feel on the 4th of July? Fireworks are a little cliched of being reminiscent of gunfire. The noise will often take a soldier right back to those awful days:<br /> <br /> "And I heard it in the wind<br /> And I saw it in the sky"<br /> <br /> this would make this veteran consider the similarities between the sound of gunfire and the sound of fireworks. But is the relationship just physical?<br /> <br /> Fireworks are THE symbol of American pride. They stand for all American values. i.e. freedom and justice. <br /> <br /> On the other hand, guns are a symbol of war, which is seen as having the qualities of oppresion and unjust killing.<br /> <br /> These two symbols are contrasted against eachother. <br /> <br /> Back to the veteran, when he's hearing the fireworks, he's thinkinng of war<br /> <br /> "And I thought it was the end,<br /> I thought it was the 4th of July"<br /> <br /> He's thinking: "I thought I heard war, but I really just heard American Pride."<br /> <br /> And that's where the irony comes from. America, and all its core values are built on the exact opposite OF those values. America derives its peace from unnecessary bloodshed, and its justice from its unjustified violence.<br /> <br /> So from the perspective of the veteran(and who should understand Amercan pride better?), these two symbols have a remarkable resemblance both aurally, AND in their meaning.<br /> <br /> that's why I like this song. because the symbols are both aural, they lend themselves well to some intense imagery.<br /> <br /> but anyway, that's what I get from the lyrics. If Chris Cornell says it's about an acid trip then that's what it is.
i thought it was about mushrooms/lsd
Chris Cornell, from an interview with RIP magazine, April 1994 : “One time I was on acid, and there were voices ten feet behind my head. The whole time I’d be walking, they’d be talking behind me. It actually made me feel good, because I felt like I was with some people. At one point I was looking back, and I saw that one person was wearing a black shirt and jeans, and the other person was wearing a red shirt. They were always there. It was kinda like a dream, though, where I’d wake up and look and focus once in a while and realize there was no one there. I’d go, ‘Oh, fuck, I’m hearing voices.’ ‘4th of July’ is pretty much about that day. You wouldn’t get that if you read it. It doesn’t read like, ‘Woke up, dropped some acid, got into the car and went to the Indian reservation.”