As I lay me down to fall asleep
With my demons dying and my pilot light weak
I curse the last six months I been hiding behind a mustache, yeah
And to those last ten years I been howling a paper moon: fuck you

This goes out to all my underdone, under-tongue, lung long frontmen
(This is what the ghost of someone's dad says)
And all us earth growths, some planted
And some pulled
(Shut up and put your money where your mouth is)

Shine a flashlight in a hat box and spin
An empty oyster shell and celebrate the hollows

This goes out to dirty dancing, cursing, backmasking,
backslidden pastor's kids
(From behind bars it's not so hard to see he's risen)
And all us earth growths, some planted
And some pulled
(But nobody finds God and then goes to prison)

In Berlin I saw two men fuck in a dark corner of a basketball court
Just the slight jingle of pocket change pulsing

In the tourist part I lost fifty Euros
To the guy with the walnut shells and the marbles
It really pissed me off, so oh
I thought I'd go back to get my money but all my homies warned me
Oh no, those gypsies probably got knives

This goes out to all my under brewed, double-duped, two times true fools
(Stuck faking a phone call or texting for company)
And all us earth grows, I'm planted
That's some pull
(Like a married uncle at a family function)

I got them shaky gums and a couple of loose tooths
Now tell me, what should I do, my god
The clock's always stuck telling 11:11, or 3:32

This goes out to all my underdone, other-tongued, lung long frontmen
(Even just Joanna Newsom’s left hand)
And all us earth growths, some planted
And some pulled
(I bet could beat the pants in bass off your best man)
This goes out to all my underdone, other-tongued, lung long frontmen
(This is what the ghost of someone's dad says)
And all us earth growths
Doing the croak like it ain't no joke

In a crowded room project a debonair aloof impermanence
Be shrouded loosely in an air of indeterminates


Lyrics submitted by ericaface

The Hollows song meanings
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20 Comments

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  • +4
    My Opinion

    I think that Yoni is bashing the people in the music industry, who are untalented and mainstream. I think he is writing this song as a "fuck you" to all them.

    "This goes out to all my underdone, under-tongue, lung long frontmen" talking about all the people who are untalented, and "frontmen" is directly talking about basically top 20 artist.

    "This goes out to dirty dancing, cursing, backmasking, backslidden pastor's kids (From behind bars it's not so hard to see he's risen) And all us earth growths, some planted And some pulled (But nobody finds God and then goes to prison)" This verse is talking about how they try to be fake and say they are religious people, but yet they go to prision for doing stupid unholy stuff.

    "(Even just Joanna Newsom’s left hand) (I bet could beat the pants in bass off your best man)" hes giving props to Joanna Newsom while saying that she can outplay any dumb "hot" bass player or any guitar player for that matter.

    at one point he says "put your money where your mouth is" acknowledging that they have money, but hes challenging their talent.

    Yoni Wolf is a fucking genius. enough said.

    b311b311on February 06, 2012   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Yoni is saying that it's a singer-songwriter's responsibility to tell the truth about things they often lack the guts to admit.

    The "underdone, under-tongue, lung long frontmen" are singers with big lungs but no tongues, loud mouthed rockers with nothing truthful to say ( and that includes Joanna Newsom's filthy left hand, which has been hiding not admitting it's indiscretions).

    Yoni feels he too has been gutless, his moustache a form of hiding, his very Wolf-ness wasting it's time howling at a "paper" moon, rather than the burning fiery moon of total truth.

    "The Hollows" are the parts of us we humans (aka children of the earth or "earth growths") don't like to fess up about. Yoni says "Shine a flashlight" in your dark "hat box" and "celebrate the hollow" truths of the universal human experience.

    Yoni's tale of being a gutless chump, fleeced by and fearful of "gypsies," is an example of how to wallow in the truth of hollow human exprerience. Truth, Yoni believes, will set us free, not posing BS, no matter how well sung.

    yhtrownuon March 16, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    this song, this song. it is beautiful. the simplicity of the lyrical complexity. oh god. it just blows my mind.

    conorificon January 05, 2008   Link
  • +1
    My Opinion

    PLAIN EPIC

    MrAwesomeIXon March 08, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this song is seriously AMAZING.

    elleonon November 21, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I love how they mention Joanna Newsom, haha.

    chickenflickeron April 03, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I'm addicted to this song. What a voice.

    johannsenon April 19, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I have tried to decipher this song and i came up with 2 possibilities.

    A) Yoni was in jail or prison and joined Aryan brotherhood "hiding under the mustache" is one reference, the other "those last 10 years hauling a paper moon" paper in this kind of slang refers to probation

    B) feels fortunate for being the bad ass he is for having wealthy relatives that prevented him from going to prison. on the demo, there are two a few whispered parts

    "this goes out to all my punch drunk, trust fund ....gutter punks"

    and

    "shut up and put your money where your mouth is"

    yoni probably does come for a well off upper %age tax brackett family i mean lets face it he is a true music connousieur , and has been to many places nationally or worldwide,

    on other songs, his ability to paint the listenner on how he had chosen to live a certain way translates to this running fast paced enthralling day to day encounters.

    he mightve been involved with an organized crime group

    shadesteron May 19, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Does anyone else think it may have something to do with Hitler and Nazism? The first verse could be read as Hitler's thoughts right after he took the cyanide.

    "and all us earth growths, some planted and some pulled"- Could be could be a holocaust metaphor...

    "shine a flashlight in a hat box and spin an empty oyster shell and celebrate the hollows"- The camps?

    The verse about Berlin-Gays and gypsies were among the groups targeted by the Nazi party.

    "i got them shaky gums and a couple of loose tooths"- Hitler had a sweet tooth causing him to need a large amount of dental work. Hitler's body was identified by his numerous filling and bridges.

    Other songs on the Alopecia album may also reference Hitler's life....Makes me wonder if Yoni thinks of himself as something this loathsome...

    LynnaBakeron August 02, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I'm not sure it's about hitler only because of the reference to "pocket change" in the period between the end of WWI and the start of WWII there was no such thing as pocket change in berlin due to rampant inflation, it was cheaper to wallpaper your house with money than actually buy wallpaper. that said if it's referencing hitlers life pre WWI then it could be about hitler I'm just saying that I'm not sure either way I guess.

    benthebeardedon October 16, 2008   Link

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