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.
There must be some way out of here
Said the joker to the thief
There's too much confusion
I can't get no relief
Business men they
Drink my wine
There plowmen dig my earth
None of them along the line
Know what any of it's worth
No reason to get excited
The thief he kindly spoke
There are many among us
Who feel that life is but a joke
But you and I we've been through all that, yes we have
And this is not our fate
So let us not talk falsely now
The hour is getting late
And all along the watchtower
Princes kept the view
While all the women all the women all the women came and went
Barefoot servants too
Outside in the cold distance
A wild cat did growl, la la la
Two riders, two riders approaching
The wind began to howl
The thief he take
My money take
The thief he take
My money take
Am I insane
Auf wiedersehen
Am I insane
The thief is safe
No reason to get excited
Said the joker to the thief
There's too much confusion
I can't get no relief
Business men they
Drink my wine
There plowmen dig my earth
None of them along the line
Know what any of it's worth
No reason to get excited
The thief he kindly spoke
There are many among us
Who feel that life is but a joke
But you and I we've been through all that, yes we have
And this is not our fate
So let us not talk falsely now
The hour is getting late
And all along the watchtower
Princes kept the view
While all the women all the women all the women came and went
Barefoot servants too
Outside in the cold distance
A wild cat did growl, la la la
Two riders, two riders approaching
The wind began to howl
The thief he take
My money take
The thief he take
My money take
Am I insane
Auf wiedersehen
Am I insane
The thief is safe
No reason to get excited
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Love in a Vacuum
'Til Tuesday
'Til Tuesday
Siberian Kiss
Glassjaw
Glassjaw
its amazing how far music can come.. 24 years after it released and its one of the most heartfelt songs ive heard
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Great song dave redid version from B. Dylan its unreal in concert
This is one of the awesomest songs ever done. It is probably one of the greatest songs ever. I could hear it over and over again.
Dave's version is the best!! Especially the beginning! With the bass in it. I could listen to that forever!
dude this is the best cover ever done, i love how they improv in concerts to make it sound different everytime
nerdythewall- quit looking up songs by bands you don't like, it only shows how lame you are. Leave us dave fans alone.
i'm a dave fan but i'm also a hendrix fan.. i don't know that i could agree with the hendrix version being better.. hendrix couldn't sing like dave can.. dave's singin is what makes his version truly great... that's the way i feel about it anyway
Oh man. I always thought this song was cool, but never did I realize how awesome it was until I heard it in concert the other night. The sheer emotion Dave and the band puts into this song is amazing. This one of my fav. DMB songs. By the way, Nerdythewall, lay off the Dave fans were not hurtin anyone.
definitely the best cover ever done, I had the privilege of hearing them play this in concert over 12 times.
they havent played it at all really in the spring and summer - which sucks cuz i caught em twice over that time
This is by FAR the best version ever. It beats hendrix and dylan.