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.
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Lucy's underground
She's got a mouth to feed
Am I underground
Or am I in between
Lucy's underground
She's got a mouth to feed
Am I underground
Or am I in too deep
Show me love
You've got your hand on the button now
Showin' love
You've got your hand on the button now
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Lucy's underground
She's never comin' back
Am I still alive
Or has the light gone black
Take me underground
Take me all the way
Bring me to the fire
Throw me in the flame
So, show me love
You've got your hands on the button now
Showin' love
You've got your hand on the button now
I'd rather die
I'd rather die
Than to be with you
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh (than to be with you)
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh (I'd rather die)
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Lucy's underground
She's got a mouth to feed
Am I underground
Or am I in between
Lucy's underground
She's got a mouth to feed
Am I underground
Or am I in too deep
Show me love
You've got your hand on the button now
Showin' love
You've got your hand on the button now
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Lucy's underground
She's never comin' back
Am I still alive
Or has the light gone black
Take me underground
Take me all the way
Bring me to the fire
Throw me in the flame
So, show me love
You've got your hands on the button now
Showin' love
You've got your hand on the button now
I'd rather die
I'd rather die
Than to be with you
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh (than to be with you)
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh (I'd rather die)
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Lyrics submitted by davidbernie, edited by kamikazi137, 0scarA1berto
When I'm Small Lyrics as written by Joshua Carter Caleb Shreve
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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He reuses the verse melody from the previous album's "Dirty Little Religion", the topics of the verses are all over the place, and he packs too many words into one line (goes to show...) and too few in another (it's pretty hard to find), and rhymes "Henley Regatta" with "Persona non grata", but gets away with it all as only he could.
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In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
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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”
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I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Oh...possibly the meaning of she got a mouth to feed is that she is doing what she has to do to survive this hell that she is in and the song title when I'm small...is like she feels meaningless to this person. Just an idea.
exactly! also, small = insignificant, meaningless, easily overlooked. all the things this unrequited love or whatever messed up relationship to this person has made her feel about herself. i also think that when she refers to herself in the 3rd person, that she feels exterior to herself. that perhaps maybe this isn't like her. so perhaps in other circumstances unrelated to this lover she doesn't behave/feel this way, which is why she thinks this situation is "when she's [i'm] small". just an idea...
I never thought about it like that but now it makes alot of sense. i was trying to figure the title out and now i finally understand, and yah ^ i thought it could also mean she was talking in third person.