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.
Eternal life is now on my trail
Got my red glitter coffin, man, just need one last nail
While all these ugly gentlemen play out their foolish games
There's a flaming red horizon that screams our names
And as your fantasies are broken in two
Did you really think this bloody road would pave the way for you?
You better turn around and blow your kiss hello to life eternal
Angel
Racist everyman, what have you done?
Man, you've made a killer of your unborn son
Oh crown my fear your king at the point of a gun
All I want to do is love everyone
And as your fantasies are broken in two
Did you really think this bloody road would pave the way for you?
You better turn around and blow your kiss hello to life eternal, oh-oh
Yeah-yeah, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, uhm-uhm
There's no time for hatred, only questions
What is love?
Where is happiness?
What is life?
Where is peace?
When will I find the strength to bring me release?
Tell me where is the love in what your prophet has said?
Man, it sounds to me just like a prison for the walking dead
I've got a message for you and your twisted hell
Oh, you better turn around and blow your kiss goodbye to life eternal
Angel, yeah
Angel
Ooh, ah
Angel, uhm, yeah-yeah, uhm
Got my red glitter coffin, man, just need one last nail
While all these ugly gentlemen play out their foolish games
There's a flaming red horizon that screams our names
And as your fantasies are broken in two
Did you really think this bloody road would pave the way for you?
You better turn around and blow your kiss hello to life eternal
Angel
Racist everyman, what have you done?
Man, you've made a killer of your unborn son
Oh crown my fear your king at the point of a gun
All I want to do is love everyone
And as your fantasies are broken in two
Did you really think this bloody road would pave the way for you?
You better turn around and blow your kiss hello to life eternal, oh-oh
Yeah-yeah, oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, uhm-uhm
There's no time for hatred, only questions
What is love?
Where is happiness?
What is life?
Where is peace?
When will I find the strength to bring me release?
Tell me where is the love in what your prophet has said?
Man, it sounds to me just like a prison for the walking dead
I've got a message for you and your twisted hell
Oh, you better turn around and blow your kiss goodbye to life eternal
Angel, yeah
Angel
Ooh, ah
Angel, uhm, yeah-yeah, uhm
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Like a lot of the other comments are saying, I think this mainly about voyeurism. If the song was about his girlfriend, then why would he use the word spy. If you are a spy it means you shouldn't be caught, that is kind of the whole point, and if you are a voyeur, the whole point of the pleasure you get from it, is the fact that the other people don't know you are watching them. See a bit of a connection there?
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Holiday
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@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
paffy: I disagree. If anything, he is saying "quit hiding behind your religion to justify your ugliness." Since the beginning, man has hid behind religion to justify murder, hate, and all kinds of evil. (the usual "religion to control masses" type of deal.)
Buta true "believer" would agree with the above statement. I don't know what Jeff Buckley's religous beliefs were, but the fact that he pointed this wrong out says to me he was saying "that's not what it is supposed to be about! It's about love..."
At the end of the song he says, "You better turn around and blow your kiss GOODBYE to life eternal."
I believe this song is expressing a pretty major distaste for a misguided, naive authoritative attitude of a religous, racist, close-minded person. That could be reading too much into it though.<br /> <br /> My favourite verse is this one:<br /> <br /> tell me where is the love in what your prophet has said<br /> man it sounds to me just like a prison for the walking dead<br /> well i've got a message for you and your twisted hell<br /> you'd better turn around and blow your kiss goodbye to life eternal, angel<br /> <br /> ...he then continues on to open his lungs and remind the rest of us that not only can he write lyrics of such profound expression, he can carry them out just as great musically.<br /> <br /> So glad i've got this album.
"This is a song about...its an angry song. Life's too short and too complicated for people behind desks and people behind masks to be ruining other people's lives, initiating force against other people's lives on the basis of their income, their color, their class, their religious beliefs, their whatever..."
same, i thank jeff for his music it has changed my life. this song is the really fast pace rock song on the grace CD and i really admire it. This song has so much pain and anger in it and jeff really shows that in his voice.... i really wish jeff was still making beauitful and i just wished that when he toured australia i would have been old enough to go and see him and really appreciate his music. Ive been told there are no words to describe how good he is live, i would now kill to see him live...........
I would now die to see him live!
@moerockfreak I wish I had been alive to see him!
I'm not sure about everything in this song, there are a few lines, "Got my red glitter coffin man, just need one last nail" for example; where I'm not sure if they have further meaning other than their face value.
Anyway, as far as I can tell:
"Eternal life is now on my trail" Essentially saying that by Christian/Islamic (and various other major and minor religions) standards heaven is now behind him.
"Got my red glitter coffin man, just need one last nail" Not entirely sure about this line, it appears pretty self explanatory but I can't see why he says it and I'm not sure whether 'red glitter coffin' has any further meaning.
"While all these ugly gentlemen play out their foolish games" Racists, warmonger, religious extremists, arms dealers, etc. Take your pick, pretty self explanatory but see: Masters of War by Bob Dylan.
"And as your fantasies are broken in two Did you really think this bloody road would pave the way for you You better turn around and blow your kiss hello to life eternal Angel" Again, see Masters of War by Bob Dylan. Not sure about the last line but he appears to be saying say hello to Heaven, possibly talking from their perspective.
"Racist everyman, what have you done Man, you've made a killer of your unborn son Crown my fear your king at the point of a gun All I want to do is love everyone" Pretty self explanatory, where he says "Man, you've made a killer of your unborn son" I think he's saying that you're escalating the situation and that violence only leads to more violence. Similar to the verse that the line, "You put a gun in my hand and you hide from eyes" from Masters of War. The next line is talking about the use of fear and scare tactics as a method of controlling people as far as I can tell.
"There's no time for hatred, only questions What is love, where is happiness, what is life, where is peace When will i find the strength to bring me release" Word.
The last verse is pretty self explanatory, though I will say that much of the song could be seen to be a realisation of the ‘truth’, hence the change in the last line to basically say ‘you’re going to hell’. Again very similar to the last verse of Masters of War, except that song just makes me think, 'Eat a peach Bush', written nearly 50 years ago n' all.
Might well be wrong about a few of those things but that's the way it seems to me. It’s a great song.
Lnbodibic
this song is the rage to live
Are you saying that it's about hating big business and desk jobs, mycroft? What most of us are saying is that this song is about society, the injustices of the world and hatred breeding hatred due to uninformed, ignorant parents and what everyday life is for all of us. I don't think we're blaming people like you for all of the world's troubles. But...don't act like we couldn't use a few less of your kind!;) Especially the corrupt ones.
This song is about dying and leaving the world behind for an eternal life... I dunno. Does it really matter what Jeff Buckley's lyrics mean? They're so well written and his voice is so beautiful and he's a great guitar player that his music just should NOT be questioned.
i agree with 'title track'. i like to come on here and see what jeffs fans have to say, but i dont question his music..just listen and praise it's all we need to do. He is an angel.
Just for the record, the spill from 'ListenToCKY' is just before Jeff sings Eternal Life on 'Live at Sin E'. It is an incredible version of this song. you must have that album, i can't even start saying how much i recommend it
The meaning of this song is so important to me, there are so many issues in this world, and its all because of hate. Our world is so full of anger and ignorance, stereotyping, pain and suffering, I could go on and on. Jeff asks a simple question "where is love?" thats what our search is in life, this song reminds me to love thy neighbour, to forgive, to befriend and accept everyone!!!