A Perfect Circle: The Hollow Meaning

Song Released: 2001

The Hollow Lyrics

run, desire, run sexual being,
running like a blade to & through the heart
no conscience, one motive...
to cater to the hollow.
screaming feed me, fill me up again.
temporarily pacify this hungering.
so grow, libido, throw dominoes of...

1. 1TOP RATED

   #1 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Jan 14th 2009 !⃝

   they long for love, but have no luck with love. so they temporarily numb the pain with casual or meaningless sex. but they keeping looking for that one love.

2. 2TOP RATED

   #2 top rated interpretation:
   anonymous

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   Jun 11th 2012 !⃝

   I have to say that like always his songs have multiple meanings and a new meaning to everyone. To me this song is indeed about sex.. but more so about the women using sex to fill up her empty void. Both mentally and physical she feels empty and incomplete inside. And sex temporarily pacifies her meaning makes her feel complete again.
   
   Libido throw
   Dominoes of indiscretions down
   Falling all around in cycles, in circles
   Constantly consuming, conquer and devour
   
   'Cause it's time to bring the fire down
   Throttle all this indescretion
   Long enough to edify
   And permanently fill this hollow
   
   -that refers to her struggle to permanently fill the emptiness and void inside her.. but ultimately she never feels complete and
   the cycles never end they go in circles and just repeat. So she continues to hunger for sex to fill her void and to feel complete even if its only temporarily. In a way even what I wrote can be interpreted in your own way I suppose.
3. Zeroangel

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   Sep 27th !⃝

   For me, it's all about how 'desire' and the libido is a 'wolf in sheeps clothing' that promises to fill the hollow, but it actually makes the hollow bigger (and diminishes your vital/spiritual energy).
   
   The verse "Desire... run him like a blade. Straight into the heart. Cater to the hollow", could be about controlling someone or being controlled by someone through 'desire'.
   
   The verse "Bridle all this indiscretion, long enough to edify and permanently fill this hollow" is about the way out -- I guess to prevent desire and libido from eating enough of your heart that it can't grow back.
   
   
4. anonymous

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   Nov 27th 2023 !⃝

   I think that this song is about using causal sex as a form of self harm. Hook up culture is normalizing random sex. I'm sure they'd like you to think its empowering but inviting randoms into your energy field is not empowering, its degrading. If not for sex most of these hollows would likely be cutting themselves.
5. anonymous

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   Feb 6th 2018 !⃝

   What covers alot of the meaning in the lyrics simply put is to look at it from a narcissistic point of view. The hollow person is a narcissist type of sexual being.
6. fishergambit

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   May 23rd 2010 !⃝

   The group is called the Perfect Circle, the song is the first single (right?) from it, and its called the Hollow. Its the vagina man, plain, simple and undeniably awesome. Struggle, try to reason a way, but the urge to get in it just overwhelms every sense, every reason.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
7. Quiranna1986

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   Aug 27th 2008 !⃝

   I was going to simply say that it's about the affair he is having with an already spoken for woman....he speaks of indiscretion and having no conscience....He hears the call of his own ned his libido and he imagines he hears the call of hers, to "fill her" or "fed her" The sword being his member.
8. anonymous

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   Jul 18th 2008 !⃝

   Addiction is the theme to this album, it's obvious. However, there is no true interpretation of any song by this band, or of Tool's, as everyone's view is different. Besides that of the creator's.
   
   However, my interpretation is that, "filling up the hollow" simply means temporarily satisfying a hungering libido.
   
   He practically tells us exactly what he's talking about. There's no interpreting to it.
   
   To me at least =o
9. anonymous

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   Mar 20th 2008 !⃝

   I don't think that this song is about sexual addiction.
   there's a deeper hidden meaning to it.
   "the hollow" refers to be forever alone
   (almost like a vampire)
   "screaming feed me, fill me up again." not only does he thirst blood but also love.
   
   "falling all around in cycles/circles.
   constantly consuming.
   conquer and devour"
   -this is talking about the long years of his vampiric life that have been monotonous
   
   it is almost romantic because he is searching for his love but the curse of being a vampire stands in the way
   
   thanks for taking the time to read
10. anonymous

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    Dec 12th 2007 !⃝

    Interesting. I never thought it about it that way but now you guys brought it up it makes sense. I thought it was about the empty feeling of life in general and trying to fill the void.
11. anonymous

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    Mar 14th 2007 !⃝

    It is about sex addiction. Part of a mini-opera of sorts, along with Magdalena, in "Rose", they overcome the sex addiction. "Brena" is also about the healing and turning away from the addiction.
12. Toolio

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    Sep 15th 2006 !⃝

    Alrighty, this is what I get from the song...Its pretty....Sexual.
    
    "run desire run
    sexual being
    run him like a blade
    to and through the heart
    no conscience
    one motive
    cater to the hollow"
    [to me this is saying 'i need sexual attention and I can't decide if I should or shouldn't...But I am motivated to fill the empty feeling of pleasure.']
    
    "screaming feed me here
    fill me up again
    temporarily pacify this hungering
    so grow
    libido throw
    dominoes of indiscretions down
    falling all around
    in cycles
    in circles
    constantly consuming
    conquer and devour"
    [this is saying 'give it to me...I need it. Let us settle this desire of sexual attention. It doesn't matter if it's wrong, because it feels so right...']
    
    "cause it's time to bring the fire down
    bridle all this indiscretion
    long enough to edify
    and permanently fill this hollow"
    ['let us forget about the mistakes of this attention so I can feel good...']
    
    "screaming feed me here
    fill me up again
    temporarily pacifying"
    [yea...Pretty much the same thing over again.]
    
    i don't really know why they would write this song...But I guess its something like "Magdelena"...

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway

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