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Hollow Hills Lyrics
Ancient Earth work fort and barrow
Discreetly hide their secret abodes
The most fearful hide deep inside
And venture not there upon Yuletide
For invasion of their hollow hills
The music hold and Oberon fill
Is surely recommended not
For fear of death in fear of rot
Hollow hills
Hollow hills
Hollow hills
Hollow hills
Baleful sounds and wild voices ignored
In luck disaster the one reward
Violated sanctity of supermen's hills
So sad love lies there still
So sad
So sad
Hollow hills
Hollow hills
Witches too and goblin too and speckled sills
Lament repent oh mortal you
So sad
So sad
Discreetly hide their secret abodes
The most fearful hide deep inside
And venture not there upon Yuletide
The music hold and Oberon fill
Is surely recommended not
For fear of death in fear of rot
Hollow hills
Hollow hills
Hollow hills
In luck disaster the one reward
Violated sanctity of supermen's hills
So sad love lies there still
So sad
So sad
Hollow hills
Hollow hills
Witches too and goblin too and speckled sills
Lament repent oh mortal you
So sad
So sad
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Oberon is king of the faeries in Shakespeare (he existed before that, but that is the best known early work featuring him). Earthen mounds are also known as faerie forts. A barrow is a raised grave. Yuletide before being adopted by Christianity was a pagan winter festival. In folklore that was when elves, faeries, and spirits conducted the Wild Hunt. People that viewed the Wild Hunt could be pulled into the underworld or faerie realm, thus the warning of not venturing there during that time..
Old faerie lore...hollow hills were abodes of the fae.
@Chloe le Fay
@Chloe le Fay
@Chloe le Fay I agree
@Chloe le Fay I agree
Hollow Hills to me, seems to be a lament for the faerie that lived in those hollow hills, and had their land invaded. The "violated sanctity" is the cause for mourning, and not only do witches and goblins mourn, so do the mortals.
Prehaps this stands for something more allegorical. Who knows.
you'll find out that some of the lyrics in this song are lifted straight out of a book on faeries written in the 80's.
in response to LaDiablo's comment about the slowed down keyboard work, well there isn't any! Daniel Ash plays this on guitar using a drumstick much like a violin bow.
I think you will find that it is most directly inspired by an Arthur Machen story, which actually contains the line "For invasion of their hollow hills is surely recommended not"
i think i read somewhere that this song is loosely based on the story "the hill of dreams" by arthur machen. makes sense.
Some errors in the lyrics:
"earthwork" is one word: "Ancient earthwork, fort and barrow"
"ill luck", not "in luck": "ill luck, disaster-- their one reward" ("in luck" doesn't even make sense: hey, you're in luck! Disaster!)
If my memory serves me well, I heard peter murphy once said this song was about the astral world or something supernatural.
This has to be my favorite Bauhaus song, simply for its mix of interesting vocals and slow-donned keyboard work. Positively gorgeous. Love the lyrics, as well; brilliant writing style.
Oh god, this is a beautiful song, possibly one of my favorites.
Bauhaus