Courtney Love‘s original handwritten lyrics of Hole‘s classic Live Through This opener “Violet” are currently being auctioned off to benefit wildlife sanctuary Ellis Park, and she recently spoke about the song’s origins, telling NME, “It’s not just about Billy Corgan, as many might assume” (she’d also called it a “song about a jerk, I hexed him and now he’s losing his hair” in a 1995 appearance on Later… with Jools Holland). Corgan has now revealed that he’s bought tickets for the auction. In a video on Instagram, he said, “Now it’s made a lot of press this week that this auction’s going off so I’ve actually bought my ticket. Because I’d like to win these lyrics, because I think it’s about a guy I know a little bit about. And I’d love to put that on my wall.”
Courtney also told NME that the song was about “sitting on the fire escape of his flat, sipping cheap wine and taking a Vicodin (oh, to be young!) while the Chicago sun sets, leaving behind a bejewelled amethyst sky,” continuing, “It is somewhat influenced by Pope and Brontë. I drew from Pope’s The Dunciad and an Emily Brontë poem. I did borrow from Brontë but ultimately decided to cross it out. The rhyme scheme is good but it felt too much like imitation – I was trying being “method”, but it ended up feeling excessive.”
“The piece also touches on the theme of being caught between two boys—representing the angel and devil within me, as well as my own nature,” she added to NME. “There’s a line that mentions ‘Danny’s new number,’ referring either to Goldberg or a drug dealer—another Danny, known as “Bobby Bones,” who Flea will remember. Yikes!”