Steve returned to New York and, with the help from some musicians, including former Suzanne Vega guitarist Jon Gordon, started a rock and roll project. This turned into his debut album Big Señorita. It was chosen as one of Performing Songwriter Magazine’s Top 12 Independent Releases of 2001. After the release he started touring nationally and winning national and international awards, including the Grand Prize in the USA Songwriting Competition.
His second solo CD “Stopped at a Green Light” was released in September 2003. He is currently frontman to The Weepies, along with his wife Deb Talan, whom he met in 2001 and now resides with in Topanga, CA with their three sons, Theo, Alexander, and Nicholas.
Love in Vain
Steve Tannen Lyrics
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Curved in a shape like the nape of your neck
Men are collectible action toys
And pretty soon you're gonna have the whole set
I know all there is to know about missing a train
Love in vain
With the moon in the sky I'm shining like a planet
All of your boyfriends read you like a book
Me I read it, but I didn't understand it
Still if you want somebody to blame...
Down where you live it's all twisted and narrow
And now your heart is too from all the justification
I know all there is to know about missing a train
Love in vain
Go ask anybody else I had and they'll tell you the same
Love in vain
It's the same old show and you're watching it go
Though you've seen it before
I was laughing how the crying had me down on the floor
It's not funny no more
Everyone else that I meet is a sideshow
This love is like the last love only more so
I know all there is to know about missing a train
Go ask anybody else I loved they'll tell you the same
Love in vain
The lyrics of Steve Tannen's song Love in Vain are rich with metaphors and vivid imagery that paint a picture of a world in which men are objects to be collected and love is elusive and painful. The opening lines, "Outside my window the traffic is diamonds/Curved in a shape like the nape of your neck," create a captivating contrast between the harshness of urban life and the beauty of the human body. This contrast continues in the next lines, where men are described as "collectible action toys" – objects that can be possessed and manipulated – while the singer is left incomplete, missing a train in love.
The second verse takes us to the Galaxy Diner, a surreal space where the moon shines and the singer feels like a planet, again contrasting the mundane reality of heartbreak with a dreamlike vision of the world. Here, the singer acknowledges his inability to understand the woman he loves, whose heart has become twisted and narrow from all the justifications. The chorus repeats the phrase "Love in vain," suggesting the futility of trying to catch a train that has already left the station, and the knowledge that love is a game with a familiar script that always ends in sorrow.
Overall, Love in Vain is a poignant and insightful reflection on the challenges and complexities of romantic love, crafted with poetic language and a keen sense of observation.
Line by Line Meaning
Outside my window the traffic is diamonds
The traffic outside appears valuable and gleaming, but it is only a reflection of the emptiness and superficiality of urban life
Curved in a shape like the nape of your neck
The sight of the traffic reminds the singer of the physical beauty of a past lover
Men are collectible action toys
The singer sees other men as interchangeable objects, easily replaced and devoid of real emotional depth
And pretty soon you're gonna have the whole set
The singer predicts that the woman he is addressing will continue to pursue relationships with other men without ever finding true love or satisfaction
I know all there is to know about missing a train
The singer has experienced disappointment and missed opportunities in love and has become jaded and cynical
Love in vain
Love has not brought the singer happiness or fulfillment and has left him feeling empty and disillusioned
I jump the railing to the Galaxy diner
The singer seeks escape from his troubles by going to a place of fantasy and imagination
With the moon in the sky I'm shining like a planet
The singer feels a sense of liberation and independence under the night sky
All of your boyfriends read you like a book
The woman he is addressing is predictable and shallow, and her past partners have been able to recognize this
Me I read it, but I didn't understand it
Even though the singer was aware of the woman's flaws, he still pursued her and was unable to come to terms with the reality of the situation
Still if you want somebody to blame...
The singer feels like the woman is looking for someone else to take responsibility for the failure of their relationship
Down where you live it's all twisted and narrow
The woman's environment and way of life are unhealthy and limiting, contributing to her inability to find fulfillment in a relationship
And now your heart is too from all the justification
The singer believes that the woman has become emotionally damaged and defensive as a result of her past experiences
Go ask anybody else I had and they'll tell you the same
The singer is confident that his former partners would agree that love has not brought them happiness or fulfillment
It's the same old show and you're watching it go
The cycle of failed relationships and disappointment is something the singer has seen and experienced before
Though you've seen it before
The woman is aware of the pattern but continues to repeat it
I was laughing how the crying had me down on the floor
The singer recognizes the absurdity of his own emotional pain and finds it slightly humorous
It's not funny no more
However, the singer has grown tired of this cycle and is no longer able to find any humor in it
Everyone else that I meet is a sideshow
The singer feels alienated and disconnected from the people around him, viewing them as superficial and uninteresting
This love is like the last love only more so
The singer sees a pattern of failed relationships in his life, with each new one echoing the same mistakes and disappointments of the past
Contributed by Emily W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.