Lyrics handwritten by Courtney Love to Hole‘s classic Live Through This opener “Violet” are being auctioned off for charity. Proceeds will go to wildlife sanctuary Ellis Park, and bidding is open until December 15. You can see the lyrics, which are written on pages torn from a spiral notebook and complete with cross-outs and smears, below.
Courtney talked to NME about the song’s origins for the occasion of the auction, telling them “It’s not just about Billy Corgan, as many might assume; it’s 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.”
She continued:
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. 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!
Ultimately, nothing matters more than animals, including humans. For more information, visit @ellisparksumatra or go to ellispark.org
Courtney also referenced what she said about “Violet” on Later… with Jools Holland in 1995 (she called it “a song about a jerk, I hexed him and now he’s losing his hair”), telling NME, “Sometimes I just channel whatever comes. I realise my comment on Jools Holland was a bit mean – I was just being bitchy beefy. But someone has to uphold the standards of good faith beef!”
