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.
He spent 15 years
Getting loaded for 15 years
Till his liver exploded
Now what's Bob gonna do
Now that he can't drink?
The Doctor said: "What ya been thinking bout?"
Bob said, "that's the point. I won't think bout nothing.
Now I gotta do something else
To pass the time
Had someone shave his head
He got a new identity
62 hole air cushioned boots
And a girl who rides a scooter
To take him out of town
They would get away
Running around
And as the trucks drive by
You can hear the mother fuckers go "PUNK!"
A couple of lines, an extra thermos of Joe
He'll be kicking in heads at the punk rock show
Bob's the kinda guy who knows just what
Bob's the kinda guy who knows just what to do
When the doctor tells him to
Quit your drinking, now's the time
But will he ever walk the line?
To all my friends I feel just great
But will he ever walk the line?
Kicking ass, and busting heads
Red suspenders
Once a day he shaves his head
But will he ever walk the line? [Repeat: x2]
Bob!
Getting loaded for 15 years
Till his liver exploded
Now what's Bob gonna do
Now that he can't drink?
The Doctor said: "What ya been thinking bout?"
Bob said, "that's the point. I won't think bout nothing.
Now I gotta do something else
To pass the time
Had someone shave his head
He got a new identity
62 hole air cushioned boots
And a girl who rides a scooter
To take him out of town
They would get away
Running around
And as the trucks drive by
You can hear the mother fuckers go "PUNK!"
A couple of lines, an extra thermos of Joe
He'll be kicking in heads at the punk rock show
Bob's the kinda guy who knows just what
Bob's the kinda guy who knows just what to do
When the doctor tells him to
Quit your drinking, now's the time
But will he ever walk the line?
To all my friends I feel just great
But will he ever walk the line?
Kicking ass, and busting heads
Red suspenders
Once a day he shaves his head
But will he ever walk the line? [Repeat: x2]
Bob!
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He certainly did earn that reputation.
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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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The way this song speaks to me🥺🥺when I sing it I feel like I relate
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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”
People either love or hate NOFX. There is no in-between. But because they have never been the flavor of the month, not everyone has heard them. Whenever I meet a person who hasn't heard them, I usually start them off by introducing them to Bob. I think Bob is a great place to begin when getting familiar with NOFX. I'm not sure what the first song I heard was but I know that Bob is the first one that made me say, "Wow."