The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
He's just the kind of man
You hear about
Who leaves his family for
An easy out
They never saw the signs
He never said a word
He couldn't take another day
Carry me to the shoreline
Bury me in the sand
Walk me across the water
And maybe you'll understand
Once the stone
You're crawling under
Is lifted off your shoulders
Once the cloud that's raining
Over your head disappears
The noise that you'll hear
Is the crashing down of hollow years
She's not the kind of girl
You hear about
She'll never want another
She'll never be without
She'll give you all the signs
She'll tell you everything
Then turn around and walk away
Carry me to the shoreline
Bury me in the sand
Walk me across the water
And maybe you'll understand
Once the stone
You're crawling under
Is lifted off your shoulders
Once the cloud that's raining
Over your heads disappears
The noise that you'll hear
Is the crashing down of hollow years
Carry me to the shoreline
Bury me in the sand
Walk me across the water
And maybe you'll understand
Once the stone
You're crawling under
Is lifted off your shoulders
Once the cloud that's raining
Over your heads disappears
The noise that you'll hear
Is the crashing down of hollow years
You hear about
Who leaves his family for
An easy out
They never saw the signs
He never said a word
He couldn't take another day
Carry me to the shoreline
Bury me in the sand
Walk me across the water
And maybe you'll understand
Once the stone
You're crawling under
Is lifted off your shoulders
Once the cloud that's raining
Over your head disappears
The noise that you'll hear
Is the crashing down of hollow years
She's not the kind of girl
You hear about
She'll never want another
She'll never be without
She'll give you all the signs
She'll tell you everything
Then turn around and walk away
Carry me to the shoreline
Bury me in the sand
Walk me across the water
And maybe you'll understand
Once the stone
You're crawling under
Is lifted off your shoulders
Once the cloud that's raining
Over your heads disappears
The noise that you'll hear
Is the crashing down of hollow years
Carry me to the shoreline
Bury me in the sand
Walk me across the water
And maybe you'll understand
Once the stone
You're crawling under
Is lifted off your shoulders
Once the cloud that's raining
Over your heads disappears
The noise that you'll hear
Is the crashing down of hollow years
Lyrics submitted by elmoz, edited by Octavarium64
Hollow Years Lyrics as written by John Petrucci
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
i think i finally know the exact same meaning of this song, here it goes... I wont pay attention to the verses as the real core is in the chorus, I understand the whole thing is about growing up, getting mature, and being happy: "Carry me to the shoreline, bury me in the sand, walk me across the waters" could be interpreted as how life sucks sometimes and makes us feel so down. "And maybe youll understand" means that after youve been through all that pain MAYBE youll "get it" if youre strong/brave/mature enough, aha? "Once the stone youre crawling under is lifted off your shoulders, once the cloud thats raining over your head disappears, the noise that youll hear is the crashing down of hollow years" Here is where the song gets powerful, it means that once youve left all your baggage and your issues behind and accepted reality, you finally begin to be happy "the stone is lifted off your shoulders" and "the cloud disappears" its like you just started living, and finally the term "hollow years" mean literally all that time in ur life when you still didnt "get it", all those years you felt miserable, but you are happy now, and that the noise that you are hearing is nothing more than the crashing down of those hollow years. hope makes sense to you, cheers.
Totally agree. In an answer that Petrucci gave in his forum, about how he creates the songs and lyrics, he stated that usually first comes the melody and then he arranges the words, taking very special care to the sound of those words and how they get fit in the melody.<br /> <br /> If we take close attention, the melody when it explains -troubles- its downbeat, kinda sad, but when it comes to the chorus when talks about relieve and "lifting problems over shoulders" it gets more merryer, specially in the concert of Budokan, it almost sounds like a Triumphant tune.<br /> <br /> so i get this meaning, and, adding my personal experience, now, after three years of deep depression due to a vast amout of problems that stacked up, now that i have worked all of them out, its true, somehow i can "hear" the crashing down of all that. <br /> <br /> I dont consider them "hollow" because even the bad stuff is useful, but yes, its a triumphant sound to hear that part "crash down" specially when you had to work hard to make em fall.<br /> <br /> And about the theory of suicide.... I think its impossible and also a "cliche" of all rock players talking about suicide. <br /> <br /> AND, who suicides ONCE (after) their "stones" have been lifted? ;-)<br /> <br /> This song makes me cry everytime i hear it... but of happiness. ( its a mixture, when i remember what i felt and lived during those "hollow years" and happiness to had the strenght to fight trhought them and now being a winner over it) its causes a powerful mix of feelings into me, its awesome how music can explain things that words can´t.<br /> <br />
this is one of my favorite dream theater songs
"She'll give you all the signs She'll tell you everything Then turn around and walk away"
I think most of us can relate to that in some way
@oliverbakeman but depending on how you interpret that, because is one of the trickiest parts of the song, you will fit into the bucket of "everyone else who didn't go through depression / growing or whatever you can call hollow years". But is totally correct, I also think that that's the purpose of this paragraph, it expands the universe of the people who can relate to it by making it as common as a romantic relationship
I heard from one of my friends that its lyrics is about divorce, when the marriage years of a couple become hollow, thus the title. The stone meant a heavy burden and the cloud probably meant problems and if these things would be taken away, the hollow years will crash down and come to an end.. I too believe that it's what the song probably meant. ^_^
I really hate when people come onto song meaning and say how much they like a song, yet give no constructive contribution. Right let's discuss how great the solo is on a lyrical interpretation site. Onto interp - I always thought it was the divorce story. Upinthesky has it down perfectly. He's the kind of man who will leave his family on a whim, not talk about his problems, and not really care. She's the kind of girl who will work hard for it, tell you her problems, and when the fall on deaf ears, she'll walk away. The course is like getting out of a bad relationship you thought was good, you begin to see things from an objective persepctive and realize it wasnt' so good. Once the cloud disappears, you will see how hollow the years have really been.
I haven't gone much into analyzing this song, just heard it a lot while listening to my cds, and yes the Budokan version is so much better with the Petrucci solo. But I believe the first verse is about a father leaving his family of course, and the 2nd is speaking of the daughter of that man, perhaps her mother began to date another, and she gives the signs she ready for a new father, but really she never will be, and just wishes her dad would return.
I would have to agree with the assumption that it is about the break up of a family. Once the cloud thats raining over your head disappears, the noise that youll hear is the crashing down of hollow years. it has to refer to when all pretence is gone and all the pointless struggling ceases you see the waste of those years.
It's definitely not about suicide. It's about human relationships,about a guy and a girl, finding out after years(hollow years, due to lack of knowledge) that they are so different. The break up(or something else...for example, accepting how things are set up and making a new beginning) brings salvation and peace of mind, probably for both of them. A great song.
Forgot about the all important chorus! This interpretation is semi-metaphorical
"Carry me to the shoreline Bury me in the sand Walk me across the water And maybe you'll understand"
The concept here is that sometimes we are weak and we fall, we need someone to care for us, to help us out. I love the metaphor of the beach. What he wants you to do, in my opinion, is support him, get him to the shoreline(be there for him), bury him in the sand(take him away from his problems), walk him across the water(take him to your end, there is a vast ocean between the two of you) and maybe you'll understand(because now you have seen BOTH sides).
"Once the stone You're crawling under Is lifted off your shoulders Once the cloud that's raining Over your head disappears The noise that you'll hear Is the crashing down of Hollow Years"
This could be any number of people speaking. The concept, I think, is this:
When you are finally relieved of your pain, when someone finally comes and sets you free from your personal hell, when you are released from the cage of your troubles.. you will realize that it was all meaningless. That pain and suffering is gone and worthless to you now. This is now, that was then.
This does kind of support the suicide theory, as all the bad goes away at once when you die(theoretically) but, again, I don't feel the verses support the idea of a suicide. Occam's razor makes me think relationship
You're all wrong. This song is about Jack Bauer's fake death between 24's season 4 and season 5. Wait a minute, that is not possible, since this song was written in the 90s, and the TV show was aired 10 years later... Anyway Here's the breakdown.
He's just the kind of man You hear about
-- Jack Bauer changed his name/identity, and became an ordinary worker.
Who leaves his family for An easy out
-- He left his family (his daughter) and made her think he's dead.
They never saw the signs He never said a word He couldn't take another day
-- Jack disappeared just like that. At the end of season 4. He couldn't take "another day", well, it had been a long day.
Chorus Carry me to the shoreline Bury me in the sand Walk me across the water And maybe you'll understand
-- Jack is supposed to be dead. So he says "bury me in the sand". "The water" is referring to the ending of season 6 (Jack gazing at the Pacific Ocean). 24 was set in Los Angeles, California -- they had nice beaches and shorelines there.
Once the stone You're crawling under Is lifted off your shoulders Once the cloud that's raining Over your head disappears The noise that you'll hear Is the crashing down of Hollow Years
-- This verse refers to the terrorists. "The stone" is their WMD, and "the cloud" is the mushroom cloud of the nuclear bomb. "The crashing down" could refer to the explosion of the bomb (season 2 and 6), or the failure of the attack (season 4).
She's not the kind of girl You hear about She'll never want another She'll never be without She'll give you all the signs She'll tell you everything Then turn around and walk away
-- This verse is about Jack's daughter, Kim. She'll never want another man to be her father. Now that her father is (supposedly) dead, she'll try to turn around and walk away from all the sadness in her life.
I think its about dealing with Suicide. Its A great song