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.
Whoo, ooh, ooh, whoo, ooh, ooh
Whoo, ooh, ooh, whoo, ooh, ooh
She's always trying' to work it out
Sitting' in a parked car
Music on the stereo is blaring out
Shutting out the world
People always say 'what you gonna do now'?
Are you gonna go far
Gonna follow your heart, till it stops?
She could never say why
'Cause she's leaving tonight
She would never say why
'Cause she's leavin'
Jessie always wanted to get away
Drive across a border, head out to the lakes
Life beside the water, blinded by the sun
Jessie are you gonna leave now?
Are you gonna leave town?
Whoo, ooh, ooh, whoo, ooh, ooh
It's funny how she hesitates
She wonders why she still cares
Tomorrow seems so far away
This moment could be hers
People always say 'what you gonna do now'?
Are you gonna go far
Gonna follow your heart, till it stops
She could never say why
'Cause she's leaving tonight
She would never say why
'Cause she's leavin'
Jessie always wanted to get away
Drive across a border, head out to the lakes
Life beside the water, blinded by the sun
Jessie are you gonna leave now?
Are you gonna leave town?
Looking for the answer, she won't be the last one out
Trying to get a head start, fight her way through the crowds
Right now
Whoo, ooh, ooh
Jessie always wanted to get away
Drive across a border, head out to the lakes
Life beside the water, blinded by the sun
Jessie don't leave it too long, too long now
Jessie always wanted to get away
Drive across a border, head out to the lakes
Life beside the water, blinded by the sun
Jessie are you gonna leave town?
Whoo, ooh, ooh, whoo, ooh, ooh
She's always trying' to work it out
Sitting' in a parked car
Music on the stereo is blaring out
Shutting out the world
People always say 'what you gonna do now'?
Are you gonna go far
Gonna follow your heart, till it stops?
She could never say why
'Cause she's leaving tonight
She would never say why
'Cause she's leavin'
Jessie always wanted to get away
Drive across a border, head out to the lakes
Life beside the water, blinded by the sun
Jessie are you gonna leave now?
Are you gonna leave town?
Whoo, ooh, ooh, whoo, ooh, ooh
It's funny how she hesitates
She wonders why she still cares
Tomorrow seems so far away
This moment could be hers
People always say 'what you gonna do now'?
Are you gonna go far
Gonna follow your heart, till it stops
She could never say why
'Cause she's leaving tonight
She would never say why
'Cause she's leavin'
Jessie always wanted to get away
Drive across a border, head out to the lakes
Life beside the water, blinded by the sun
Jessie are you gonna leave now?
Are you gonna leave town?
Looking for the answer, she won't be the last one out
Trying to get a head start, fight her way through the crowds
Right now
Whoo, ooh, ooh
Jessie always wanted to get away
Drive across a border, head out to the lakes
Life beside the water, blinded by the sun
Jessie don't leave it too long, too long now
Jessie always wanted to get away
Drive across a border, head out to the lakes
Life beside the water, blinded by the sun
Jessie are you gonna leave town?
Lyrics submitted by tommyhaych
Borders Lyrics as written by Grant Nicholas
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Wow, this song is straight up a reflection of my life. I was in a store, just shopping around, then heard my name over the radio, so it caught my attention. Then I started listening to the words... Wow, just wow