Pavlov hits me with more bad news
Every time I answer the phone
So I play and I sing and I just let it ring
All day when I'm at home
A defacto choice of macro
Or microcosmic melancholy
But, baby, any way you slice it
I'm thinkin I could just as soon use
The time alone

Yes, the goons have gone global
And the C-E-O's are shredding files
And the democrans and the republicrats
Are flashing their toothy smiles
And uncle tom is posing for a photo op
With the oval office clan
And uncle Sam is rigging cockfights
In the promised land
And that knife you stuck in my back is still there
It pinches a little when I sigh and moan
And these days I'm thinkin' I could just as soon use
The time alone

'cause all the wrong people have the power
Of suggestion
And the freedom of the press is meaningless
If nobody asks a question
I mean
Causation by definition
Is such a complex compilation
Of factors
That to even try to say why
Is to over simplify
But that's a far cry
Isn't it dear?
From acting like you're the only one there
Unrepentantly self centered and unfair
Enter all suckers scrambling for the scoop
Exit Mr. Eye contact
Who took his flirt and flew the coop
But whatever
No matter
No fishin' trips
No fishin'
'cause mamma's officially out of commission
And did I mention
In there
Somewhere
Did I mention
Somewhere
In there
That I traded Babe Ruth?
Yes, I traded the only player that was bigger than the game
And I can't even tell you why
'cause you'd think I'm insane
And that's the truth

And the music industry mafia is pimping girl power
Sniping off their sharp shooter singles from their styrofoam towers
And hip hop is tied up in the back room
With a logo stuffed in its mouth
'cause the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house
But then

I'm getting away from myself

As I get closer and closer to home
And the difference between you and me baby
Is I get fucked up
When I'm alone

And I must admit
Today my inner pessimist
Seems to have got the best of me
We start out sugared up on cool-aid and manifest destiny
And we memorize all the president's names
Like little trained monkeys
And then we're spit into the world
So many spinny-eyed t.v. junkies
Incapable of unravelling the military industrial mystery
Preemptively pacified with history book history
And I've bin around the world now
And I can see this about america
The mind control is steep here, man
The myopia is deep here

And behold
Those that try to expose the reality
Who really try to realize democracy
Are shot with rubber bullets and gassed off the streets
While the global power brokers are kept clean and discrete
Behind a wall
Behind a moat
And that is all
That's all she wrote

And my heart beats an sss o o o sss
'cause folks just couldn't care care care less less less
As long as every day is Superbowl Sunday
And larger than life women in lingerie
Are pouting at us from every bus stop
She loves me she loves me not she loves me she loves me not

And big government should not stand between a man and his money
I mean "what's good for business is good for the country"

Our children still take that lie like communion
The same old line
The confederacy used on the union

Conjugate liberty
Into libertarian
And medicate it
Associate it
With deregulation
Privatization
We won't even know we're slaves
On a corporate plantation
Somebody say hallelujah!
Somebody say damnation!
'cause the profit system follows the path of least resistance
And the path of least resistance is what makes the river crooked
Makes it serpentine
Capitalism is the devil's wet dream
So just give me my judy garland drugs
And let me get back to work
'cause the empire state building
Is the tallest building in new york
And I always got the feeling
You just liked to hear it fall

Off your tongue

But I remember my name

In your mouth
And I don't think I was done
Hearing it close to my ear
On a whisper's way to a moan
But pavlov hits me with more bad news every time I answer the phone
So I play and I sing and I just let it ring all day when I'm at home

A defacto choice of macro
Or microcosmic melancholy
But baby, any way you slice it
I'm thinkin' I could just as soon use
The time alone


Lyrics submitted by aur0ra

Serpentine Lyrics as written by Ani Difranco

Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC

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Serpentine song meanings
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9 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    I love the intro. I love the rest of the song too, but sometimes I just listen to the intro^^ When I listen to rest of the song I have to concentrate so hard to hear and understand everything. I'm not that good at English, and it's irritating to have to run to the dictionary all the time:p Especially with a memory like a goldfish;)

    Megairaon January 28, 2008   Link

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Love in a Vacuum
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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.
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when rules change
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Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
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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”
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Bee Gees
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